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

#3 Amit Mishra v Ben Stokes

Ben Stokes

The England all-rounder is one of the most important players in the RR side but his batting has so far been a disappointment and his struggles against spin bowling has been particularly alarming. Ben Stokes is averaging 21 and striking at only 123.52 and considering the fact that he is responsible for middle-order runs, his failures against spin are becoming even more of a problem for RR. However, in this latter half of games, Stokes would need to find a solution to these troubles and come good so that RR can make it to top 4.

His biggest challenge tonight would be playing DD’s Indian leg-spinner Amit Mishra and after being clobbered in the first game of the campaign, he has come back strongly. He is now solely responsible for bowling in the middle-overs and has provided DD with the sort of control that is so necessary for T20s. His economy rate so far in the middle overs has been 6.7 per over and when he comes up against a power-hitter like Stokes, it would become a contest that could go a long way in deciding the course of the RR innings.