Delhi Capitals vs Rajasthan Royals: In-form Royals to take on Covid-hit Capitals

In the time of adversity, Delhi Capitals found some strength and defeated Punjab Kings in their previous fixture by nine wickets. The bowlers were throwing fire in the form of balls, striking wickets in almost every other over in the first ten overs to restrict them to 115. With the bat, Prithvi Shaw and David Warner made the target look shorter than it was. They out-performed to register their highest score in the powerplay in the season. Delhi Capitals have won three of the six matches played and are placed sixth in the points table. They will look to replicate their clinical bowling and batting performances against Rajasthan Royals.

On the other hand, Rajasthan Royals too defeated Kolkata Knight Riders in a nail-biting thriller to take third place in the points table. The clash saw many records being made. Jos Buttler hit his second century for the season, Yuzvendra Chahal took a five-wicket haul, including a hat-trick. The team undoubtedly has one of the best bowling line-ups from powerplay to death, and Jos Buttler with the bat is sensational. The team has both orange and purple cap holders. They will be favourites for tonight's win.

Pitch Report

Spinners can change the story of the match. Batters enjoy playing at the pitch of Wankhede, which was quite evident in the previous clash between Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore at the venue. While Rajasthan Royals have Yuzvendra Chahal, Delhi Capitals have Kuldeep Yadav. The team winning the toss is likely to field first.

Probable Playing XI

Delhi Capitals: Prithvi Shaw, David Warner, Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Rovman Powell, Lalit Yadav, Sarfaraz Khan, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mustafizur Rahman, Khaleel Ahmed

Rajasthan Royals: Jos Buttler, Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson (c & wk), Karun Nair, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, Obed McCoy, Yuzvendra Chahal

Stats to keep an eye on

• Most economical bowlers of Rajasthan Royals in powerplay set to face the most destructive powerplay duo, Prithvi Shaw-David Warner of Delhi Capitals.
• Shardul Thakur has dismissed Devdutt Padikkal three times in four innings while giving away only 17 runs in 19 balls.
• Khaleel Ahmed's economy rate so far this season is 7.15. It is the first time in five IPL seasons that he has gone for less than eight.

Both the teams look in good form and are hungry for the win. Delhi Capitals, if they win, can reach third place directly; however, if Rajasthan Royals win, they might grab the top spot in the points table. This will be a close contest having the capability to shake the points table to a great extent. This will be an exciting contest to witness.