IPL 2018, MI vs RR: 5 players battles to look forward to

After a shocking start to their campaign, the defending champions Mumbai Indians have roared back into form with 4 wins in their last 5 games and now find themselves at the 5th spot. However, they need to continue to register wins if they are to make the playoffs and the same holds true for their opponents Rajasthan Royals, who are at 6th place with the same number of wins as MI.

Both sides are coming off excellent victories in their previous games and are tonight going to be locked in a contest that neither of them can afford to lose. The personnel of the star-studded teams are also going to be locked in intense battles and those battles are going to have a big impact on the eventual result of the game. Here is a look at the 5 most important battles to look forward to in tonight’s game.

#5 Evin Lewis v K Gowtham

The West Indian is someone who can take the game away from the opposition fairly quickly if he stays at the wicket for any length of time and therein lies the importance of Evin Lewis in a crunch game like this. He can get MI off to the sort of fast start that is so crucial in T20 cricket and RR must look for a way to take his wicket early on. In their previous game, he made a duck and hence, he will be eager to make amends tonight.

The bowler who could be an excellent option against the left-hander is RR all-rounder Krishnappa Gowtham, who has shown that he can be a very capable bowler in the Powerplays. His accurate right-arm off-spin is often quite hard to hit and his economy rate of 7.61 is ample proof that Gowtham can hold his own against the most brutal power-hitters in the business. This is going to be a crucial battle.