IPL 2018, RCB vs MI: 5 player battles to look forward to

#2 AB de Villiers v Mayank Markande

AB de Villiers

The right-arm leg-spinner has been one of the biggest finds of the IPL so far and his superb showing for MI has propelled Mayank Markande into the list of the leading spinners in the tournament so far. He is MI’s highest wicket-taker with 10 wickets in 7 games and in addition to that, he has gone for only 7.52 runs an over.

His control, variety and intelligence have made it possible for him to hold his own against the biggest names in the game. In his last game against the same opponents, he picked up a wicket but more importantly, went for only 25 runs in his quota of 4 overs.

His biggest challenge tonight would be to find a way to get RCB’s AB de Villiers out and considering the fact that the South African can turn the tide of the game fairly quickly, Markande would need to be at his best right from the outset. De Villiers has no apparent weakness in his batting and is currently averaging 56, to go along with a stupendous strike rate of 184.21. This is a battle that could change the course of the game.