IPL 2019: 5 Player battles to watch out for

#4 AB De Villiers (Royal Challengers Bangalore) vs Kuldeep Yadav (Kolkata Knight Riders)

ABD playing one of the many unorthodox shots in his arsenal

It was a numbing sensation when AB de Villiers announced his shock retirement decision from international cricket. The fact that we wouldn't be seeing this batting magician in national colors anymore was hard to register.

De Villiers has done everything right in his career and deserves both the IPL and the World Cup titles, but luck hasn't been on his side. Though he can't achieve the former, ABD could still win the IPL with RCB this season.

De Villiers has no pressure of international cricket any more, and can play with freedom and express himself fully on the pitch. It will be a delight to see him light up the evening sky with his wide range of shots and elegant manner of executing them.

It's hard to find someone who's as magical as ABD and yet makes it look so easy and right now, there's a bowler who comes close to that - Kuldeep Yadav. Kuldeep has been in great form recently, and his bowling is beautiful to watch.

He has bamboozled the best in the business; his stats illustrate how clinical he has been for India in the recent past.

RCB vs KKR has always been a high-octane fixture, with many entertaining matches being played in the past. It will be great to watch who can outsmart whom this season, and whether Mr. 360 or Kuldeep will emerge the winner.