RCB eye vengeance against DC with top of the table position up for grabs

RCB is all set to avenge their earlier defeat at the hands of Delhi Capitals. With six wins from nine games, they are currently stationed in the third position and if they are able to keep that away record of theirs intact in the ongoing year, then they will have a chance to climb to the top position of the points table momentarily.

It was an extraordinary display of batting flair for the Royal Challengers as Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal spearheaded the charge. Jitesh Sharma came in with a brilliant finish while pairing perfectly with Tim David at the end. The bowlers had a bit of an ordinary day until the death overs when Josh Hazlewood took over the reins in his own hand against the Royals and left the opposition reeling. They will be hopeful of coming up with another special performance against the might of the Capitals.

Delhi has been in fine form this year with six wins from eight games. Despite a defeat against Gujarat Titans in the game prior to their last one, they fought back strongly against Lucknow Super Giants as KL Rahul blasted a vital half-century. Abhishek Porel also chimed in with a crucial fifty to help the Capitals cross the line without any ado at all. With the kind of momentum that these two teams have right now, one can expect this to be a cracker of a contest.

Venue Watch

The surface in Delhi has always been a conducive one for spinners. With the dew factor in the mix, the batters will get assistance in the second half of the contest. However, it is not going to be a free-flowing day out for the batters with the pitch playing the devil. With the kind of batting powerhouses that both the sides are, one can still expect this to be a good-scoring game.

Personal battles to watch out for:

Virat Kohli vs Mitchell Starc

Currently in the second position of the leading run-scorers, Virat Kohli stands tall with 392 runs. In the last four games he has smashed three half-centuries and has been unbeaten in two of them. With the kind of momentum in his sails, he will be the one to lead the RCB battery. Starc was back to his economical best in the last game against Lucknow Super Giants as he conceded only 25 runs while claiming a wicket. Starc’s left arm seam and the lateral drift that he generates with the new ball has been a couple of major factors that has troubled Virat Kohli. The duel between Kohli and Starc will play a critical role in shaping up the fate of this fixture.

Rajat Patidar vs Kuldeep Yadav

Rajat Patidar hasn’t gone big in the last couple of games. He will be hopeful of carving something of substance against Delhi Capitals. With his current struggles in the mix, he will be desperate to take on the spinners and that is what makes this duel with Kuldeep Yadav interesting. The left-arm wrist spinner has done a phenomenal job until now and will be eyeing to show a similar run of form when he locks horns with Rajat.

Josh Hazlewood vs KL Rahul

Hoff led the RCB charge last night against Rajasthan Royals with an incredible 19th over where he just conceded one run and claimed two crucial wickets. Hazlewood’s ability to stay calm under the pump is what makes him an absolute menace. At the other end, KL Rahul has been in decent form and will be a key element of DC when they take on RCB. Hazlewood’s spells with the new ball against Rahul’s watchful batting can definitely be the highlight of the game.

Match detail:

Match: Delhi Capitals vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Venue: Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi

Date: 27th April, 2025

Time: 7:30 PM

Head-to-head:

Matches played: 32

RCB: 19

DC: 12

Squads:

Royal Challengers Bengaluru:

Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar (c), Swastik Chikara, Devdutt Padikkal, Jitesh Sharma, Philip Salt, Manoj Bhandage, Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Liam Livingstone, Romario Shepherd, Jacob Bethell, Swapnil Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Nuwan Thushara, Lungi Ngidi, Yash Dayal, Rasikh Dar Salam, Suyash Sharma, Mohit Rathee, Abhinandan Singh.

Delhi Capitals:

Jake Fraser-McGurk, Faf du Plessis, Abishek Porel, KL Rahul(w), Axar Patel(c), Tristan Stubbs, Ashutosh Sharma, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar, T Natarajan, Karun Nair, Mohit Sharma, Dushmantha Chameera, Ajay Jadav Mandal, Darshan Nalkande, Sameer Rizvi, Donovan Ferreira, Tripurana Vijay, Manvanth Kumar L, Vipraj Nigam, Madhav Tiwari