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

According to the league table, this is a mismatch as table toppers Chennai Super Kings take on bottom-placed Mumbai Indians at Pune tonight. CSK are coming off a stupendous victory in their previous game while MI are desperate to get back to winning ways after their calamitous defeat in the last game against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

The defending champions have won just 1 game so far in the tournament and if they are to get to the playoffs then it is high time they get back to winning ways.

Considering the number of epic games they have been involved in, tonight’s game in Pune promises to be another closely-fought contest. Both teams are filled with fine cricketers and their individual battles will ultimately decide the fate of the match. Here is a look at the 5 most interesting battles to look forward to tonight.

#1 Ambati Rayudu v Mayank Markande

Ambati Rayudu is the highest run scorer in the CSK side with a total of 283 runs so far and his stroke-play has been responsible for many of the scorching starts that the team have gotten off to this year. He is averaging 47.16 with a brilliant strike rate of 158.98. In the last game, he decimated the Royal Challengers Bangalore attack with a scintillating 82 and in the game before that, his 79 against SRH proved to be a match-turning effort.

Rayudu was particularly severe on spin in his previous game and his battle against MI’s leg-spinner Mayank Markande is going to be an intense one. The spinner has been a revelation in the IPL so far and is currently MI’s highest wicket-taker with a total of 10 scalps. His economy rate of 7.15 is perhaps the most impressive.

In the previous game against CSK, he got 3-23 in 4 overs and among those was the wicket of Rayudu, trapped leg before. It is definitely a battle that could shape the CSK batting effort and perhaps Rayudu would want to get on top of the bowler who got him out last time the two teams met.