Will Royal Challengers Bangalore finally end their slumber, will the team finally respond to the desperate clarion calls made by their captain, or will things refuse to budge? For Virat Kohli-led RCB, there is no shortage of fanfare, adulation and hype. However, there is a huge dearth of results and now times have become quite desperate.
They face the Delhi Capitals, a young side, that as thrown away winning opportunities and is languishing towards the bottom of the table. Well, this is a matchup of the promising yet faltering teams, and one of the two could march out of this clash with momentum on their side.
We take a look at three player battles which can define the course of this match:
AB de Villiers vs Chris Morris
The South African superstar found form in the previous match against Kolkata Knight Riders. The outrageous strokes combined with delectable batting were back and RCB would hope, it was just the prelude to a big season.
He will be up against Chris Morris, another big player who has not managed to find his mojo this season. The pacer is a vital cog in the Delhi side but has given away 64 runs off 28 balls in the Indian Premier League.
This battle between the two South Africans will not only be critical but could also be match-defining.
Shikhar Dhawan vs Yuzvendra Chahal
Shikhar Dhawan's move to Delhi Capitals was much talked about, but so far, the seasoned pro has not set the stage on fire. He has scored runs, but for a player of Shikhar Dhawan's pedigree, brighter things are expected.
On the flip side, Yuzvendra Chahal has been brilliant for RCB this season and despite the slump of the side, the form of the leggie has been superb. He has picked up nine wickets so far and proudly wears the purple cap. Also, he has dismissed Dhawan twice and the left-hander has managed to score runs against the leggie at a mediocre strike-rate of 97.
Virat Kohli vs Amit Mishra
For some strange reason, Virat Kohli has struggled to read spin this season. However, he was at his best against the Kolkata Knight Riders and tackled Kuldeep Yadav, Piyush Chawla and Sunil Narine with great intent.
He will be up against Amit Mishra, another seasoned pro in IPL and this contest has always been very spicy.
The RCB captain has batted at a strike-rate of 160.20 against the leg-spinner, but the wily Mishra has also got rid of Kohli twice so far in the IPL.
