IPL 2019: 5 Player battles to watch out for

#1 Virat Kohli (Royal Challengers Bangalore) vs Rashid Khan (Sunrisers Hyderabad)

Kohli gets castled by a beauty from Rashid Khan

When Rashid Khan first burst on to the scene, no one would have imagined him bowling well against the batting greats. But now, the very fans of those batsmen shiver in fear when the young leggie has the ball in hand.

Rashid genuinely turns the ball both ways. Even after hours of poring into TV screens, analysts can't say with certainty that they can read him off the hand.

This isn't just unpredictability, but spin bowling of a higher level. You certainly can't confine him to one kind of ball, so with Rashid, you have to take it one ball at a time. He has bamboozled the best in the business and has scalped many worth a million pounds.

If there is one batsman who is an able match to face Rashid, it is Virat Kohli. Kohli represents an unceasing, classical and consistent style of batting which no one has been able to reproduce. His ability to brush bowlers aside and dictate terms is remarkable, and the way he sets himself up to play the big shots by getting into the bowlers' mind is incredible.

When Kohli and Rashid go head to head, it's a personal challenge for both of them. While the two modern greats are real gentlemen, on the field there's no room for mercy.

Rashid got the better of Kohli once last season. When this battle comes up in 2019, the entire cricketing fraternity will sit up and watch.