Bangalore up against formidable Delhi
AHMEDABAD: Having suffered its first defeat of the season, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will have to be back to its best when it faces a formidable Delhi Capitals (DC) in an IPL 2021 fixture here on Tuesday.
Both teams have won four league games so far, but come into the match on the back of contrasting results. While Bangalore was crushed by table-topper Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Mumbai, Delhi edged out Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in a Super Over in Chennai.
If Virat Kohli-led RCB is to return to winning ways, it will have to address its middle-order woes. The trio of Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers and Washington Sundar would be keen to fire in unison and make the most of the foundation laid by the openers.
Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal have more often than not given good starts, with the right-left combination hoping to deliver at the top once again.
The Bangalore bowlers, especially Harshal Patel, will have to forget the hammering they received in the last game. The bowling attack, comprising Mohammed Siraj, Kyle Jamieson, Yuzvendra Chahal and Washington besides Harshal, will look to step up in its first match in Ahmedabad. RCB’s rival Delhi is on a roll, having won its last three fixtures.
Its openers Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw are in good touch, making full use of the powerplay overs in the initial stage of IPL 2021. The pair would aim to carry forward the fine form, while Steve Smith and captain Rishabh Pant will look to score big.
Overseas recruits Marcus Stoinis and Shimron Hetmyer are likely to take up the big-hitting duty at the death overs. In the bowling department, Delhi will miss the services of off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who has left the team to support his family in the fight against COVID-19.
But, the return of Axar Patel is a positive sign for DC. The left-arm spinner is expected to join forces with leggie Amit Mishra again. Pacers Kagiso Rabada and Avesh Khan would hope to do the damage in the early overs as well as in the end.