IPL 2018: Match 6, Rajasthan Royals vs Delhi Daredevils: Match Prediction
Apr 12, 2018 at 2:48 PM
After a relatively sedate start to their campaign in the 11th edition of The Indian Premier League (IPL), Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Daredevils will be optimistic to get a win under their belt respectively. It was a below-par performance by the Royals in their opening match against the Sunrisers Hyderabad. They were bowled out for a paltry score of 125 in their allotted 20 overs.
Sanju Samson scored a fluent 49. Barring his knock, Royals never got going and only managed to post a below-par total on the board. They were consistently troubled by the Hyderabad bowlers which never allowed them to push their run rate.
Chasing a relatively modest total, Hyderabad lost an early wicket in the form of Wriddhiman Saha.
However, from there on, Shikhar Dhawan-Kane Williamson partnership ensured Hyderabad reached the target without any fall of further wickets.
On the other hand, Delhi Daredevils also fared very poorly in their opening encounter against the Kings XI Punjab. Skipper Gautam Gambhir was the top scorer for the Daredevils with a well-composed half-century.
However, the Delhi-based outfit’s bowlers couldn’t quite restrict the run flow while KXIP chased in a spectacular fashion.
KL Rahul raced off to the fastest IPL fifty in history as he scored his half-century in just 14 deliveries. His innings was studded with six fours and four big sixes.
Later it was Karun Nair, who ensured that Punjab reached the target with 7 deliveries to spare.
Team Combinations –
Delhi Daredevils
All-rounder Glenn Maxwell has returned to the squad and in all likelihood, he will be drafted into the playing XI immediately. He might replace the like of Dan Christian.
But, aggressive Rishabh Pant should be elevated up the order given his power-hitting prowess. With Colin Munro in the team, Pant won’t open. However, if does get that chance he will be eager to prove himself.
Trent Boult despite having a relatively off-colour day should retain his place as Mohammed Shami leaked runs. Moreover, he is a world-class bowler and we shouldn’t rule out a masterpiece by Shami on Wednesday night.
Predicted XI: Gautam Gambhir (c), Colin Munro, Rishabh Pant (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Glenn Maxwell, Vijay Shankar, Chris Morris, Rahul Tewatia, Amit Mishra, Mohammed Shami, Trent Boult
Rajasthan Royals:
Jofra Archer suffered an injury just ahead of the opening game and will have to sit for at least two more games. Rajasthan fielded their possible XI in the previous encounter.
However, their performance was not up to the mark and they ended up losing by nine wickets.
In addition, there are some big players in the Royals’ squad and they would look to make a comeback in their second game.
Krishnappa Gowtham, couldn’t live up to the expectations. During the two-day mega-auction, Royals shelled INR 6.2 crore for the promising cricketer.
Meanwhile, D’Arcy Short will be eager to get going. In the opening encounter against SRH, the hard-hitting batsman returned to pavilion courtesy brilliant Kane Williamson’s brilliant fielding.
Predicted XI: Ajinkya Rahane (c), D Arcy Short, Sanju Samson, Ben Stokes, Rahul Tripathi, Jos Buttler(w), Krishnappa Gowtham, Shreyas Gopal, Dhawal Kulkarni, Jaydev Unadkat, Ben Laughlin
Match Predictions:
As far as predictions are concerned, I have been found pretty wanting in the last two days. Two out of my last three predictions have gone wrong so keeping fingers crossed for this one.
Given the team combination and my gut feeling, the Delhi Daredevils have a slight upper hand in Wednesday’s encounter against Rajasthan Royals. And they could well end up winning this game.
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