One-sided rivalry awaits the Dhoni, de Villiers touch
Super Kings and Royal Challengers missed their talisman players in their last game and their returns could make their rematch in Bengaluru all the more spicy
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Strategy Punt
- De Villiers scored a cracking 30-ball 68 last year against Super Kings in Bengaluru. He had also scored a crucial 14-ball 28 in Royal Challengers' last win against Super Kings, in 2014. There's no doubt he'll slot right back in if he's fit. So, how can Super Kings stop him? Since IPL 2015, he's lost his wicket 12 times in 31 games to legspinners. He's also been having trouble picking the wrong'un, as he was exposed by Rajasthan Royals' Shreyas Gopal earlier this month. Super Kings could use Tahir, who's been their highest wicket-taker this season, against him. De Villiers has lost his wicket twice in three IPL games to his South African team-mate, and averages just 19.5 against him.
- Dhoni boasts an average of 75.8 in IPLs at the M Chinnaswamy. His unbeaten 34-ball 70 had helped Super Kings chase 205 here last year. Royal Challengers could use Dale Steyn to weaken the Dhoni threat, considering the fast bowler has dismissed him twice in seven IPL innings.
Stats that matter
- Super Kings need one more win to claim the joint-highest consecutive wins against a team. They have seven against Royal Challengers.
- Kohli has the most runs (738) by any player against Super Kings, but he has not made a 30-plus score against them since their return last year and has averaged just 10.66.
- In the last three games, Deepak Chahar has leaked 78 runs during Powerplay, bowling a total of eight overs. In the first six matches, he had conceded at an economy rate of just 5.6 in this phase.
Sruthi Ravindranath is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo