Rajat Patidar or Shivam Dube - who is the more destructive spin-hitter?

With IPL 2024 nearing its business end, the likes of the Rajasthan Royals, the SunRisers Hyderabad, the Chennai Super Kings, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and the Lucknow Super Giants are making a late fray for qualification into the playoffs.

The Kolkata Knight Riders have already qualified, and all our eyes are turning towards the T20 World Cup, slated to be held in the West Indies and USA in June.

With CSK's Shivam Dube in the side named by the selectors last month, it is imperative to look at the way he has performed in the cash-rich league and enamoured himself in the hearts of supporters.

RCB's Rajat Patidar is another fan-favorite, who, despite not being in the squad for the T20 World Cup, is one of the most destructive spin-hitters this league has seen. He is certainly one of the best this country has produced.

To understand Dube's selection will be to give full credit to the form he has shown throughout IPL 2024 coming in at number three or thereabouts and taking the attack to the opposition straight away.

Dube has shown excellent footwork against both seamers and spinners, and that is what holds him in good stead, especially against the latter.

To be able to play well on spin-friendly wickets is to have a steady base as well as use one's feet well, and the Mumbai all-rounder has both. His bat swing too is extremely impressive, which gives him the power needed to hit big sixes.

Statistics show that the southpaw has been his strongest self against spinners, averaging 37 and striking at an extremely impressive 148 in his entire IPL career. This can also be due to his good planning.

Being of considerable height and girth, Dube does not need to dance down the track to get to the pitch of every spinner that he is attacking. This allows him the time needed to hit it under his eyes.

The 30-year-old uses the crease well, and jumps onto the backfoot whenever the chance arises, drilling the fact to all and sundry that spin can be played on the backfoot as well.

Rajat Patidar holds the RCB middle order together

Rajat Patidar, who had a rather slow start to the IPL this season, has also showcased why he is so highly rated by everyone who has seen him bat, especially against spin.

The RCB batter, who by all means has the responsibility of holding their middle order together in a usually tumultuous season, has shown the ease with which he has conjured up sixes and how his balance has played a major part in it.

Patidar is known for his unblemished bat swing as well as his unhurried approach towards playing spin, and that is what holds him in good stead when coming up against it

The Madhya Pradesh batter also uses his feet well, and just like Dube, likes rocking onto the backfoot even when the ball is just a fraction short. This makes it seem to the neutral spectator that the ball was a bad one when it was not.

Patidar has already scored five half-centuries this IPL, and perhaps his greatest display of spin-hitting came against the SunRisers Hyderabad when he smacked 40 runs off 12 balls against Mayank Markande and Shahbaz Ahmed.

Throughout his career in the IPL, he's struck at 161.53 against off-spin, 139.68 against left-arm orthodox, and a terrifying 224 against leg-spin. His ability to hold his shape while carving shots out of nothing makes him difficult to bowl to.

Overall, Patidar's average against spin in the IPL is 48, whereas his strike rate is at a ridiculous 185. This makes him a challenging proposition for any spinner to get his hands upon, least of all those not used to his ways.

It is rather challenging to choose between Dube and Patidar given that their styles are somewhat similar to each other; however, Patidar stands out owing to the impervious nature of his shot-making to go with his swift footwork whenever he sees a spinner roll his arms over.

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