Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Delhi Capitals, 62nd Match

Sunday, May 12, 2024, 7:30 PM

Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Delhi Capitals, 62nd Match

M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru

HEAD TO HEAD
TotaL           :   30
RCB Won    :  18
DC  Won     :  11

The city has seen showers in the days leading up to the fixture which could once again play a part on the match day. Traditionally the ground has seen high scores come at great frequency given the boundary sizes but the effects of rain could play a vital factor.
 

RCB who come into this match with four wins on the trot. That too has been in part due to a batting revolution. The introduction of Will Jacks, the reinvention of sorts for Virat Kohli as a spin-hitter and timely cameos from the lower-order has given their batting unit a formidable face. It has allowed them to bring in a India-heavy bowling unit that has so far stood up to the task.

 DC will be hampered by the ban imposed on their skipper Rishabh Pant. Delhi Capitals have confirmed that Axar Patel will be leading in Pant's absence which would make room for an Indian middle-order batter to walk into the line-up. David Warner's availability is subject to how he'd pull through in the practice sessions and Delhi would be gunning to cover all their bases well to not lose out on the momentum built up.

The high stakes, however, could be dampened if rain plays spoilsport. It would mean that an already convoluted race of making it to the playoffs will have an additional metric thrown into the works. Delhi might still have a chance in case of a washout, but RCB would stand eliminated if there is a no result

Royal Challengers Bengaluru

While Delhi's spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel have been outstanding so far in the season, their pace front has cut a sorry figure with Khaleel Ahmed's E/R of 9.68 being the best. It offers a chance for RCB to target the bowlers based on form on a ground with small boundaries. On the bowling front, Karn Sharma could be at the center of bowling plans to the likes of Tristan Stubbs and Jake-Fraser McGurk who have been dismissed five times combined against legspin in IPL 2024 despite having high strike-rates against this kind of bowling.

Injuries/unavailability: No reported worries for RCB.

Probable XI: Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli, Will Jacks, Rajat Patidar, Cameron Green, Dinesh Karthik, Swapnil Singh, Karn Sharma, Mohammad Siraj, Lockie Ferguson, Yash Dayal [Impact Sub: Mahipal Lomror]

Delhi Capitals

 The introduction of Axar Patel in the powerplay is a possibility given the match-up option he offers against RCB's openers Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli who both have a strike-rate hovering around just 110 against the spinner. The latter though has shown marked improvement in spin hitting but it's a gamble that DC might take. On the bowling front, there could be a ploy to exploit Rajat Patidar's seeming weakness against pace having been dimissed 8 times against their kind, with four of them being against left-arm pace.

Injuries/Availability: The absence of Rishabh Pant will force DC to make changes. The chances of Prithvi Shaw replacing him as an Indian batter is an option while they could also try to fit in David Warner [injury permitting] to get some experience in the absence of Pant. Head coach Ricky Ponting also floated the idea of fielding Jhye Richardson as an option upfront to counter RCB's top-order

Probable XI: Jake Fraser-McGurk, Prithvi Shaw, Abishek Porel, David Warner/Shai Hope, Tristan Stubbs, Gulbadin Naib/Jhye Richardson, Axar Patel, Rasikh Salam, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed [Impact Sub: Ishant Sharma]