The first round of matches of the IPL season 8 is over. All the teams have played at least one game and they now have an idea where they stand and the strength and weaknesses of the opposing teams. Today we look at 6 players to watch out for in the Royal Challengers and the Sunrisers Hyderabad match.
1. Virat Kohli: The RCB skipper failed to make an impression in his team’s opening game against the Kolkata Knight Riders. The aggressive batsman is very competitive by nature and he will itching to make a mark in his first home game of the tournament. One will not be surprised if he turns out to be the match winner in this game.
2.Dale Steyn: Left out of the last game against the Chennai Super Kings, the champion bowler looks like a sure pick in this match. The Bangalore pitch traditionally offers assistance to fast bowlers and the games being played in the evening Steyn is sure to extract some swing and carry as well. With the conditions favouring him and the extra motivation of having to prove a point after being dropped from the first game the fiery South African will be a force to reckon.
3. AB de Villiers: The Superman from South Africa failed to deliver in the last game. He was almost the reason why RCB could have lost the game after he dropped a crucial catch in the deep which proved that he is human afterall. Not the one to languish in the past, de Villiers is expected to come out stronger. As they say, “Beware of the wounded tiger.”
4. Shikhar Dhawan: The ace left handed opening batsman from India looked in fine nick in the last game only to get out when he just getting going. He is someone who likes the ball coming on to the bat and is a fine timer of the cricket ball. Like his India colleague Virat Kohli, Dhawan will be willing to make a mark in the tournament and let his runs do the talking.
5. Trent Boult: After a very successful World Cup, the stakes have risen as far as this Kiwi paceman is concerned. He will be up against the likes of Gayle and company and will be willing to take up the challenge. One of the most destructive weapons in the Hyderabadi arsenal.
6. Chris Gayle: Almost single handedly won the game for his team in the previous encounter, Gayle has now added an extra dimension to his game: that of paitence and waiting for the right moment to explode. This makes him even more dangerous as it takes away the chink in his armour which was in the form of giving the chance to the bowler to take his wicket off an ‘unforced error’.
A perfect antidote to a Monday evening.
