Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be taking on Delhi Capitals in Match 62 of the 2024 Indian Premier League at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru on Sunday.
The evening fixture of the double-header Sunday will be between the two teams which are in a must-win situation. Both RCB and DC have never won a title in the IPL and are desperate to reach the playoffs in IPL 2024.
The Delhi-based franchise will need to win their last two games and they will also want Chennai Super Kings to lose at least two of their last three games in order to qualify for the playoffs. On the other hand, RCB has 10 points with two games left, and can only get to 14 points. They will be relying on a lot of other results to go their way if they want to qualify as the top four.
What has happened so far?
The 2024 IPL season has reached its final phase of the group stage, where every match is critical for the playoffs. Both Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru are hanging on in the race by a thread but will have to rely on other results.
DC is placed fifth on the table with 12 points from 12 games and a net run rate of -0.316. RCB is occupying the seventh spot with 10 points from 12 matches and a net run rate of 0.217. A victory here will keep them alive in the playoffs race while a defeat will be the end of the road for RCB and put DC’s chances in serious jeopardy.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru have won four games on the trot after losing seven matches in their first eight outings. Most recently they hammered Punjab Kings by 60 runs at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala.
Delhi Capitals have won six matches in the competition while losing as many games. In their most recent fixture, they defeated Rajasthan Royals by 20 runs. Jake Fraser-McGurk blasted a 19-ball fifty while Abishek Porel hit 65 runs off 36 deliveries. In addition, Tristan Stubbs struck 41 runs off 20 balls to help DC reach a total of 221 runs while Kuldeep Yadav starred with the ball yet again with figures of 2/25.
Head to Head Record
The head-to-head record between these two teams is in favour of Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The two teams have faced each other 31 times in the IPL with RCB coming out on top 19 times and DC winning 11 games.
The recent record is also dominated by RCB, who have won four of the last five encounters. The Capitals will have a tough challenge in front of them facing RCB in good form.
Key Players
Virat Kohli is the leading run-scorer in the 2024 Indian Premier League
Virat Kohli (Royal Challengers Bengaluru): Virat Kohli has answered his critics who questioned his strike rate as he is the leading run-scorer in the tournament with a healthy strike rate of 153.51.
Kohli has scored 634 runs from 12 innings in this season, averaging 70 while striking at 153. He has smashed one century and five half-centuries in the competition, including a superb innings of 92 runs off 47 balls in the previous game.
Jake Fraser-McGurk (Delhi Capitals): The youngster from Australia came in as a replacement player and has taken the 2024 IPL by storm. Jake Fraser-McGurk has made an enormous impact for Delhi Capitals at the top of the order with his fearless batting style.
Fraser-McGurk has smashed 309 runs from seven innings at an average of 44 while striking at an incredible rate of 235.87. He has the best strike in the competition for any batter with more than 60 runs.
Team News from Both Camps
RCB have not had to deal with many injury issues this season. Glenn Maxwell had made himself unavailable for a while due to mental fatigue. The Australian all-rounder played a match recently but was dropped in their previous game considering his poor form. RCB has made several changes to their playing line-up throughout the tournament but may have found the right one in the last game.
On the other hand, Delhi Capitals have also battled a lot of fitness issues with many of their players getting replaced in the midst of the season. Like RCB, DC has also found a settled combination of late and is likely to continue with the same players.
Predicted XIs
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis ©, Will Jacks, Rajat Patidar, Cameron Green, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Swapnil Singh, Karn Sharma, Lockie Ferguson, Mohammed Siraj, Yash Dayal
Delhi Capitals: Jake Fraser-McGurk, Abhishek Porel, Shai Hope, Rishabh Pant ©, Tristan Stubbs (wk), Gulbadin Naib, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, Ishant Sharma
Prediction
Both teams are in a position where they can not afford to lose. Looking at their head-to-head record, RCB has been the more dominant side and they will head into this game as favorites.
RCB’s batting unit has clicked collectively in the last few games and their bowlers have adjusted after the early beatings they had taken while DC has also won three of their last four fixtures.