IPL 2018, DD vs RCB: 5 player battles to look out for in Delhi Daredevils vs Royal Challengers Bangalore
It is the battle between 7th and 8th tonight at the Feroz Shah Kotla tonight and nothing less than a win is going to suit either of Delhi Daredevils and Royal Challengers Bangalore.
DD lost the previous game to Sunrisers Hyderabad despite the heroics from their young star Rishabh Pant, while RCB inexplicably messed up a chase against the same opponents in their last game.
Both teams are filled with star players who can turn the game in a matter of few overs and ultimately, the result of the game is going to depend on some of the individual battles that will take place tonight.
Here is a look at five of the most engrossing individual battles in tonight’s match that will have a big impact on the direction of the game.
#5 Glenn Maxwell v Tim Southee
The Australian batsman was expected to be the middle-order power-hitter for DD but so far Glenn Maxwell has struggled for form. However, if he is to come back to some sort of hitting form then there is no better time to do so than tonight and that too against a bowling attack that has often struggled to contain the opposition so far.
He is going to be vital for DD’s batting effort in the slog overs and he will have to come good against one of the best death bowlers in the world in RCB’s Tim Southee.
The RCB attack struggled in the slog overs but the addition to Southee to the playing eleven has vastly improved the situation and the New Zealand bowlers expertise will be necessary to keep Maxwell quiet in the closing stages of the DD innings tonight.
The fast bowler’s intelligence, varieties and the ability to bowl pinpoint yorkers have seen him concede only 7.93 runs an over so far in 4 games. In a small ground like the Kotla, his closing spell will be vital and his battle with Maxwell is going to be the encounter that everyone must be looking forward to.