The penultimate game of the league stages of this IPL will see Royal Challenger Bangalore will take on the Delhi Capitals in Abu Dhabi. It will be a must-win for the teams and the winner will straightway end up in the 2nd spot and will meet the Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 1. Virat Kohli has had a couple of failures and this has reflected in the team as well as they have lost their last 3 games. The same is the case with Shreyas Iyer led DC, who have lost 4 on the trot. The return fixture saw DC winning the game by 59 runs in Dubai.
RCB should have qualified by now but a string of 3 defeats meant that they could not make the top 4 unless they win the last game. None of their batsmen were up to the mark in the last game against SRH and struggled to reach a paltry 120 runs. With nothing much to defend, SRH easily chased the target by 5 wickets with almost 6 overs to spare. If RCB can win this, they will get not one but 2 shots at the finals opportunity.
DC like their opponents has themselves to blame for the situation where there are in right now. They lost 4 games on the trot and look a pale shadow of what they were in the first half of the tournament. DC’s performance in the last match against the MI seems to be on the same lines as RCB’s. They were restricted to 110 runs by the MI and their bowlers didn’t have enough to defend. This will be an exciting game to watch for the neutral.
Key Players
Batsman – Shreyas Iyer, and Rishabh Pant, Virat Kohli, and Devdutt Padikkal.
Shreyas Iyer has been scoring consistently but not as free-flowing as we used to see him in the past, while the DC keeper Rishabh Pant has been struggling since his return from injury. So this do-or-die game could be the one where both these talented batsman finds their best form in this tournament. VIrat Kohli has been in scratchy form throughout this IPL barring one knock against CSK a long time ago. Despite having scored over 400 runs, he is not at his usual best and will need to step up. Devdutt Padikkal is one of the finds of the tournament and is the 2nd highest run-scorer of RCB this season.
All Rounder- Chris Morris, Washington Sundar, Marcus Stoinis, and Axar Patel.
A couple of match-winning knocks in the early part of the tournament and few wickets here & there has been the case of Stoinis so far and has not played consistently. He has failed in the last few games and DC will want him to do well. Axar Patel didn’t play the last game but could very well play this must-win game and he will be a go-to player. Axar Patel has been bowling well in different phases of the innings and has been handy with the bat as well. Chris Morris had a great start to his IPL after coming from an injury layoff but has picked many wickets after his initial spells and has fared poorly with the bat. Sundar has been effective in the powerplays and is one of the standouts bowlers for them in this IPL.
Bowlers – Yuzuvendra Chahal, Isuru Udana, Kagiso Rabada, and Anrich Nortje.
Chahal has been one of the standout spinners in this IPL with 20 scalps which is the highest for any spinner this year. He can be a real difference for the side of this game. Isuru Udana is a great exponent of variations and can be useful on slow wickets. He hasn’t come good yet and this could be the game he comes to his own. DC opening bowlers Rabada and Nortje have been the pick of the bowlers but the last 2 games have not been their game. They are the ones to watch out for.
Battles to look forward
- Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje vs Virat Kohli and Ab De Villiers
- Yuzuvendra Chahal vs Shreyas Iyer
- Washington Sundar vs Shikhar Dhawan
The best bowlers of Delhi Capitals Rabada and Nortje will be up against the RCB’s best batting duo Virat and ABD. Though they have not been in the best of forms off late, this contest could decide the direction of the game. Shreyas Iyer unusually has struggled against the spinners and Chahal may be introduced when he comes to the crease. Shikhar Dhawan has scored 2 ducks after hitting 2 massive centuries and is clearly not in full confidence. and his battle with Sundar will be good to watch.
Head to Head between DC and RCB.
- Matches Played: 25
- RCB Won: 15
- DC won: 9
Match conditions
Venue: Sheikh Zayed cricket stadium, Abu Dhabi.
Date & Timings: November 2, 2020, at 7.30 PM IST.
Weather: Clear with the temperature around 29 C.
Pitch: Likely to be a slow surface with possible due later on.
