The 56th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 sees Delhi Capitals (DC) host Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi tonight at 7:30 PM IST.
Both teams are coming off defeats in their previous outings and will be desperate to get back to winning ways and solidify their playoff positions. RR currently hold the second spot on the league table with eight wins from 10 games, while DC acquired sixth sport with five wins from 11 fixtures.
DC’s batting woes continue, particularly with Prithvi Shaw‘s recent struggles. However, their saving grace has been the explosive form of Australian opener Jake Fraser-McGurk. Boasting an incredible strike rate of 233.33 after just six innings (the highest ever in an IPL season with a minimum of 50 balls faced), Fraser-McGurk averages over 43 with the bat.
A fascinating battle awaits him as he faces off against RR’s potent pace attack of Avesh Khan, Trent Boult, and Sandeep Sharma, who have consistently taken early wickets and been extremely economical throughout the tournament.
The middle-order for DC finds its anchor in captain Rishabh Pant, the team’s leading run scorer with 398. Additionally, Tristan Stubbs‘ counter-attacking batting with a strike rate of 186 provides a strong finish at the lower order. With the average first innings score in Delhi being a staggering 249 and the overall average at the venue hovering around 236, the onus lies heavily on the trio of Pant, Stubbs, and Fraser-McGurk to deliver.
While Yuzvendra Chahal has been the leading wicket-taker for Rajasthan with 13 scalps, the spinner has struggled in the last two matches. His partner, Ravichandran Ashwin, has only managed two wickets this season. This lack of returns from their experienced spin duo presents a potential chink in Rajasthan’s armour that Delhi can exploit.
Delhi’s bowling attack, featuring the spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel, has been impressive. The pair boast an economical eight runs per over and have combined for 21 wickets. Mukesh Kumar and Khaleel Ahmed have also been impactful, taking 13 and 12 wickets respectively, and controlling the flow of runs in both the early and death overs. Rajasthan, in turn, will rely on their top four – Riyan Parag, Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler, and Yashasvi Jaiswal – who have been in phenomenal form, aggregating a combined total of 1453 runs at an average of 48.43.
Head-to-Head:
Historically, RR have held a slight edge over DC in head-to-head battles, winning 15 out of their 28 encounters. However, in Delhi, the Royals have a forgetful record (3-5). Although RR emerged victorious by 12 runs in Jaipur earlier this season, the stage is set for a thrilling encounter in Delhi as both teams fight for a crucial victory.
Where-to-Watch:
OTT: JioCinema