After a dominating win in the Northern Derby against Punjab, our DC Tigers are all pumped up to take on the Rajasthan Royals. It will be a fierce battle at Wankhede, with both sides boasting of power-packed performers who will look to carry on the good form and make it back-to-back wins in IPL 2022.
Confidence will be high in the DC camp after Wednesday, where the boys overcame some off field troubles to register one of the most dominating performances in IPL history – the biggest win in terms of balls to spare in the history of the IPL while chasing a target of 100+. After helping the DC Men in Blue cruise to a 9-wicket win, Lalit Yadav wants his teammates to replicate the intensity when we take on RR on Friday.
“Rajasthan has been one of the most consistent teams of IPL 2022. They are playing some quality cricket. But our focus will be on ourselves, we’ll go into the game with our own plans, look to execute them and play some good cricket. If we follow this process we’ll automatically win.” – Lalit Yadav
A Royal Battle Awaits at Wankhede
The wicket at Wankhede has favoured chasing just like the other venues, with teams batting second winning 4 out of the 6 games in IPL 2022. However, that trend has shown signs of changing in recent games, with the last 2 games both won by teams batting first.
Considering our last game, both our batters and bowlers will be confident about making most of the conditions and giving their best no matter whether we bat or bowl first.
The bowlers hunted as a pack in the last game, with four of them, Axar, Lalit, Kuldeep and Khaleel picking up 2 wickets each, and the Fizz contributing with the wicket of Mayank up top.
The swashbuckling opening duo of Prithvi Shaw and David Warner has complemented each other perfectly, providing us with 4 consecutive 50+ partnerships. The duo will look to keep the momentum going against a good Rajasthan bowling attack, as DC fans hope for another electrifying powerplay from them.
Rajasthan have been in red-hot form themselves, with Jos Buttler giving them fiery starts, and Hettie playing the finisher’s role to perfection. In the bowling department, the likes of Chahal, Ashwin and Boult have been terrific as well.
All this means only one thing. An IPL classic could be on the cards come Friday.
Stat Attack
Axar Patel has an amazing record against RR, with 12 wickets in his last 11 innings against Rajasthan with an economy of 6.75. 2 more wickets and Bapu will become the second left-arm spinner to a century of IPL scalps.
Kuldeep Yadav is the leading wicket-taker for Delhi Capitals this season, with 13 wickets in 6 innings. He is 2nd on the Purple Cap list, with the DC tweaker coming up against his good friend Yuzvendra Chahal on Friday, who is at top of the list with 17 wickets.
The DC fans can expect a Pantastic showing from Rishabh as he comes up against the Royals. The skipper averages 60 against RR, and with a strike rate of 180+ at Wankhede, the occasion is perfect for a #RP17 special.
Key Battles
Padikkal vs The Lord
Lord Shardul has dismissed Paddikal every time in the last 3 clashes they have played against each other, which makes this a battle you just can’t miss.
Warner vs Ash
DC fans are well aware of what Ashwin brings to the table, and he is likely to be brought on against the in-form Warner. With Davey in sublime touch, who gets out on top in this battle could go a long way in deciding the course of the game.
Shaw-stopper vs Thunder-Boult
Our pocket dynamo has been quite extraordinary in the powerplays, and he will meet his match in Boult who is known for getting early breakthroughs with the ball. If Shaw can once again race out of the blocks and give DC an electric start, it could be runs galore for us at the Wankhede.
