IPL 2018, KKR vs KXIP: 5 players battles to look forward to

Both teams are coming off clinical victories in their previous game and this afternoon’s match at the Eden Gardens between Kolkata Knight Riders and Kings XI Punjab will be a battle between two excellent T20 sides.

KXIP completely destroyed the best bowling attack in the tournament in the last game and today they will come up against the bowling might of the KKR. Can they do it twice in a row? Time will tell, however, there is no doubt that the game will be shaped by some of the key individual battles.

So here is a look at the 5 most important head to head battles that will decide today’s showdown in Kolkata.

#5 Chris Lynn v Mujeeb Ur Rahman

KKR bought back Australian batsman Chris Lynn for a whopping Rs. 9.6 crores in this year’s IPL auction but so far the player has not been able to display the sort of brutal hitting that made him such a formidable force in T20 cricket.

He is striking at 120 (he has a career T20 strike rate of 147.12) and averaging 21.40 in this season’s IPL. Lynn’s biggest problem in the IPL so far has been his difficulties against spin and that is why the duel with KXIP’s Afghan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman becomes such a crucial contest.

The right-hander has been dismissed by spinners thrice and in addition to that, he has only recorded a strike rate of 77.5 against spinners. On the other hand, the leg-spinner Mujeeb has proven to be one of the spin bowling stars of the tournament and has recorded an excellent economy rate of only 6.80 in 4 games so far. It will be difficult for Lynn to get on top of him but if he can find his touch against the spinner in today’s game, then it might turn out to be a match-winning effort.