Rajasthan Royals vs Delhi Capitals Preview: Captains under focus

Two young and aggressive captains in the Indian Premier League 2020 (IPL) tournament will take the field in Mumbai on Thursday, as Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson face-off. Rajasthan Royals will play Delhi capitals in this match #7 of IPL 2021 at the Wankhede Stadium.

Rajasthan started with a narrow four-run loss to Punjab Kings in their season opener, while Delhi were victorious over Chennai Super Kings by seven wickets.

Captain Sanju Samson’s masterly 119 off just 63 balls wasn’t enough for the Royals to chase down 222, as they fell short off the last ball. With no other batsman scoring more than 25 though, the Royals batting will be one under the lens.

With the ball, young debutant Chetan Sakariya sparkled with 3/31 impressing at both ends of the innings. Chriss Morris’ 2/41 was the only other bowling performance of note leaving the Royals concede 221/6.

Jofra Archer will continue to miss out selection rehabilitating after his finger surgery. Manan Vohra’s place will be under question, while Jos Buttler’s absence from opening slot could be one for the discussion table.

Delhi Capitals started with an easy 189-run chase as Prithvi Shaw (72 off 38) and Shikhar Dhawan (85 off 54) smashed the ball out of the park with a 138-run first-wicket partnership. That didn’t leave much for the others to do, coasting to a seven-wicket win.

The bulk of the bowling work was done by Avesh Khan (2/23) and Chris Woakes (2/18) as Delhi kept Chennai Super Kings to a manageable 188/7. Tom Curran and Ravichandran Ashwin went for aplenty, which remains their only worry.

The South African bowlers Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje could be back in action, while the left-arm spinner Axar Patel may also be back in contention.

The historical record between Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals is tied at 11-11, although the Capitals have won five games in a row.

Last season saw the Capitals defeat the Royals by 46-runs in the first match and by 13-runs in the second. Rabada was the star in the first with 3/35, while Dhawan scored a promising 57 in the second.

The Royals have a huge decision to make on their opening conundrum, as Stokes and Buttler swapped their positions from what they do with England. It will be their top-order batting that will be under scrutiny again, while their spin bowling options remain an Achilles heel. The Capitals have most of their bases covered and once the South African bowlers come back into the side, they will present a bigger threat.

Rajasthan Royals will hope that the positive momentum of Sanju Samson’s innings in the first match will cover their deficiencies. They have struggled against Delhi capitals off late losing their last five in a row. The Capitals started brightly with Shaw and Dhawan starting on the front foot. Captain Pant will also look to make it big against a team he fancies, having amassed three 50+ scores in his last four matches against the Royals. Back the Capitals to edge this contest, while Dhawan looks a strong pick to score another fifty.