IPL 2019: Chennai Super Kings vs Royal Challengers Bangalore - Three player battles to watch out for

CSK v RCB
CSK v RCB

The cricketing carnival in India, the IPL is all set to entertain the fans starting from 23rd March 2019. The first game of the season will witness the duel between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).

Considering their head-to-head record, the Chennai Super Kings seem to be a much better team heading into this match. RCB only won one game out of seven while playing at the Chepauk in Chennai. Yet, they can't be taken easily, for, they are one of the strongest teams around. At the IPL 2019 auction, the team managed to make up for the shortcomings of the previous season and looks well-balanced now.

The Super Kings, on the other hand, enter into the tournament as the defending champions. They will look forward to getting off to a positive start in the tournament by making early inroads against RCB. Apart from the main battle between both these teams, there are also a few mini-battles between the players that are to be watched out for.


Here are three player battles to watch out for in the 1st game of the season:

#1 Suresh Raina vs Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli & Suresh Raina
Virat Kohli & Suresh Raina

Both Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina have been stalwarts in the IPL. They are both terrific performers in the league and are extremely important cogs for their respective sides. Heading into the tournament opener, a mini-battle will be on between both these players.

Raina and Kohli are the first and second highest run-scorers in the IPL respectively. While the left-hander has piled up 4,985 runs in the tournament thus far, the Indian skipper isn't far behind. Kohli scored 4,948 runs in the IPL till date. So when these two step onto the field, there will be many eyes watching them keenly to see who gets to the milestone first.

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Watch: The battle between CSK & RCB | The El Classico of IPL

#2 Shane Watson vs AB de Villiers

Shane Watson, AB de Villiers during RCB's practice session
Shane Watson, AB de Villiers during RCB's practice session

It will be the overseas player battle when former RCB teammates Shane Watson and AB de Villiers take the field. Both these cricketers form a significant part of the plans of their respective sides. They are both game changers and highly talented. The player who performs better will help his team have an edge over the other.

Shane Watson has been in great form in 2019. He has batted in 22 T20 innings thus far and scored more runs than anyone else. The batting all-rounder mustered 684 runs at an average of 36 and strike rate close to 140. He already has five half-centuries and one century to his name and will be looking toward to translating his BBL 2018-19 and PSL 2019 form into the IPL.

AB de Villiers has also done well this year in T20 cricket. The former Proteas cricketer scored 218 runs from 7 innings at an average of 54.50 and strike rate of 129. ABD is likely to bat at number four for the RCB.

Watch: The Predicted Starting XI for RCB

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#3 Deepak Chahar vs Umesh Yadav

Deepak Chahar of CSK
Deepak Chahar of CSK

The battle between Deepak Chahar and Umesh Yadav is quite intriguing. In all likelihood, they will be opening the bowling for their respective teams. Both of them are great with the new ball. They hit good areas early on and test the batsmen with pace and swing. But, neither of them is effective during the death overs and they tend to leak a lot of runs.

Thus, they could be bowling a majority of their overs within the powerplay. Although it is quite a tough task to bowl while the field is up, both of them have done this job well throughout IPL 2018.

It will be a test of their skill in the first game of the season as both the teams boast of some big hitters at the top of the order. If they can provide their respective team with a good start by chipping in with a few early wickets, it would be ideal.

Watch: The Predicted Starting XI for CSK

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Edited by Kingshuk Kusari