IPL 2019: 5 Player battles to watch out for

#3 Rishabh Pant (Delhi Capitals) vs Mujeeb Ur Rahman (Kings XI Punjab)

Mujeeb celebrates with his teammates after picking up Rishabh Pant's wicket.

Both Delhi Capitals and Kings XI Punjab had a bad run last season. But they have worked well in the off-season to draft a good squad.

People might think these are the only things common between the Delhi Capitals and the Kings XI Punjab. But there is a minute detail that often goes unnoticed: both sides believe in young players and promote them.

Mujeeb Ur Rahman is an example of the right combination of talent and opportunity. The Afghan was on course to win the Emerging Player award last season but lost it to another youngster's heroics.

Rishabh Pant, who won the Emerging Player award last season, also won the ICC Emerging Player of the Year award. Both Mujeeb and Pant have created ripples with their unorthodox style of going about their business.

While Mujeeb weaves magic with the ball in hand, Pant specializes in hitting any bowler out of the park.

Mujeeb currently holds the upper hand in the contest between the two. He picked up Pant's wicket on both the occasions the two players met in the IPL last year, and clearly had the better of the Delhi batsman.

But again, a lot has changed since then. Pant has turned into a charismatic batsman with a little toned-down aggression, while Mujeeb has turned even more miserly and is now incredibly hard to get runs off.

It'll be a treat to watch these two young players battle it out.