Preview of Rajasthan Royals V Delhi Capitals: Rajasthan's chance for Playoffs qualification

It will be a tough battle as both teams will fight to secure their place in the playoffs. Talking about Sanju Samson-led Rajasthan Royals, the team is doing their best and is likely to be in the top four spots with their appreciable performance in the tournament. However, the Delhi Capitals have to go hard as their qualification is quite uncertain. 

The Rishabh Pant-led franchise is quite inconsistent as they are yet to win two games on the trot this season. DC has won one and lost the other and has not hit its strides in terms of consistency. They also lost their previous game against Chennai Super Kings by a considerable margin due to a collapse in the batting lineup. Although they lost their last match, DC has an advantage because they are in fifth place due to a higher run rate. The team is currently at 10 points with five wins in eleven matches which is entirely below this season's expectations. 

Talking about the Royals, the team is in a pretty good position compared to DC, as they are at the third spot with 14 points. In the eleven matches the team has played, they have won seven whereas they lost five. The team clinched a stunning victory over Punjab Kings after losing two consecutive matches earlier in the previous game. The team has shown a great display of cricket as their performance has been sensational in the league so far. 

Players to watch out for batting:

The player ruling the tournament with his batting will be a key figure in today's match, except Jos Buttler. The English wicketkeeper-batsman is in red hot form this season. He has already hit three centuries, and there seems to be no stopping for Buttler. Out of these three centuries, one came against Delhi Capitals itself when RR clashed with DC this season. Yashasvi Jaiswal will be a crucial asset to look for in today's match as he scored a fifty in the previous game after failing in the earlier rounds this season.

For Delhi Capitals, their trump card in the batting lineup is the opening pair of David Warner and Prithvi Shaw. Although these openers haven't shined together this season, either of them can turn out to be dangerous if settled well. In his nine matches so far, Warner has scored 275 runs at an average of 53.57, including four half-centuries. 

Players to watch out for bowling:

The RR's spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal is a crucial factor in their bowling lineup. In his 11 matches, Chahal has clinched 22 wickets at an average of 14.50 and is currently at the top on the purple cap list. On the other hand, Ashwin has clinched nine wickets in 11 matches with an impressive economy of 7.1. For DC, Kuldeep Yadav is leading the bowling unit with his splendid performance in the league till now. He has taken 18 wickets in 11 matches at an average of 19.54; however, he has only managed to clinch one wicket in the last three matches, which is a big concern.

Stats to keep an eye on:

• The left-arm seamer Prasidh Krishna has an excellent head-to-head record against DC's ace card, David Warner, in the IPL. Prasidh has dismissed Warner twice in three innings while conceding just 28 runs.
• The man in form, Jos Buttler, smashed Kuldeep Yadav at a strike rate of 163.63 when the two teams clashed before which is a significant concern for DC.
• In the 2022 edition of the league, the Royals have smashed102 sixes, most by any team this season!
• Warner and Shaw have the best strike rate of 163.2 and 159.50, respectively, amongst the batters who have faced a minimum of 50 balls in the Powerplay.
• DC's allrounder, Axar Patel, is one wicket away from his 100 wickets in IPL.

It will be an exciting battle as one team will fight to get a step closer to qualification, whereas others will fight to keep their little hopes for playoffs alive. The last time the teams clashed against each other, Rajasthan Royals beat Delhi Capitals by 15 runs. However, this clash will be more brutal as both teams look strong and balanced, and we can hope for some great action in the battle.