Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals will clash against each other at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Tuesday.
Royal Challengers Bangalore suffered a heavy defeat against Chennai Super Kings in their last outing. Led by Virat Kohli, the Challengers were defeated by 69 runs, as they faced the first loss of their season. RCB currently sit third in the league table, having won four of their opening five matches.
Delhi Capitals are running in red-hot form at the moment, having won three consecutive matches after their loss against Rajasthan Royals in their second game. DC are currently second on the points table, having won four of their five games, a similar win-loss record as that of their next opposition, RCB. Led by Rishabh Pant, DC had to dig deep against Sunrisers Hyderabad to secure the fourth win of their tournament. They won the match via a super over, as David Warner’s men faced yet another defeat.
Royal Challengers Bangalore were defeated by a masterclass performance from Ravindra Jadeja on Sunday. The Indian all-rounder single-handedly defeated Kohli’s men at the Wankhede Stadium. He scored an unbeaten knock of 62 runs, and smashed 37 runs off Harshal Patel’s last over. With the ball, he picked up three wickets, and also inflicted a direct hit to run-out Dan Christian.
As for Delhi Capitals, the likes of Avesh Khan and Axar Patel delivered with the ball, and helped their side to take the game to the super over. Axar Patel played his first game of the season, as he had tested positive for covid-19, earlier this year. The Indian all-rounder also bowled a tidy super over, conceding just 7 runs.
Key Players
Shikhar Dhawan has been one of the most consistent batters in IPL cricket in the past few seasons. The Delhi opener scored over 600 runs last season, and ended as the second highest run-getter of the tournament. This year, he has been in solid form, scoring 259 runs in his five games at a staggering average of 51.80. He is the current holder of the Orange Cap, with KL Rahul only 30 runs behind his Indian teammate. Dhawan did not have an impressive outing against Sunrisers Hyderabad, as he managed to score just 28 runs, before he was dismissed by Rashid Khan. He will hope to bounce back in style against RCB, and put up a strong show.
Axar Patel enjoyed a lot of success in the two Test matches at the Narendra Modi stadium, and troubled the English batsman. The all-rounder returned to playing eleven on Sunday, after being on the sidelines due to covid-19. He made an instant impact, as he picked two consecutive wickets in the 17th over, which brought Delhi Capitals back into the match. He was handed the ball in the super over, and delivered a strong performance, conceding just 7 runs against the likes of David Warner and Kane Williamson. He is expected to get assistance from the wicket at the Narendra Modi stadium, which can be expected to be on the slower side.
Devdutt Padikkal was the only RCB batsman who could dominate a strong CSK bowling lineup on Sunday. The youngster scored a blistering knock of 34 runs off just 15 balls, but was dismissed by Shardul Thakur. Paddikal scored his maiden IPL ton against Rajasthan Royals, for which he was adjudged the player of the match award. The Karnataka batsman smashed an unbeaten knock of 101 runs off just 52 balls, which included 11 fours and 6 sixes.
Glenn Maxwell has been one of the standout players for RCB so far. The Australian all-rounder has scored 198 runs in his four innings so far at an average of 49.50. Maxwell scored an incredible knock of 78 runs against Kolkata Knight Riders, which helped his side register their third consecutive victory. Maxwell is playing with much more responsibility at the moment, and has become a vital cog in RCB’s middle-order this season. He got off to a good start against Chennai Super Kings, scoring 22 runs, before he was dismissed by Ravindra Jadeja.
Prediction
Royal Challengers Bangalore faced a harsh reality check against Chennai Super Kings, as they suffered a huge defeat. On the other hand, Delhi Capitals kept their nerve against Sunrisers Hyderabad, and secured their third consecutive victory of the season. Both teams have won four of their five matches so far, and will have an opportunity to climb to the top spot with a victory on Tuesday.
RCB were dealt with a major blow as Kane Richardson and Adam Zampa left the squad, due to personal reasons. On the other hand, Ravi Ashwin also decided to leave the DC Camp, to be with his family during these tough times. Delhi will now be without their two key players, Shreyas Iyer and Ravi Ashwin.
Royal Challengers Bangalore have a deep bowling attack with plenty of options. Harshal Patel has done a fine job so far and is the current holder of the Purple Cap. Washington Sundar and Yuzvendra Chahal will hope to get more assistance from the wickets in Ahmedabad, which is thought to favour the spinners.
