Things are becoming interesting as the IPL enters its mid-games zone. On 15th April from 3:30 pm onwards, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals will face each other in the 20th game of the IPL at M Chinnaswamy Stadium. RCB has won one out of their three games, while DC is yet to open their points tally after playing four games.
In their last game, Royal Challengers were severely attacked by LSG. Batting first, RCB scored 212 runs for the loss of two wickets, with RCB's top-order batsmen Virat Kohli (61), Faf du Plessis (79*), and Glenn Maxwell (59) scoring half-centuries. In the second innings, Mohammed Siraj and Wayne Parnell produced some nail-biting bowling to reduce LSG to 23 for 3 wickets. However, Nicolas Puran and Marcus Stoinis quickly scored half-centuries to take the win away from RCB. RCB lost the game by a wicket on the final ball of the match. They are currently seventh in the points table with 2 points.
In their most recent game, Delhi Capitals faced Mumbai Indians. Skipper David Warner and Axar Patel both scored half-centuries, guiding DC to a respectable total of 172. MI's opening batsmen started the chase with a 71-run partnership, putting DC's bowlers under pressure. However, the spinners were able to bring DC back into the game by conceding less than 6 runs in 8 overs. In the final ball of the match, the cool-headed Tim David scored the required 2 runs to secure a 6-wicket victory for MI over DC. This loss marked DC's fourth consecutive defeat of the season, leaving them at the bottom of the points table with 0 points.
On the other hand, RCB has had a successful run against DC. In their previous encounter, RCB batted first and scored 189 runs, thanks to half-centuries from Glenn Maxwell and Dinesh Karthik. In the end, RCB emerged victorious by 17 runs, despite David Warner's impressive 66 runs off 38 balls for DC. Josh Hazlewood and Siraj took 3 and 2 wickets respectively for RCB.
Royal Challengers are living up to their reputation by providing some thrilling matches. Every season, they boast a strong batting lineup but struggle to maintain control over their opponents due to their weak bowling attack. This season is no different, as RCB's top-order batsmen are in excellent form. Both Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis have scored two half-centuries each in the first three games, and now Glenn Maxwell has also joined the party. Kohli has scored 164 runs in three games at a strike rate of 147.75. He has a fantastic record against DC, with 949 runs in 27 games at an average of 52.72 and a strike rate of 135.57. Therefore, he is our top pick for the best batter.
Although du Plessis is RCB's top run-scorer with 175 runs, his record against DC is not impressive. With 350 runs in 15 games at a strike rate of 115.89, the RCB opener's record against DC is not ideal. Glenn Maxwell had a half-century against DC in their previous encounter, as did Dinesh Karthik. It was Karthik who took the game away from DC with 66 runs off 34 balls. He strikes at 142.59 against DC. As far as batting is concerned, RCB shouldn't face too many issues against DC.
Wanindu Hasaranga is expected to return to the team after missing the first three games. Hasaranga was the second-highest wicket-taker in the last IPL, taking 26 wickets in 16 matches. This means David Willey will be benched. Mohammed Siraj will lead the pace attack, with support from Wayne Parnell and Harshal Patel. Both Siraj and Parnell took 3 wickets in the last game. Hopefully, Harshal Patel will put his failure to run out Ravi Bishnoi in the previous game behind him.
DC is the weakest team in this IPL, and they need help in both their batting and bowling units. David Warner is DC’s top run-scorer with 209 runs in 4 games, but his strike rate has put DC in trouble. Warner's strike rate is 114.83, primarily because no other batter is playing the anchor role. Therefore, the skipper must keep his wicket at any cost. Hopefully, the problem will be solved if Prithvi Shaw, Manish Pandey, and Yashasvi Jaiswal can score runs against RCB. Shaw has only scored 34 runs in 4 games this season."
The inclusion of Mustafizur Rehman in the team has resulted in Rillee Roussow being left out of the playing eleven. Rovman Powell needs to step up and support his captain to score freely. Axar Patel has been the only other DC batter who has played his role well. He scored 64 runs in the previous game at a strike rate above 200. However, the all-rounder has only managed to take one wicket in 3 innings, bowling his full quota of 12 overs.
DC's bowling has hit rock bottom. In four games, the bowlers have taken only seventeen wickets out of a possible 40. Mukesh Kumar is DC's leading wicket-taker with four wickets, but his economy rate is above 10. Additionally, last season's leading wicket-taker from Delhi, Kuldeep Yadav, has taken only two wickets in four games. Similarly, Anrich Nortje's pace has not produced the desired outcome for DC.
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