Navi Mumbai: Delhi Capitals aim to recover quickly from their loss in the previous match to stay in the IPL play-offs while Rajasthan Royals will be happy to maintain their winning momentum when the two teams clash here on Wednesday.
The Capitals have lost six of their 11 games and although they are fifth on the points list, they are next to it Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kingswho also have 10 points from the same number of matches.
Delhi has the advantage of a positive Net Run Rate (+0.150), but the Capitals need to win all of their remaining three games to stand a chance of reaching the play-offs.
Rajasthan, on the other hand, is in third place with 14 points and only needs two wins to secure qualification. They have a healthy NRR of 0.326, which can come in handy even if they lose their remaining games.
DC has been one of the most inconsistent teams in the league this season as they struggled to maintain winning momentum.
After a morale win against Sunrisers, they took a 91-run beating from CSK†
Their bowlers seemed clueless against Devon Conway, who hit limits and sixes at will as CSK set a target of over 200.
Delhi’s bowling department has failed to inspire confidence. While Kuldeep Yadav is having a good season, the left-handed spinner has racked up many runs in the previous two games.
The return of tempo spear Anrich Nortje has not made much difference either, as the South African has not been able to match his fiery performance from the previous seasons.
Khaleel Ahmed has been frugal, while Axar Patel has bowled well.
In the batting division, David Warner has had a good run, but the Australian has received little help from his opening partners, ranging from Prithvi Shaw to Mandeep Singh to Srikar Bharat.
This biggest downer for Delhi is the form of Rishabh Pant. He’s shown glimpses of his destructive power, but the team would like more from his skipper who can single-handedly turn any game around.
The Capitals will have to fire all cylinders against a formidable Rajasthan side.
The Royals have arguably the best bowling club in the league.
With 22 wickets at 2:50pm, Yuzvendra Chahal tops the bowling charts this season and alongside R Ashwin, Trent Boult and Prasidh Krishna, the Rajasthan attack has the ability to defend any total.
One of the positives for the Royals is that they have been able to break the over-reliance on Orange Cap holder Jos Buttler, who has been on quite a few outings.
After being given the chance to play for over a month, young Yashasvi Jaiswal shone with a fine half-century against Punjab Kings, boosting the otherwise faltering batting division.
But skipper Sanju Samson and Devdutt Padikkal need to take more responsibility.
The Royals will miss the services of the agile Shimron Hetmyer who flew back to Guyana for the birth of his child.
The last time the two sides met, drama ensued in the final due to the no-ball controversy. RR eventually won the clash and Delhi hopes they can be on the right side of the result this time.
Plowing:
Delhi Capitals: Rishabh Pant (C), Ashwin Hebbar, David Warner, Mandeep Singh, Prithvi Shaw, Rovman Powell, Anrich Nortje, Chetan Sakariya, Khaleel Ahmed, Kuldeep Yadav, Lungi Ngidi, Mustafizur Rahman, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Kamlesh Nagarkoti Lalit Yadav, Mitchell Marsh, Pravin Dubey, Ripal Patel, Sarfaraz Khan, Vicky Ostwal, Yash Dhull, KS Bharat and Tim Seifert.
Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (C), Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Shimron Hetmyer, Devdutt Padikkal, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal, Riyan Parag, KC Cariappa, Navdeep Saini, Obed McCoy, Kunay Senh , Karun Nair, Dhruv Jurel, Tejas Baroka, Kuldip Yadav, Shubham Garhwal, James Neesham, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Rassie van der Dussen, Daryl Mitchell.
Match starts 7.30 IST.
Also read: † Indian Grand Prix 3, 4 will be held in Bhubaneswar on May 21, 24
