The Playoff Showdown: RCB take on Delhi Capitals in a high-stakes encounter

Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals will be keen to secure two points available for taking when they face each other at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. The winner of this fixture will be guaranteed a second-place finish in the competition. Both teams have suffered consecutive defeats and will look to acquire some momentum as the competition nears its end. The resulting margin of the Delhi-Bangalore game also holds massive importance on the back of KKR's resounding victory over Rajasthan Royals.

Qualifying Scenarios for RCB 

If RCB score a specific number of runs and win by a margin of 18 runs or fewer / chase a stipulated target in 18 overs or more - The Royal Challengers will seal the second spot irrespective of NRR and play against Mumbai Indians in the Qualifier 1. Thanks to a comparatively smaller margin, Delhi Capitals will still be ahead of Kolkata Knight Riders in terms of NRR. In this scenario, both the teams will qualify for the playoffs. 

If RCB score a specific number of runs and win by a margin of 19 runs or more / chase a stipulated target within 17.5 overs - RCB will seal the second spot irrespective of NRR, while Delhi Capitals' NRR will take a heavy beating. They will have to wait for the result of the last fixture;  if MI emerge victorious against SRH, DC will then qualify for the playoff. 

If DC score a specific number of runs and win by a margin of 21 runs or fewer / chase a stipulated target in 17.3 overs or more - The Shreyas Iyer-led side will occupy the second spot irrespective of NRR. The relatively narrow margin of defeat will ensure that RCB finishes above KKR due to a superior net run rate.

If Delhi Capitals beat RCB - In this scenario, the Mumbai-Hyderabad game will hold massive relevance in determining the third and fourth positions. If Sunrisers lose to Mumbai Indians, RCB will make it to the playoffs. The third and fourth spot will, however, depend on the margin of Monday's all-important fixture. 

Match Details 

Date: Monday, 2 November

Venue: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Time: 7:30 PM (IST)

Form Guide 

Delhi Capitals: WLLLL

Royal Challengers Bangalore: WWLLL

Challengers to watch out 

Devdutt Padikkal 

Matches: 13 | Runs: 422 | Avg: 32.46 

The southpaw, in only his debut IPL season, has already formed the fulcrum of RCB's top order. His impressive batting statistics so far, along with his acrobatics on the field, shows just how important he will be for us in the longer run. His early steadying starts have been vital for the team. Come Monday, RCB will want him to continue his rich vein run of form against DC on Monday. 

Yuzvendra Chahal 

Matches: 13 | Wickets:20 | Avg: 17.63

An astute spinner who can give any batsman a run for his money, Yuzi has always been amongst the wickets irrespective of the nature of the track. The wily leggie, with immense control and precision, has been successful in tightening things up in the middle overs. Yuzvendra Chahal will definitely hold the key with the ball for RCB on Monday. 

The batting maestros - Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers 

It is always a visual delight to watch the two best stroke makers go about their business in tandem, pummeling the best bowling attacks. Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers have invariably proven themselves substantial to RCB's success. With scores of 18*,50, 9, and 7 in the previous four matches, the skipper will be keen to dictate terms against Delhi bowling line-up. AB de Villiers, on the other hand, will look to materialise good starts into substantial scores. 

Squads 

RCB: Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Devdutt Padikkal, Gurkeerat Singh, Moeen Ali, Mohammed Siraj, Navdeep Saini, Parthiv Patel, Pawan Negi, Shivam Dube, Umesh Yadav, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Aaron Finch, Chris Morris, Dale Steyn, Isuru Udana, Joshua Philippe, Pavan Deshpande, Shahbaz Ahmed, Adam Zampa. 

DC: Shreyas Iyer, Prithvi Shaw, Ajinkya Rahane, Shikhar Dhawan, Anrich Nortje, Praveen Dubey, Avesh Khan, Sandeep Lamichhane, Kagiso Rabada, Keemo Paul, Mohit Sharma, Lalit Yadav, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, Ravi Ashwin, Marcus Stoinis, Daniel Sams, Rishabh Pant, Alex Carey, Shimron Hetmyer and Tushar Deshpande