So we are finally into the second half of the Indian Premier League. From this point, there can be no mistakes. Lose a game, and you’re closer to the exit signs.
Delhi Daredevils know what they need to do. Shreyas Iyer, Daredevils’ captain said, “We need to win six out of six, which is the only motivation we can take into the remaining games. We are really effective in home games and, if we can keep the team stable, that should serve us well.”
Yes, Shreyas, you got that right. You’ve got 6 games left and you have to win all 6 of them to make it to the playoffs.
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Rajasthan Royals are doing better than the Delhi Daredevils, but not so great either. They have 3 wins and 4 defeats out of 7 games, and are placed at the fifth position. This is a must win game for them as well.
A win for Royals will put them in the top four with the same amount of points as Kolkata Knight Riders, and could make them real contenders to make it to the top four. A defeat is not so good. A defeat at this stage will mean that Delhi will have the same number of points as they do as will RCB.
As you can see, every game from this point is a make or break for the teams. Delhi have done well to replace Gautam Gambhir at the top for Prithvi Shaw. Gambhir was slowing them down. The combination of Coluin Munroe and Shaw at the top, followed by Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant gives them a chance. But just a chance.
Rajasthan Royals made a huge mistake by investing heavily in Jaidev Unadkat. He has looked completely innocuous in this IPL and certainly does not justify his high price tag. He is only a medium pacer with no special skills, it’s a mystery as to why he was purchased for $1.2 million. Just does not make sense.
But Jofra Archer has certainly been a good find. He will have to carry the attack on his shoulders and win games for his team from this point. He looks capable of it for sure.
Prediction: Hard match to predict as there really isn’t much to choose between the two. But the home advantage could give Daredevils an edge.
The Teams
Delhi Daredevils: 1 Colin Munro, 2 Prithvi Shaw, 3 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 4 Rishabh Pant (wk), 5 Glenn Maxwell, 6 Vijay Shankar, 7 Rahul Tewatia, 8 Liam Plunkett, 9 Amit Mishra, 10 Avesh Khan, 11 Trent Boult
Rajasthan Royals: 1 Ajinkya Rahane (capt), 2 Rahul Tripathi, 3 Sanju Samson, 4 Ben Stokes, 5 Jos Buttler (wk), 6 Mahipal Lomror, 7 K Gowtham, 8 Jofra Archer, 9 Dhawal Kulkarni, 10 Ish Sodhi, 11 Jaydev Unadkat
Watch Delhi Daredevils play Rajasthan Royals tonight on Star Sports at 8 PM!
