IPL 2018: Match 22, Player Battles – Glenn Maxwell vs Ravi Ashwin

The Ravichandran Ashwin led Kings XI Punjab have exceeded everyone’s expectations with four wins in the five matches they played so far. KL Rahul’s sublime form and Chris Gayle’s hat-trick fifty-plus scores have helped the side to score big. The KXIP middle order is slowly finding some consistency that could help their openers to play their natural game. However, their bowling has not been consistent as their batting with their bowlers struggling to pick wickets.

The batting streak of KXIP overhauled their inability of picking wickets regularly with the ball. Their captain Ashwin took only five wickets in the five matches and conceded over 8.5 runs an over. The mystery spinner Mujeeb ur Rahman has an economy rate of 7 but has only four wickets to his name. Their pace attack has been quite inconsistent except for Andrew Tye who delivered in death overs. KXIP will need their skipper Ashwin to lead from the front in the away fixture against the Delhi Daredevils.

The Daredevils, who lost four of the five matches they played, will face KXIP in their first home game of the season. Fortunes of the struggling home team’s bowling could change quickly if their spinners could find some assistance from the pitch. Their batting relies on Rishabh Pant who started to last longer at the crease to hand his team big scores. Glenn Maxwell will be keen on making some big runs after missing out in the last couple of games. He made a quick 47 against KKR before getting out cheaply to Chahal in the last match against RCB.

Glenn Maxwell vs Ravichandran Ashwin:

This game between the Kings and Daredevils will witness an exciting battle between Glenn Maxwell and Ravichandran Ashwin. The Australian managed to hit out the off-spinner more often than any bowler in IPL. Maxwell scored 83 runs against Ashwin in just 35 balls he faced from the former CSK player. Ashwin claimed Maxwell’s wicket only once in the IPL but got hit four eight fours and six sixes at the same time. Ashwin will have to work hard to take on Maxwell given the way the Aussie all-rounder batted before coming into this IPL.

(Stats as on April 22, 2018)