AS THINGS STAND
Our boys have been triumphant in 5 of our previous 6 encounters of IPL 2019. Ricky Ponting's troops will be looking to get their third win on the trot as they lock horns with in-form RCB in what will be our penultimate home match of the season.
We are handsomely placed at 3rd position of the table with 14 points from 11 matches. A win in the upcoming match almost guarantees us a spot in the playoffs.
Each match is a must win situation for Kohli and his troops even if they want to give themselves an outside chance of qualifying to the Top 4. It is still mathematically possible as RCB have 8 points on board.
With both teams in immaculate form and full of confidence, it promises to be an enticing encounter.
PREVIOUS ENCOUNTER
We last faced RCB at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on April 7, 2019. Skipper Iyer had put the hosts to bat first after winning the toss. Kagiso Rabada's outstanding 4 for 21 and Morris' 2 for 28 had helped us restrict the opposition to 149/8 in 20 overs.
Shreyas Iyer played a captain's knock of 67 off 50 while Shaw, Pant, and Ingram also contributed with the bat to ensure a comfortable run-chase in the end.
STAT GURU:
A) Head to Head:
Matches: 23
Won by Delhi Capitals: 7
Won by Royal Challengers Bangalore: 15
No Result: 1
B) Form Guide:
Delhi Capitals: W W L W W
Royal Challengers Bangalore: W W W L W
C) Approaching Milestones:
1: Ishant Sharma needs 1 more wicket to reach 100 wickets in T20s.
1: 1 more catch and Shikhar Dhawan will complete 100 catches in T20s
13: Rishabh Pant needs 13 more runs to complete 1000 T20 runs at Feroz Shah Kotla.
7: Dhawan needs to hit 7 more sixes to reach 100 in the IPL.
3: Kagiso Rabada requires 3 more wickets to overtake record for the most wickets in a single season by a Delhi bowler. Currently Morne Morkel holds the record with 25 wickets in 2012; Rabada has 23 this season.
70: Shikhar Dhawan needs to score 70 more runs to reach 500 IPL runs against RCB. If he gets there, he will be the 10th player to this landmark.
THE GAME-CHANGERS
Rishabh Pant showed everyone why he is called the player with the X-factor yet again. In our last game against Rajasthan Royals he smashed an unbeaten 78 off 36 deliveries and helped us chase down a mammoth total of 191 with 4 balls to spare. The youngster will certainly be looking to continue scoring runs.
18-year-old Sandeep Lamichhane is another player to watch out for. The last time we played at Kotla, Sandeep's 3 for 40 in 4 overs proved to be crucial. It was the turning point of our match against the Kings XI. The pitch at Kotla also suits Sandy's aggressive bowling. His wicket-taking ability will certainly prove to be handy against RCB's star-studded batting line-up.
AB de Villiers has an average of 59.14 and a strike rate of 158.01 this season. The veteran South African batsman is regarded as one of the most dangerous T20 players in the world. To add to it, he is extremely athletic in the field as well. Our bowlers must try to dismiss him as early in the game as possible.
Yuzvendra Chahal has clinched 14 wickets in 11 matches so far. The leg spinner can prove to be dangerous if he gets the ball to spin on the Kotla pitch.
Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, and Kagiso Rabada too are some of the other players to keep a close eye on in the upcoming game.
Probable Starting XI:
Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Shreyas Iyer (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Colin Ingram, Sherfane Rutherford, Axar Patel, Amit Mishra, Kagiso Rabada, Ishant Sharma, Sandeep Lamichhane
*The above playing XI is just an educated judgement. The final playing XI always rests in the hands of the Team Management.
AS THINGS STAND
Our boys have been triumphant in 5 of our previous 6 encounters of IPL 2019. Ricky Ponting's troops will be looking to get their third win on the trot as they lock horns with in-form RCB in what will be our penultimate home match of the season.
We are handsomely placed at 3rd position of the table with 14 points from 11 matches. A win in the upcoming match almost guarantees us a spot in the playoffs.
Each match is a must win situation for Kohli and his troops even if they want to give themselves an outside chance of qualifying to the Top 4. It is still mathematically possible as RCB have 8 points on board.
With both teams in immaculate form and full of confidence, it promises to be an enticing encounter.
PREVIOUS ENCOUNTER
We last faced RCB at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on April 7, 2019. Skipper Iyer had put the hosts to bat first after winning the toss. Kagiso Rabada's outstanding 4 for 21 and Morris' 2 for 28 had helped us restrict the opposition to 149/8 in 20 overs.
Shreyas Iyer played a captain's knock of 67 off 50 while Shaw, Pant, and Ingram also contributed with the bat to ensure a comfortable run-chase in the end.
STAT GURU:
A) Head to Head:
Matches: 23
Won by Delhi Capitals: 7
Won by Royal Challengers Bangalore: 15
No Result: 1
B) Form Guide:
Delhi Capitals: W W L W W
Royal Challengers Bangalore: W W W L W
C) Approaching Milestones:
1: Ishant Sharma needs 1 more wicket to reach 100 wickets in T20s.
1: 1 more catch and Shikhar Dhawan will complete 100 catches in T20s
13: Rishabh Pant needs 13 more runs to complete 1000 T20 runs at Feroz Shah Kotla.
7: Dhawan needs to hit 7 more sixes to reach 100 in the IPL.
3: Kagiso Rabada requires 3 more wickets to overtake record for the most wickets in a single season by a Delhi bowler. Currently Morne Morkel holds the record with 25 wickets in 2012; Rabada has 23 this season.
70: Shikhar Dhawan needs to score 70 more runs to reach 500 IPL runs against RCB. If he gets there, he will be the 10th player to this landmark.
THE GAME-CHANGERS
Rishabh Pant showed everyone why he is called the player with the X-factor yet again. In our last game against Rajasthan Royals he smashed an unbeaten 78 off 36 deliveries and helped us chase down a mammoth total of 191 with 4 balls to spare. The youngster will certainly be looking to continue scoring runs.
18-year-old Sandeep Lamichhane is another player to watch out for. The last time we played at Kotla, Sandeep's 3 for 40 in 4 overs proved to be crucial. It was the turning point of our match against the Kings XI. The pitch at Kotla also suits Sandy's aggressive bowling. His wicket-taking ability will certainly prove to be handy against RCB's star-studded batting line-up.
AB de Villiers has an average of 59.14 and a strike rate of 158.01 this season. The veteran South African batsman is regarded as one of the most dangerous T20 players in the world. To add to it, he is extremely athletic in the field as well. Our bowlers must try to dismiss him as early in the game as possible.
Yuzvendra Chahal has clinched 14 wickets in 11 matches so far. The leg spinner can prove to be dangerous if he gets the ball to spin on the Kotla pitch.
Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, and Kagiso Rabada too are some of the other players to keep a close eye on in the upcoming game.
Probable Starting XI:
Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Shreyas Iyer (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Colin Ingram, Sherfane Rutherford, Axar Patel, Amit Mishra, Kagiso Rabada, Ishant Sharma, Sandeep Lamichhane
*The above playing XI is just an educated judgement. The final playing XI always rests in the hands of the Team Management.
