Rajasthan Royals vs Delhi Capitals IPL Tips - Settled hosts look a good pick to win

Delhi Capitals are yet to get off the mark, performing below par in all departments so far. True to their nature, the Rajasthan Royals have been competing well with their only loss due to a few errors in batting order. Even without Jos Buttler, they look good to continue their good start to the season. I am backing Rajasthan Royals to win this match.

The overall H2H record couldn’t be more dead-heat as Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals have won 13 matches each. Yet, it was the Capitals who have had an upper hand of late. They won seven of the last nine matches against the Royals.

Last season saw the teams sharing the honours in the two matches played. Rajasthan winning at Wankhede while Delhi won at the DY Patil stadium.

After two matches, the slate reads 1-1 for Rajasthan Royals with a 72-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad followed by a five-run loss to Punjab Kings.

Both the matches saw their captain Sanju Samson lead from the front top-scoring for the side. He has 97 runs so far while Jos Buttler with 73 is the next.

Bowling duties have been fairly shared although Yuzvendra Chahal with five wickets has been their best bowler so far. Jason Holder with three wickets and ER of 6.42 has been a surprise package.

The probable absence of Jos Buttler due to stitches on his hand could be a big blow for the Royals. That may pave way for Joe Root getting a game.

The Capitals are yet to get a point this season after two straight losses. They were beaten by Lucknow Super Giants by 50 runs in the first match before losing at home to Gujarat Titans by six wickets.

Batting is a real worry for the Capitals who aren’t getting the right impetus. Even David Warner with 93 runs has been scoring at 116.25 which puts things into perspective. Prithvi Shaw is yet to get going with scores of 12 and 7 so far.

There isn’t much joy with the bowling unit too with the lack of a leader in the pack clearly showing off. The arrival of Anrich Nortje changes things though, as he’s shown with his 2/39 in his first match.

Mitch Marsh’s poor returns at the top make his presence vulnerable as Rovman Powell could be tried to get more firepower. His bowling could be a bonus though, as the Capitals may think long about Lungi Ngidi getting a game.