The DC boys look to make a strong statement after a disappointing night against the Super Kings as the second Royal battle awaits them at DY Patil tonight.
The clash against Royal comes at a crunch time for the Capitals as we get into the final phases of the league stage. Beating the in-form Rajasthan team will be the perfect way to put the CSK loss behind us and build up momentum come the business end of the tournament. But we'll have to be at our best to beat them reckons Shane Watson.
"The Rajasthan Royals have been playing well and they have been consistent throughout the tournament. Jos Buttler has been incredible for them and Rajasthan have world-class spinners in Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal. The Royals are going to be a tough opponent and every individual has to up their game."
Time for a Statement Victory
The last time these two teams met on a cricket field, it was a high scoring clash where the Royals put on a mammoth 222 riding on Buttler’s third IPL century as Khaleel and Mustafizur picked up one each. And while chasing, we were off to a brisk start, courtesy of the Shaw-Warner duo. Middle overs witnessed a quickfire cameo from Captain Pant as he scored 44 off 24 balls and a late blitz from our power hitter Rovman with 5 maximums at the death almost got us home.
Considering our last game, both our batters and bowlers will look to regroup and come out positively, as the fans expect an electrifying performance with the DC stars giving it their all to try and make the Playoffs.
On the other hand, Rajasthan Royals are all confident coming out of a victory in their last game.
The momentum might seem against us, but the DC stars have always bounced back with a win after a loss, and this time it will be imperative to not just bounce back, but also sustain.
Stat Attack
With Khaleel continuing to impress with his efforts, he can be a game changer. A milestone awaits for him as he is just 2 wickets away from a half-century of IPL wickets.
Captain Pant has been aggressive in his approach, and one can expect an explosive innings from him tonight as he averages around 57 against RR making them one of his favorite opponents. He has also scored 344 runs against the same opposition since IPL 2018, the most in the league against RR in that period. Rishabh is just 9 runs away from achieving the milestone of 4000 T20 runs as well.
Axar Bapu has a good track record against RR with 12 wickets in 12 matches at an economy of 6.93, and he is just 1 short of 100 IPL wickets.
Key Battles
Buttler vs Khaleel
The left-arm seamer seemed to trouble the Orange Cap holder in the last encounter with his out-swingers but somehow got through that phase to score a commendable century. A fiery contest can be expected once again, as both of them are at the top of their game.
RP17 vs Yuzi
Pantastic has been explosive in the middle overs with his unorthodox shots clearing the boundaries with ease. Although, it will be a test as he will be taking on the Purple Cap holder in that segment of the innings this time around.
Powell vs Krishna
With Powell hitting it hard in the death and Krishna making sure the final overs remain economical with his wide yorkers, it will be an epic clash between the two as the tempo will be high in this death-overs tussle.
