In the 56th match of the 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League, Delhi Capitals will be going one-on-one against Rajasthan Royals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Tuesday.
It is an important match for the Capitals, as they need to win all their remaining league games to qualify for the playoffs. On the other hand, the Royals have it easy as they need to win only one of their remaining four games to confirm a playoff spot.
What has happened so far?
With eight wins from ten league matches, Rajasthan Royals are occupying the first place in the points table. The team has done a sensational job in the league with back-to-back wins against the top teams. However, they might be low on confidence as they are coming into the contest following a defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad by one run.
It was a nail-biting thriller as the Royals ended up scoring 200 runs while chasing the target of 202 runs. RR bowlers were hammered all over the park as Nitish Reddy and Travis Head smacked 76 and 58 runs respectively. Chasing the score, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Riyan Parag put up good performances as they turned up with 67 and 77 runs respectively but their efforts went in vain as the team fell short of one run.
As far as Delhi Capitals are concerned, they are currently sixth in the points table with ten points from five wins and six losses. The franchise looked in good spirits with a two-match winning streak, but their last match saw them losing to the Kolkata Knight Riders by seven wickets.
It was a forgettable batting performance by the side as they ended up with only 153 runs in the allotted 20 overs. KKR chased the score within 16.3 overs courtesy of a good knock by the opening batter Philip Salt.
Head to Head Record
Rajasthan Royals have an edge over Delhi Capitals in the head-to-head records in the Indian Premier League. The two teams have played against each other in a total of 28 matches, with the Royals scoring a win in 15 games while the Capitals won the remaining 13 fixtures.
In addition, the Jaipur-based franchise will have an edge over the Capitals as they defeated them by 12 runs earlier in the season at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Rajasthan’s capital city.
Parag was at his best in that encounter as the middle-order batter played an unbeaten innings of 84 runs off 45 balls that included 7 boundaries and 6 maximums as Khaleel Ahmed and Axar Patel’s economical spells restricted the Royals to a total of 185 runs.
In response, DC almost chased down the total but wickets at regular intervals courtesy of Nandre Burger and Yuzvendra Chahal deflated the visitors’ run-chase and they fell short by 12 runs.
Key Players
Riyan Parag (Rajasthan Royals): Riyan Parag has been the standout performer for the Rajasthan Royals in the ongoing season of the T20 Championship. He is the top run-scorer for the franchise while also occupying fourth place in the overall list, with 409 runs in ten matches at an average of over 58.
Parag looked in good form during RR’s last match against Sunrisers Hyderabad as well as he smacked 77 runs off just 49 balls when the team was chasing 202 runs in the allotted 20 overs. The middle-order batter is expected to continue the momentum and churn out another good performance on Tuesday against the Capitals.
Kuldeep Yadav has emerged as DC’s anchor in the middle orders with the ball in IPL 2024
Kuldeep Yadav (Delhi Capitals): Kuldeep Yadav has proven to be the anchor for the Delhi-based franchise’s bowling unit this year as he has taken wickets at crucial points in the game to break the partnerships. He is currently the second-highest wicket-taker for Delhi Capitals after Mukesh Kumar with 12 wickets from eight matches at an average of under 22.
Kuldeep couldn’t do much in DC’s last game against KKR when they were defending a low score of 153 runs in the 20 overs. The spinners failed to pick any wicket while conceding 34 runs in his four overs. However, he is expected to pick up the rhythm on Tuesday and take DC home in a do-or-die encounter.
Team News from Both Camps
It might be a piece of bad news for the Rajasthan-based franchise as they might miss the services of the Indian power-hitter Dhruv Jurel in the game against Delhi Capitals.
The Royals’ most recent encounter against SRH saw Jurel limping out of the field during the second innings. Though no official announcement has been provided by RR management, the player seems to have sustained a hamstring injury.
Meanwhile, Delhi Capitals might continue to play without David Warner and Ishant Sharma as there is no update on the duo’s recovery.
Predicted XIs
Delhi Capitals: Prithvi Shaw, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Abishek Porel, Shai Hope, Rishabh Pant © (wk), Tristan Stubbs, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar, Lizaad Williams, Khaleel Ahmed
Rajasthan Royals: Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson © (wk), Riyan Parag, Rovman Powell, Shimron Hetmyer, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Avesh Khan, Yuzvendra Chahal, Sandeep Sharma
Prediction
The odds are in favor of Rajasthan Royals to score a win against Delhi Capitals and become the first team in the ongoing season of the cash-rich league to qualify for the playoffs. The franchise looks in great shape as they have won four of their last five league matches.
On the other hand, Delhi Capitals will be under immense pressure as their playoff chances are hanging by a thread in the tournament.