IPL 2019: 5 Player battles to watch out for
The countdown for IPL 2019 has begun; there are less than 50 days left for the league to begin.
One of the reasons for the league's success is the entertaining brand of cricket it has produced. Each match has one major clash between bat and ball, as well as one between two individual players.
Though cricket is a team game, player battles do play an important part in a match. The IPL has played host to various engaging duels between players, which have even turned ugly on occasions. But most of the time, they're well spirited, enjoyed by both the players, and make for splendid viewing.
Let's take a look at the top five player battles to look out for in IPL 2019.
#5 MS Dhoni (Chennai Super Kings) vs Andrew Tye (Kings XI Punjab)
MS Dhoni has been India's best finisher for a long time, and was probably the best in the world until recent times. Dhoni has certainly lost some of the brute force and swashbuckling striking ability from his prime years, but he's still a more than capable batsman.
Though he hasn't had the opportunity to showcase the same in international cricket of late, Dhoni had a great strike in the IPL last season, and even had his best ever batting average. He might not be able to start from where he left off, but Dhoni, who's a key part of India's WC plans, will look to regain his form in the IPL this year.
Andrew Tye was the leading wicket-taker last season and was exceptional when he bowled in the death overs. He picked up 24 wickets, including those of many top batsmen and big hitters. But one wicket he couldn't take was that of Dhoni.
In the first fixture between CSK and KXIP, Dhoni scored an unbeaten 79 off 44 balls and smashed Tye for four boundaries which included two sixes in the death overs. In the return fixture, MS didn't get to bat as Deepak Chahar who was promoted up the order and he scored some quick runs.
Tye, who's rated as the best specialist death bowler, hasn't had success against MSD. It will be interesting to see who will come up trumps if this contest does take place this season.