DC vs RR Preview: The Sportsrush presents before you full preview of the 53rd match of IPL 2019 between Capitals and Royals.
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The final weekend of the league stages of this IPL is upon us and we are left wondering how did it end so fast? Rajasthan Royals take on Delhi Capitals at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi. RR will be looking to win this match and hope for KKR, KXIP and SRH to be stuck on 12 points after Sunday night.
That is their only chance of qualifying for the playoffs. Delhi Capitals, on the other hand, have qualified but would want to win this match to strengthen their chances of finishing in the top 2. They would get to have 2 attempts at reaching the all-important IPL final
Form Guide
Delhi Capitals have won 3 of their last 4 matches but are coming off a big loss against CSK. Rabada’s injury status might also affect Delhi’s chances in this match. Their bowlers have been good but without Rabada, they looked a little jaded. The Indian top-order needs to score most of the runs and at least one of them have to go and make a big score.
Rajasthan Royals have won 2 of their last 3 matches with the last match yielding no result owing to rain. They have also been dealt with another blow as their skipper Steven Smith has left the team to join Australia’s World Cup training camp.
Without Smith, the RR batting looks weak considering the English players have already left for national duty. Their overseas resources look thin currently and it will be interesting to see who captains them in the absence of Smith and how the overseas contingent fare in their last league game.
Team Changes
Delhi Capitals are coming off a big loss and it will be interesting to see if they shuffle their team combination for this match. Rabada’s return to South Africa remains a concern for the hosts. Sandeep Lamichhane might be drafted into the squad on the spinning Delhi track.
Chris Morris would have to sit out in that case. Ishant Sharma, as a result, might make his way back into the team in place of Amit Mishra who has not been too effective off late.
Rajasthan Royals look settled with their new team combination but the departure of Steven Smith leaves a huge hole in their batting line-up. On a spinning track, RR might be tempted to play an extra spinner.
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Ish Sodhi might make his way into the team in place of Varun Aaron whose extra pacers might be dispatched to the stand on the Kotla wicket. Rahul Tripathi is expected to replace Steven Smith at No. 4 and give a little stability to the Royals’ batting order.
Pitch and Weather Prediction
The Feroz Shah Kotla is expected to provide plenty of assistance to the spinners as it has throughout the season. The ball will not come on to the bat very well. The average score at this venue in this season is 160 and we can expect any total around this to be par.
Delhi is thankfully far away from the path of Cyclone Fani which is wreaking havoc in eastern India. It will be a sunny afternoon at Delhi with no chances of any rainfall. The temperatures will soar up to 39°C during the match and with very little humidity, players are expected to experience a very dry weather.
Toss Prediction
Considering the heat in the afternoon and the Delhi wicket’s history of slowing down in the latter stages of the match, we can expect the team winning the toss to have a bat first.
