Rajasthan went down to Punjab Kings but not without a fight. At a time when the game seemed dead and buried, their new captain Sanju Samson brought the innings back to life with a scintillating hundred. In the past, Samson has been guilty of throwing his wicket away. Against Punjab as well, he got a couple of lives. However, the RR skipper also played some amazing strokes to display what he is actually capable of in this format of the game. At the end of the day though they lost, which means they did something wrong.
Delhi will be mighty happy with the way openers Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw shaped up against CSK. Both were at their brutal best and will look to continue their great form with the bat. Among the others, Marcus Stoinis, Shimron Hetmyer, Ajinkya Rahane are the batsmen who will be expected to get among the runs. Then of course there is skipper Rishabh Pant, who is growing in stature with every game.
In the bowling department, they are likely to miss the services of Anrich Nortje, who is said to have tested positive for COVID-19. As per reports, Kagiso Rabada might be available for selection. Chris Woakes, Ravichandran Ashwin, Tom Curran, Amit Mishra and Avesh Khan are the other options in the bowling department for Delhi.
Looking at Rajasthan, apart from Samson, they would want Jos Buttler to fire at the top of the attack. Once Buttler gets runs, Royals look a completely different outfit. Bigger scores will be expected of the likes of Shivam Dube, Riyan Parag and Rahul Tewatia who couldn’t contribute much against Punjab.
There is scope for improvement in the bowling as well. Apart from young Chetan Sakariya, most were taken for runs. Chris Morris, Shreyas Gopal and Mustafizur Rahman should look to lift their game.
Predicted Playing XIs
Rajasthan Royals: Jos Buttler, Manan Vohra, Sanju Samson (C and WK), David Miller, Shivam Dube, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Chris Morris, Shreyas Gopal, Chetan Sakariya, Mustafizur Rahman
Delhi Capitals: Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant (C and WK), Marcus Stoinis, Shimron Hetmyer, Ajinkya Rahane, Chris Woakes, Ravichandran Ashwin, Tom Curran, Amit Mishra, Avesh Khan
--Renin Wilben Albert