IPL 2018, CSK V DD: 5 player battles to look forward to

#4 MS Dhoni v Rahul Tewatia

The CSK captain has been in excellent hitting form in the tournament so far and Dhoni’s middle-order pyrotechnics have gone a long way in making the team one of the most formidable batting line-ups in the tournament. He has an overall strike rate of 159.86 so far and is averaging an incredible 58.75. Hoverer, it is interesting to note that till the completed game against Royal Challengers Bangalore, he was striking at 224 against pace, while the same against spin dropped to 121.

That is why DD’s Rahul Tewatia is going to play such an important role in tonight’s game at Pune. The leg-spinner has been one of the steadiest bowlers for the franchise so far and although he has picked up only 6 wickets in 7 games so far, he has only gone for 7.50 runs an over in the season so far. Considering Dhoni’s slower scoring rate against spinners, this could well turn out to be a match-defining battle.