RCB return home with reignited passion as DC challenge awaits

RCB returned to winning ways at the expense of Mumbai Indians in their last game, rekindling the early momentum that they ascertained at the start of the tournament. They are all set to roll again against the undefeated Delhi Capitals, who will hope to rain on their parade in Chinnaswamy.

The top-order that faltered against GT was back to their scintillating best against Mumbai. Despite Phil Salt stuttering, the remainder of the batting force lit up to their mightiest and were soon seen unleashing the Red and Gold fury upon Wankhede. The bowlers came up with a solidified and calculated approach that saw edging past the five-time champions in the latter’s backyard.

Delhi Capitals have savoured a great start to the tournament with three wins from the first three games. They started the tournament with a high-octane run-chase against LSG followed by a comfortable win against SRH. CSK were no match for DC’s sparkling brilliance as the winning juggernaut rolled its wheels forward. With the current momentum that both the sides have in their sails for now, one can expect a full-blown thriller in the making.

Venue Watch

Chinnaswamy has always come up with a batting friendly track and that is exactly what sets the tone of the upcoming game. With the presence of a glut of hard-hitters in the mix, one might expect the ball to fly frequently. The smaller size of the boundaries can make this an even greater threat to the bowlers. The bounce would be true enough for the batters to go forth with their shots. Apart from the movement with the new ball, the remainder of the innings should play to the strength of the batters.

Personal battles to watch out for:

Virat Kohli vs Mitchell Starc

Virat Kohli was back to form in the last game, toying with the Mumbai bowlers. His impeccable temperament and his knack of placing the innings to perfection will be key when he goes up against the Aussie stalwart, Mitchell Starc. The left-arm seamer can get the ball to drift both ways and the menacing inswinger has always been the one to look forward to. Virat’s cover drive, if timed to perfection will be the perfect answer to Starc’s inswingers. It is going to be fascinating to see how the two throw in the stardust in the boiling cauldron of excitement.

Rajat Patidar vs Kuldeep Yadav

It goes without saying that Rajat Patidar’s effortless brilliance against spin will make him a favourite to spoil Delhi’s turning party. However, Kuldeep’s mystery balls won’t make life easy for the RCB skipper. The kind of form that he has so far shown in the ongoing IPL will provide a massive boost in confidence for the right-hander. However, Kuldeep has been at the top of his game too and that is exactly what makes this a duel to watch out for.

Josh Hazlewood vs KL Rahul

Hoff has proven to be expensive in the last couple of games but his knack for wickets still makes him a formidable force in the bowling echelons of RCB. With the new ball, he poses a significant threat and he will like to move with the same verve and vigour when he goes up against the mighty Rahul. Rahul, coming on the back of a knock rife with some terrific batting and also a great run since the Border-Gavaskar Trophy will be eyeing to go big after the Bendemeer Bullet.

Match detail:

Match: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Delhi Capitals

Venue: Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru

Date: 10th April, 2025

Time: 7:30 PM

Head-to-head:

Matches played: 31

RCB: 19

DC: 11

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