Delhi Capitals (DC) will be looking to recover from their loss in the previous match to stay in the race for the Indian Premier League (IPL) playoffs when they take on Rajasthan Royals, who will be eager to hold on to their winning momentum at the DY Patil Satdium in Mumbai on Wednesday, May 11.
The Capitals have lost six of their 11 games this season, and although they are fifth on the table, the side are bunched alongside Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Punjab Kings (PBKS), who also have 10 points. They have a better Net Run Rate (NRR) of +0.150 than the rest of the teams on the 12th but the Capitals need to win all their remaining three matches for a shot at the playoffs.
Rajasthan, on the other hand, are sitting pretty in the third spot with 14 points and needs just two wins to be certain of qualification. They have a healthy +0.326 NRR, which would come in handy even if they lose their remaining games.
DC have been one of the most inconsistent teams in the league this season as they have struggled to keep the winning momentum going. After a morale-boosting win against the Sunrisers, they were handed a demoralising 91-run thrashing at the hands of Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
Delhi's bowling department have lacked confidence this season. Their bowlers were clueless against Devon Conway, who hit boundaries and sixes at will as CSK set a 200 plus target. While Kuldeep Yadav is having a good season, the left-arm spinner has gone for runs aplenty in the previous two games.
The return of pace spearhead Anrich Nortje has also not made much of a difference as the South African hasn't been able to replicate his fiery performance from the previous seasons. Only Khaleel Ahmed has been economical while Axar Patel has bowled below his usual best.
In the batting department, David Warner has enjoyed a good run but the Australian has got little assistance from his opening partners, who have ranged from Prithvi Shaw to Mandeep Singh to Srikar Bharat. The biggest downer for Delhi has been Rishabh Pant's form. He has shown glimpses of his destructive abilities but the team would want more from the skipper who can single-handedly turn around any game on his good day.
Meanwhile, the Royals have arguably the best bowling side in the competition. With 22 wickets at 14.50, Yuzvendra Chahal leads 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 have broken their dependence on Orange Cap holder Jos Buttler, who has had a tough couple of outings. Given a chance to play after over a month, young Yashasvi Jaiswal shone with a fine half-century against Punjab Kings (PBKS), providing the otherwise faltering batting department with a boost.
But going ahead skipper Sanju Samson and Devdutt Padikkal will need to take on more responsibility, especially if the side makes it to the playoffs. In absences, the Royals will miss the services of the big-hitting 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 overdue to the no-ball controversy. RR ended up winning the clash and Delhi would hope they can be on the right side of the result this time round.
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, Anunay Singh, Kuldeep Sen, Karun Nair, Dhruv Jurel, Tejas Baroka, Kuldip Yadav, Shubham Garhwal, James Neesham, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Rassie van der Dussen, Daryl Mitchell.
