In the 25th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 two heavy-weights Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will be locking horns with the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Saturday. CSK has had a forgetful outing of ar in the season with only two wins in six matches. Despite Faf du Plessis and Shane Watson in stellar form, CSK’s middle-order has been failing constantly in the past few games.
After suffering a close loss against KKR, CSK would ideally be looking to correct all the mistakes against RCB as they hope to return to winning ways in IPL 2020. Their opponents, RCB has gone through a lot of ups and does in the tournament so far as they have won three of their five games. The additions of Devdutt Padikkal and Aaron Finch have bolstered their batting unit.
However, RCB still has some troubles with their death bowling with the likes of Navdeep Saini and Isuru Udana proving to be expensive in each of their last three games. With Chris Morris nearing a much-awaited return from injury, RCB will fancy their chances of a win at the expense of CSK.
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With the likes of MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, and AB de Villiers all set for action on a double-header Saturday, we should be in for a treat.
As the two sides prepare for a thrilling encounter, here’s a look at three key player battles to keep an eye on.
#1. MS Dhoni vs Yuzvendra Chahal
MS Dhoni’s own figures also are dipping with his team’s. His dismissal in the last match will be eye candy for someone like Yuzvendra Chahal, who will be critical to his team’s bowling effort when the two sides meet on Saturday. Chahal has been leading the Bangalore bowling attack as he has scalped eight wickets from five matches at the rate of 7.57. He has two three-wicket hauls in the current tournament and in his IPL career, he has claimed 108 wickets from 89 matches at an economy of 7.77.
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Dhoni’s figures in IPL, like all formats, are something to dream about for most other players. In his career of 196 games, he has scored 4534 runs at a strike rate of 137.64, a little surprising, considering the impact he has had on the game. In this season he has scored just 102 runs from six matches, and a strike rate of 129,11, Dhoni definitely looks mortal, and the opposition bowlers are tentatively closing in.
#2. Aaron Finch vs Deepak Chahar
An attacking batsman against a seamer makes for an intriguing contest. And RCB opener, Aaron Finch is among the most aggressive batsmen on the T20 circuit. He blasted it out against MI, when he scored runs 32 off just 36 balls. If he manages to go big, he will make sure that the opposition pays for it. However, Deepak Chahar is nothing short of one of the most dependable bowlers in IPL he has scalped 22 wickets in 17 matches at a strike rate of 17.59 in 2019. He has performed against the best in the business and has made his mark with his guile.
#3. Virat Kohli vs Shardul Thakur
While Virat Kohli is under the pressure of registering a big win, and it could work well for the CSK bowling, more so for Shardul Thakur. The latter was at his best in the game against KKR and in this season so far he has scored five wickets, at an economy of 8.25. Overall, Thakur has played 39 IPL games for 41 wickets at 8.96.
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Kohli has been going through some ups and won in the season as he has scored 133 runs from five games with an ordinary strike rate of 109.91. On the other hand, in his IPL career, he has a strike-rate of 130.99, off 182 games that have got him 5575 runs. This face-off will be decided by who puts the best foot forwards and willl also surely have an element of luck. Both cricketers have a chance of pipping the other, which is what makes most duels interesting.
