Table-toppers Delhi to lock horns against Rajasthan Royals
Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals will square off at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium on Saturday night. Rishabh Pant’s men will look for the two points that will maintain their dominance at the top of the points table.
Expected playing XI
DC
Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Steve Smith, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Avesh Khan and Anrich Nortje.
RR
Evin Lewis, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (c & wk), Liam Livingstone, Manipal Lomror, Riyan Parag, Chris Morris, Rahul Tewatia, Kartik Tyagi, Chetan Sakariya and Mustafizur Rahman.
Probable key performers
Nortje
Anrich Nortje has been bamboozling batters in franchise cricket and he has brought the same energy into the IPL 2021. After missing out in the India-leg of the campaign, he has been added to the Delhi team for Dubai.
In the last game against Sunrisers Hyderabad, his 150km/h deliveries made it tough for the SRH batters to hammer. He picked two wickets in his first game and conceded only 12 runs in four overs.
He’s one to look out for the Rajasthan Royals line-up. His overs in the middle help DC find breakthroughs by breaking partnerships.
Iyer
Shreyas Iyer looked subliminal on his IPL return against SRH. Finishing unbeaten at 47*, the former Delhi captain seemed unsatisfied with his handy knock.
Knowing Iyer, he can be deadly in the middle overs as clearing the ropes is not an uphill task for the 26-year-old.
In the post-game interview, he felt in the groove and said that he’s eyeing an even bigger knock, only then he will be content with himself.
Sanju Samson and co will have to weave a trap around Iyer to stop him early in the innings.
Jaiswal
Yashasvi Jaiswal, 19, has proved himself in the 2021 campaign. Opening the batting in place of Jos Buttler, the teenager has chipped in runs on every occasion.
He was dismissed on 49 in the last game, but he has shown signs of improvement with each game he has been playing this season.
A match-winning knock doesn’t seem too far out for the left-handed star. If he gets going in the powerplay, it can be difficult for the Delhi pace cartel to get a hold of Jaiswal.
Match prediction
Delhi Capitals sit comfortably at the top of the points table for a reason. They have been clinical in every department consistently. This has, however, not been the case for Samson-led Rajasthan Royals.
RR have been inconsistent so far, often depending on individual performances to win matches. They still seem to be undergoing an experimental phase after Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer and Buttler left the side mid-tournament.
It’s fair to say that DC have the odds on their side for the Saturday clash.
