The match between Mumbai Indians (MI) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in IPL 2025 is one of the most exciting games of the season. Both teams have some of the best players in the world, and when they meet, it’s always a close and thrilling contest. One of the best things about these big matches is watching individual battles between top players. These battles often decide how the game goes. Let’s look at the top 5 player battles to watch out for in this match. Top 5 Key Player Battles to Watch in MI vs RCB Sno Players 1 Rohit Sharma vs Bhuvneshwar Kumar 2 Trent Boult vs Virat Kohli 3 Suryakumar Yadav vs Krunal Pandya 4 Deepak Chahar vs Phil Salt 5 Mitchell Santner vs Rajat Patidar Rohit Sharma vs Bhuvneshwar Kumar Year Runs Balls Outs Dots 4s 6s SR Avg 2012 1 1 0 0 0 0 100.0 - 2013 8 6 0 1 1 0 133.3 - 2014 0 3 1 3 0 0 0.0 0.0 2016 5 2 0 0 1 0 250.0 - 2017 17 9 0 1 1 1 188.9 - 2019 11 14 0 9 2 0 78.6 - 2021 8 5 0 2 0 1 160.0 - 2022 15 8 0 3 0 2 187.5 - 2023 11 10 0 5 2 0 110.0 - 2024 9 6 0 3 2 0 150.0 - Total 85 64 1 27 9 4 132.8 85.0 Rohit Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have faced each other many times over the years. In total, Rohit has scored 85 runs off 64 balls against Bhuvneshwar in the IPL. He has only been dismissed once by the bowler, which shows that he handles Bhuvneshwar pretty well. Rohit’s strike rate against him is about 132.8, which means he scores quickly when facing him. Over the years, Rohit has hit 9 fours and 4 sixes off Bhuvneshwar’s bowling. However, there have been times when he’s struggled, especially in 2014 when he got out for a duck after facing just three balls. But in most other seasons, Rohit has managed to keep the scoreboard ticking. This battle will be important in the powerplay, especially if Bhuvneshwar opens the bowling. Also Read | List of Bowlers to Take a Wicket on First Ball of Their IPL Debut Trent Boult vs Virat Kohli Year Runs Balls Outs Dots 4s 6s SR Avg 2015 11 12 0 9 1 1 91.7 - 2018 17 10 0 1 1 1 170.0 - 2021 16 13 0 8 2 1 123.1 - 2022 16 11 0 6 2 1 145.5 - 2023 0 1 1 1 0 0 0.0 0.0 2024 14 16 0 6 1 0 87.5 - Total 74 63 1 31 7 4 117.5 74.0 Virat Kohli has had mixed results against Trent Boult. He has scored 74 runs in 63 balls but has only been dismissed once. His average against Boult is 74.0, which is impressive. However, his strike rate is around 117.5, which shows that he doesn’t score too quickly against Boult. Virat has hit 7 fours and 4 sixes, which means he does find the boundary sometimes, but Boult has also managed to keep him quiet in some games. In 2023, Boult dismissed Virat for zero, which might give him confidence going into this match. Boult will look to swing the ball early, while Virat will aim to build his innings carefully. Also Read | 7 IPL Players Who Were One-Season Wonders Suryakumar Yadav vs Krunal Pandya Year Runs Balls Outs Dots 4s 6s SR Avg 2016 4 5 0 1 0 0 80.0 - 2017 21 13 0 4 2 1 161.5 - 2022 10 8 0 1 1 0 125.0 - 2023 2 4 0 2 0 0 50.0 - 2024 0 1 1 1 0 0 0.0 0.0 Total 37 31 1 9 3 1 119.4 37.0 This is a battle between two players who know each other well. Suryakumar Yadav has played against Krunal Pandya quite a few times and has scored 37 runs off 31 balls. Krunal has managed to get him out once. Suryakumar has hit 3 fours and 1 six in these matchups. His strike rate is around 119.4, which is slightly lower than his usual scoring rate. In 2024, Krunal got him out for a duck after just one ball, which might boost his confidence. While Suryakumar is known for his aggressive shots, he hasn’t gone all-out against Krunal, which makes this battle interesting to watch in the middle overs. Deepak Chahar vs Phil Salt Year Runs Balls Outs Dots 4s 6s SR Avg 2023 7 9 2 7 0 1 77.8 3.5 Total 7 9 2 7 0 1 77.8 3.5 Phil Salt has not had a good time against Deepak Chahar. They’ve faced each other only in 2023, but Chahar got him out twice in just 9 balls. Salt scored only 7 runs and had 7 dot balls in that short battle. His strike rate against Chahar is just 77.8, which is quite low for someone who usually bats aggressively. He hit only one six and no fours. This shows that Chahar has managed to keep him quiet and take his wicket quickly. If Salt opens the batting, this battle could be very important in the first few overs. Mitchell Santner vs Rajat Patidar Year Runs Balls Outs Dots 4s 6s SR Avg 2024 2 5 0 3 0 0 40.0 - Total 2 5 0 3 0 0 40.0 This battle is still new, with only one short match-up in 2024. In that game, Rajat Patidar scored just 2 runs off 5 balls against Mitchell Santner. He wasn’t dismissed, but he struggled to score freely. There were 3 dot balls, and he didn’t hit any fours or sixes. His strike rate was only 40.0, which is very low. Even though it’s a small sample, it shows that Patidar found it hard to play Santner’s left-arm spin. This match-up might come into play if Santner bowls during the middle overs and Patidar is at the crease.