A win at home finally achieved after multiple losses, a confident Delhi Capitals will hope to keep the juggernaut rolling when they take on Rajasthan Royals in an away IPL encounter in Jaipur on Monday.
Delhi have been doing better at away games rather than at their home ground but Saturday night they managed to reverse that at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground with a five-wicket win over Kings XI Punjab, helping them remain on third spot in the points table.
Rajasthan Royals also won their match on Saturday by the same margin against a formidable Mumbai Indians as Steve Smith celebrated his return at the helm with a captain’s innings.
With both teams rejuvenated after their respective victories, it will be an interesting battle for one-upmanship.
Here’s a look at the top five battles to watch out for in the match between Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals.
Steve Smith vs Axar Patel
Steve Smith has struggled against Axar Patel in the Indian Premier League. The Australian has managed just 26 runs from 22 balls against the spinner. However, Smith has been dismissed only once by Axar. It will be interesting to see whether Smith takes the aggressive approach against Axar or will he look to cautiously play him out.
Ajinkya Rahane vs Amit Mishra
Amit Mishra has been Ajinkya Rahane’s nemesis in the Indian Premier League. The leg-spinner has dismissed Rahane three times in the cash-rich league. However, the opening batsman has scored 85 runs from 69 balls against Mishra in the tournament. Rahane will certainly look to take on the leg-spinner and ensure that he doesn’t give his wicket away.
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Shikhar Dhawan vs Dhawal Kulkarni
Shikhar Dhawan and Dhawal Kulkarni have had an ongoing battle in the IPL. The opening batsman has scored 107 runs off 81 balls at a strike-rate of 132.10 against the fast bowler, but has been dismissed once by Kulkarni in the cash-rich league. Kulkarni will be certainly hoping to dismiss Dhawan early on in his innings.
Shreyas Iyer vs Shreyas Gopal
Even though the Rajasthan Royals haven’t managed to win many games in this season, the leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal has been a huge find for them. Gopal has picked up key wickets for his team in this tournament. However, Gopal will be up against Shreyas Iyer in his next match, who has scored 13 runs off 5 balls off his bowling.
Rishabh Pant vs Ben Stokes
Rishabh Pant hasn’t batted to his potential in this tournament and therefore he will be certainly looking for a big innings in his next match. He will be fancying his chances against Ben Stokes as he has a good record against the Englishman. Pant has slammed 20 runs off 14 balls against Stokes in the Indian Premier League.
(With inputs from agencies)
First Published: Apr 22, 2019 12:50 IST
