It’s the first game of the weekend as Delhi Capitals lock horns with Rajasthan Royals at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Both teams have had contrasting fortunes so far in IPL 2020. While Delhi have been one of the consistent franchises sitting second in the points table, Rajasthan have struggled to get going.
Steve Smith has fallen off the radar attempting to slog against the strike bowlers upfront. It has left his side in a vulnerable position as they lack experience in the middle-order. Similarly, for Sanju Samson, he has struggled to get going after a rollicking start in the first two games which has summed up Rajasthan Royals performance so far in IPL 2020.
On the bowling front, lack of experience and over-reliance on Jofra Archer has cost Rajasthan badly. Jaydev Unadkat has leaked runs and not having been among the wickets. Gopal has been used in the powerplay, and will more likely than not continue to bowl in the same phase against Delhi too. Rajasthan Royals all-rounder Ben Stokes will miss today’s game as well due to quarantine rules.
For Delhi Capitals, it will be like repeating what they have done so far in the competition. Their bowling has been top class with Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje shedding fire with the ball. Axar Patel has also done exceedingly well in the four games he’s played. He hasn’t conceded over 18 runs in a game, bowling stump to stump and creating dot-ball pressure.
IPL 2020: Rajasthan Royals vs Delhi Capitals at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on October 9 at 7:30 PM IST
Pitch Conditions
Another high-scorer is on the cards like we’ve witnessed throughout the tournament. Except for the Sunrisers Hyderabad, all other teams breached the 200-run mark in Sharjah.
Predicted Playing XI
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Jos Buttler (wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Steven Smith (c), Sanju Samson, Mahipal Lomror, Rahul Tewatia, Jofra Archer, Tom Curran, Shreyas Gopal, Ankit Rajpoot, Kartik Tyagi
Delhi Capitals: Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Marcus Stoinis, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Harshal Patel, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje
Match Prediction – Who will win the match?
The two teams have faced each other 20 times in the IPL so far, with Rajasthan Royals holding an 11-9 head-to-head record over Delhi Capitals. However, the record will hardly matter as Delhi Capitals are most likely to cross the Rajasthan hurdle this time around considering their recent performances.
