Guwahati: Haunted and pummeled by raw pace, Delhi Capitals (DC) may find a letup and look to have a taste of success when they face Rajasthan Royals here in the afternoon match on Saturday. Genuine fast bowlers in Mark Wood and Alzarri Joseph threw thunderbolts at Delhi's openers Prithvi Shaw and Sarfaraz Khan to dismiss them.
Although, the duo will not have to deal with a similar threat when they face RR's pace trio comprising Trent Boult, KM Asif and Jason Holder, who bowl mostly in the range of 130s. Both are one of India's most talented batters but have exposed their technical glitch while facing fast bowlers that bowl in excess of 140s. However, they will still have to deal with the intelligent R Ashwin and threatening Yuzvendra Chahal, who pose a considerable challenge against anyone in the world.
Despite going through a patchy form, both will take comfort in the fact that Barsapa Stadium aids batting once you take your front foot out and hit through the line. The absence of Jos Buttler would be a boon to the DC squad as the English player has got stitches on his little finger making his place in the side uncertain in the match.
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The likelihood of his absence is palpable as the stitches may still be fresh which will not allow him to field but he can still add extra cushioning in his gloves and bat. However, it remains to be seen about his availability in the match. RR may include Joe Root in their side, who still can play the dual role of an attacker and can provide stability while chasing big scores.
DC looks like a line-up to envy despite Rishabh Pant's absence from the side. But Shaw and Sarfarz's weakness against international fast bowlers, who eject the ball at least 10 miles faster than their Indian counterparts have forced the management into thinking about alternatives.
What is worrisome in Delhi's squad is the lack of availability of Indian bowling options as the young Indian players in the team are not of the quality that is required in an IPL tournament. The bench strength that DC comprise are Yash Dhull, Ripal Patel, and Lalit Yadav, who are seasoned batters but will not be able to accelerate at a strike rate of 150.
It is not a tall order in Guwahati to chase a score which is less than 190 but the bowlers will find respite in the fact that the dew factor will not come into play, unlike the last match where Punjab Kings' team were finding it tough to grip the ball.
Rajasthan Royals batting line-up are in imperious touch with Yashasvi Jaiswal and captain Sanju Samson providing the team the solidity that it needs and are unlikely to budge against the likes of Anrich Nortje, Khaleel Ahmed and Kuldeep Yadav.
It would be interesting to see what DC planning would be on how to use 'Impact Player' and Axar Patel in the face of two left-handed batters in the top order of RR. The Delhi team has used Aman Hakim as their impact player but despite coach Ricky Ponting's confidence in him, he hasn't been able to put in any noticeable performance yet.
David Warner would also think twice before handing over the ball to Axar Patel who has had not a good time against the south-paws in previous encounters. Rovman Powell is a massive hitter of the ball but his issues with spin might make way for Rossouw to continue. Rajasthan Royals did lose the last match but they are still firm favourites to win this one.
Teams (from):
Delhi Capitals: David Warner (captain), Prithvi Shaw, Mitchell Marsh, Sarfaraz Khan, Aman Hakim Khan, Abhishek Porel (wk), Axar Patel, Khaleel Ahmed, Kuldeep Yadav, Rovman Powell, Rilee Rossouw, Anrich Nortje, Mustafizur Rahaman, Chetan Sakariya, Mukesh Kumar, Phil Salt, Lungi Ngidi, Praveen Dubey, Lalit Yadav, Ripal Patel, Vicky Ostwal, Ishant Sharma, Manish Pandey, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Yash Dhull.
Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (captain), Jos Buttler (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravichandran Ashwin, KM Asif, Trent Boult, Dhruv Jurel, Kunal Singh Rathore, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Sen, Kuldip Yadav, Joe Root, Donovan Ferreira, KC Cariappa, Abdul Basith, Obed McCoy, Akash Vasisth, Sandeep Sharma, Adam Zampa, Murugan Ashwin.
Match Starts at 3:30 pm.
