Dc vs RR has been a batter’s dream and a nightmare for bowlers in IPL 2024, with an average first-innings score of 249 and an overall run rate of 11.38 – the highest of any venue this season – in the three matches there so far.It has worked out well for DC, who won their last two games at home on the back of Jake Fraser-McGurk’s fireworks. DC’s openers have averaged 57.33 with a strike rate of 292 in Delhi.The powerful starts have allowed Tristan Stubbs, Rishabh Pant and even Axar Patel to continue the momentum.
Stubbs is striking at 186 against both pace and spin, Pant is on track to have his best IPL season, and Axar’s left-handedness has proved to be a big weapon anywhere in the order. Those are all promising signs as DC need to win their remaining three league games, but the odds are stacked against them since they are facing Rajasthan Royals.It’s taken a lot to beat RR in IPL 2024: Gujarat Titans managed it by hitting a last-ball boundary, and Sunrisers Hyderabad denied RR two runs off the final ball in their previous game.Royals, who dropped to second on the points table on Sunday after leading for more than five weeks, have the standout bowling unit of IPL 2024.
A win will not only help them reclaim the top spot but also assure them of a place in the playoffs. Their pacers’ economy of 8.22 and an average of 23.57 are the best among all teams. They are also exceedingly potent with the new ball, averaging three wickets per game in the first six overs. Add to that, the experience of their spinners and the form of their top order.If there’s any weakness, it is their undercooked lower-middle order.
Shimron Hetmyer and Rovman Powell are finding big shots but not finishing games off. Dhruv Jurel has also struggled apart from one half-century, and their Nos. 5 to 8 are averaging only 20.93. That makes the eight overs from Kuldeep Yadav and Axar major factors for DC, but the spinners will need support from a lacklustre pace-bowling unit that has conceded 10.35 per over this season.Bat 1st: Prithvi Shaw, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Shai Hope, Tristan Stubbs, Rishabh Pant (c) (wk), Abishek Porel, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar, Anrich Nortje, Khaleel Ahmed.Bowl 1st: Jake Fraser-McGurk, Shai Hope, Tristan Stubbs, Rishabh Pant (c) (wk), Abishek Porel, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar, Anrich Nortje, Khaleel Ahmed, Rasikh Dar.Rajasthan Royals Predicted XIBat 1st: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson(w/c), Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Avesh Khan, Sandeep SharmaBowl 1st: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson(w/c), Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Avesh Khan, Sandeep Sharma, Yuzvendra ChahalMatch detailsDelhi Capitals (sixth) vs Rajasthan Royals (second)Delhi, 7.30pm IST (2pm GMT)Big picture: More carnage at the Kotla?
Delhi has been a batter’s dream and a nightmare for bowlers in IPL 2024, with an average first-innings score of 249 and an overall run rate of 11.38 – the highest of any venue this season – in the three matches there so far.It has worked out well for DC, who won their last two games at home on the back of Jake Fraser-McGurk’s fireworks. DC’s openers have averaged 57.33 with a strike rate of 292 in Delhi.The powerful starts have allowed Tristan Stubbs, Rishabh Pant and even Axar Patel to continue the momentum. Stubbs is striking at 186 against both pace and spin, Pant is on track to have his best IPL season, and Axar’s left-handedness has proved to be a big weapon anywhere in the order.
Those are all promising signs as DC need to win their remaining three league games, but the odds are stacked against them since they are facing Rajasthan Royals.It’s taken a lot to beat RR in IPL 2024: Gujarat Titans managed it by hitting a last-ball boundary, and Sunrisers Hyderabad denied RR two runs off the final ball in their previous game.Royals, who dropped to second on the points table on Sunday after leading for more than five weeks, have the standout bowling unit of IPL 2024. A win will not only help them reclaim the top spot but also assure them of a place in the playoffs. Their pacers’ economy of 8.22 and an average of 23.57 are the best among all teams. They are also exceedingly potent with the new ball, averaging three wickets per game in the first six overs. Add to that, the experience of their spinners and the form of their top order.If there’s any weakness,
it is their undercooked lower-middle order. Shimron Hetmyer and Rovman Powell are finding big shots but not finishing games off. Dhruv Jurel has also struggled apart from one half-century, and their Nos. 5 to 8 are averaging only 20.93. That makes the eight overs from Kuldeep Yadav and Axar major factors for DC, but the spinners will need support from a lacklustre pace-bowling unit that has conceded 10.35 per over this season.