Delhi Capitals will take on Rajasthan Royals in the 30th match of the tournament. The match will be played on October 14 at the Dubai International Stadium, Dubai.
DC would try not to overthink the game against Mumbai Indians as the better team won. Delhi were sluggish and their execution of the plan was not as good as how Mumbai Indians performed it.
Rajasthan Royals were exulted after Rahul Tewatia and Riyan Parag got them out of trouble as Sunrisers Hyderabad failed to capitalize on the early wickets they got. Things got bitter at the end as Tewatia and the Hyderabad skipper were seen having a chat towards the end of the game.
Will Tewatia turn up again? or will Delhi get back to winning ways?
Head to Head
Matches played: 21, DC: 10, RR: 11
Team News
Delhi Capitals may turn to their winning combination again as Alex Carey did not look convincing. Rahane, however, despite his low score, looked in fine touch. It is still very dicy as it is unlikely that Rishabh Pant will miss another game. Delhi's position though gives them some allowance to try more alternatives, but it will be interesting to see how Delhi decides to shape.
Rajasthan will be pumped up and with the gained momentum, they would be apprehensive to get back in action. Rajasthan are expected to stick to the same XI that featured against Hyderabad.
Pitch and Conditions
The Dubai pitch has been decent for the batsmen lately. The teams would want to win the toss and bat first. Batting second, however, is not too difficult, It can get tricky later on but a well-set batsman will have no problems.
The sky is expected to be clear and humidity around 57% is expected. The temperature will not be different than the previous games too. Anything around 30-31 is foreseen.
Probable Playing XI
Delhi Capitals (DC): Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer (C), Rishabh Pant (WK)/ Alex Carey(WK), Shimron Hetmyer/ Ajinkya Rahane, Marcus Stoinis, Axar Patel, Harshad Patel, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Ravichandran Ashwin.
Rajasthan Royals (RR): Steve Smith (C), Jos Buttler (WK), Sanju Samson, Robin Uthappa, Ben Stokes, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Jofra Archer, Shreyas Gopal, Jaydev Unadkat, Kartik Tyagi.
Key Battles
Shreyas Iyer (DC) vs Jofra Archer (RR)
Two great players will be against each other as IPL enters its second half, the more intriguing half. Shreyas Iyer may have missed out on consistent scores, but every time he has stepped on the pitch, he has been in great touch.
Jofra Archer has been extremely consistent in his department except for a few expensive overs at the death. Rajasthan are currently 6th and Archer's contributions are vital for the team's better fortune. The Delhi skipper, on the other hand, may have a hard time in the initial stages of the game but as the game proceeds Iyer's confidence will only cause more destruction.
Kagiso Rabada (DC) vs Steve Smith (RR)
Kagiso Rabada has been cruising in the race of the purple cap this season with 17 wickets to his name. The Proteas has been very strong with his lengths and his bouncers have already made many victims. He will be against Smith, who is yet to perform convincingly in the competition.
Smith's style is unique and his shots can be innovative too. However, Smith has failed to stay at the crease for lengthy periods. The battle between the two will be as thrilling as the race to the playoffs continues.
Prediction
The last encounter between the two was a cake-walk for the Delhi Capitals. Not only did Delhi gained two points from it, but they also progressed in the net run-rate charts. Any total around 170-180 will be defendable, but a well planned second inning could be troublesome for the opposition.
Delhi would look to bat first and put up a gigantic total, while Rajasthan will be hoping that irrespective of the toss, the middle-order fires. Ben Stokes will have to take some responsibility from now on as his addition was foreseen as a crucial one.
The starting line-up of Delhi will more or less sum up their plan for the game. Delhi will be looking to have a faster start, unlike their previous game.
Cricwizz predicts Delhi Capitals to win the game.
