New Delhi: Jolted by a dramatic loss at home after a dream start to the season, Delhi Capitals will look to put the setback behind them when they take on a faltering Rajasthan Royals in the IPL here on Wednesday.
Riding high on a four-match winning streak, the Axar Patel-led Capitals looked like a well-oiled machine before a stunning batting meltdown against Mumbai Indians halted their momentum here on Sunday.
What was meant to be a triumphant return to base ended in despair as the loss saw them slip to second on the points table.
In contrast, Rajasthan Royals find themselves in a precarious position with just two wins from six matches, languishing at eighth. Their season has been marred by inconsistency.
Impact substitute Karun Nair, fresh off a prolific domestic season, led Delhi’s chase against MI with a dazzling 89 in pursuit of 206 in their first game at the Feroz Shah Kotla this season.
At 119/1 in 10 overs, the match looked all but sealed. But what followed was a jaw-dropping collapse, which included three run-outs in the penultimate over. DC were eventually bowled out for 193 in a chase of 205.
Though the Capitals will undoubtedly rue the missed opportunity of collecting two points, they have little time to dwell on the defeat with another crucial clash looming.
Once again, the spinners will hold the key for Delhi. Despite the challenge of the evening dew, wrist spinners Kuldeep Yadav and 20-year-old Vipraj Nigam will look to weave their magic.
Both these bowlers have been DC’s standout performers this season, their spin variations bamboozling opposition batters.
However, skipper Axar Patel is yet to leave his mark. As captain, he has led the side admirably but the left-arm spinner has gone wicket-less in 14 overs across six matches, conceding runs at an economy that is a touch lower than 10.
Known for his batting heroics as well, the all-rounder is yet to get going in the tournament.
Young Jake Fraser-McGurk, who set the stage ablaze last season with his power-hitting, has been a shadow of his former self this time around. His high-risk game has completely backfired, yielding a meagre 46 runs, including two ducks.
With Faf du Plessis still side-lined due to injury, Nair looks to have firmly secured his spot in the team.
Delhi’s middle-order looks strong this season thanks to the experience of KL Rahul, the firepower of Tristan Stubbs, Ashutosh Sharma, and the promising Nigam.
The Royals, meanwhile, have been plagued by inconsistency. Their batting unit, which is heavily reliant on Indian stars, has mis-fired repeatedly.
While Yashasvi Jaiswal notched a fluent fifty in the previous outing in the loss to RCB, his overall form remains patchy.
Skipper Sanju Samson is yet to produce a defining knock, while the young guns Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel have shown potential without lasting impact.
On the bowling front, Jofra Archer seems to have shaken off the rust after copping the most expensive spell in IPL history.
But the Royals’ attack as a whole has been toothless. Apart from Sandeep Sharma, their other bowlers have struggled to control the scoring rate.
Squads:
Delhi Capitals: Axar Patel (C), Faf du Plessis, Karun Nair, Sameer Rizvi, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Ashutosh Sharma, KL Rahul, Abishek Porel, Donovan Ferreira, Tristan Stubbs, Madhav Tiwari, Tripurana Vijay, Manvanth Kumar, Vipraj Nigam, Ajay Mandal, Darshan Nalkande, Mukesh Kumar, Mohit Sharma, T Natarajan, Mitchell Starc, Dushmantha Chameera, Kuldeep Yadav.
Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubham Dubey, Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel (w), Shimron Hetmyer, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Tushar Deshpande, Sandeep Sharma, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kunal Singh Rathore, Akash Madhwal, Kumar Kartikeya, Kwena Maphaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Ashok Sharma, Vaibhav Suryavanshi.
Match starts at 7:30 pm.
