Another weekend blockbuster on the cards as the Royal Challengers take on the Delhi Capitals

In a campaign that has seemed fairly decent for the Royal Challengers Bangalore until now will be heading forth towards the next chapter as they take on the Delhi Capitals on a rollicking Saturday evening. Both the sides will be coming to this stramash on the back of some decent steam despite a couple of hiccups in their journey.

The Challengers will be eager to get their campaign back to winning ways after an unexpected slump against the Chennai Super Kings in a high-scoring encounter. If there is one area that they would be worried about is their prized top-order where there has been a dearth of runs from Faf and Virat, the two most experienced campaigners in the line-up.

Glenn Maxwell did show an initial glimpse of the kind of carnage that he can impose but he departed way too early for the knock to be of impact. The middle-order has been riding on high-flying brilliance from Dinesh Karthik and Shahbaz Ahmed with the duo belting out one masterclass after the other. Suyash Prabhudessai was also impressive on his debut where he pulled off some electric avenues on the field while he whacked around the Chennai bowlers for a decent deal before getting out in the last encounter.

The Capitals have so far secured two impressive wins that came against the Mumbai Indians and the Kolkata Knight Riders but if you would take a closer look at their campaign, the struggles have been pretty wild with some desperate reliance on Prithvi Shaw to bail them out of a handful of early landslides.

However, their bowling unit has been in phenomenal form as Kuldeep Yadav has spearheaded the charge with a couple of magical displays and can be a nightmare for the Challengers.

Venue watch:

As the Challengers return to the Wankhede, this will be a batter’s paradise given the unreserved assistance that the surface had on offer for the ones with the willow. It won’t be astonishing if the match produces an aggregate of 400-plus runs with the two teams bragging about some decent firepower in the shed. The team chasing will have an added advantage given the presence of dew, thereby making it a tad bit difficult for the bowlers to grip the ball.

Battles to watch out for:

Faf du Plessis versus David Warner: This is a contest to savor for the ages as a hard-hitting David Warner returned to form in the last game with a high-flying 61 from just 45 balls, whipping out his signature masterclass. Faf du Plessis, on the contrary, has struggled after a fiery start to the tournament. But the reputation that precedes the South African opener is very well suggestive of the fact that he can completely change the complexion of the game if he manages to get going.

Virat Kohli versus Prithvi Shaw: Probably in the highly competitive sphere of international cricket, this rivalry won’t even go past a handful of seconds, but in IPL, Prithvi Shaw is a different incarnation altogether. He is a ferocious striker of the cherry and doesn’t back down from playing his strokes irrespective of the bowler that he is facing. Virat Kohli is undoubtedly one of the finest craftsmen of the art of batting and if he manages to get his eyes in, what awaits the opposition is a splash of torment and agony.

Harshal Patel versus Kuldeep Yadav: The Purple Cap holder of the last edition of the tournament has already made his presence felt in the most blazing livery as he has been a crucial part of the wins that the Royal Challengers have managed to forge. His absence in the preceding game against Chennai Super Kings saw how the Challengers lost steam in the middle overs where he usually comes out to bowl. Kuldeep Yadav has been a tad bit expensive but he has been in the midst of wickets too. He can be a major menace to the Challengers, given the inexplicable nature of his wrist spin that has troubled the batters way too frequently in the past.

Squads:

Royal Challengers Bangalore:

Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Mohammed Siraj, Faf du Plessis, Harshal Patel, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dinesh Karthik, Josh Hazlewood, Shahbaz Ahmed, Anuj Rawat, Akash Deep, Mahipal Lomror, Finn Allen, Sherfane Rutherford, Jason Behrendorff, Suyash Prabhudesai, Chama Milind, Aneeshwar Gautam, Karn Sharma, David Willey, Luvnith Sisodia, Siddharth Kaul.

Delhi Capitals:

Rishabh Pant, Axar Patel, Prithvi Shaw, Anrich Nortje, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Shardul Thakur, Mustafizur Rahman, Kuldeep Yadav, Ashwin Hebbar, Abhishek Sharma, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, KS Bharat, Mandeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Chetan Sakariya, Lalit Yadav, Ripal Patel, Yash Dhull, Rovman Powell, Pravin Dubey, Lungi Ngidi, Vicky Ostwal, Sarfaraz Khan.

Match details:

Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Delhi Capitals

Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

Date: 16th April 2022

Time: 7:30 PM IST