By Shubhayan Chakraborty
Overview
The second weekend of the 2023 Indian Premier League sees the Rajasthan Royals take on the Delhi Capitals at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati. After starting with a crushing win against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rajasthan suffered a five-run loss to Punjab Kings despite scoring 192 runs. However, the potential absence of Jos Buttler, their star batter, due to a finger injury is a concern, as Rajasthan lost five out of seven games without him in 2021.
On the other hand, Delhi Capitals are still searching for their first win of the tournament after being defeated by Gujarat Titans. Their batting line-up has struggled, particularly Prithvi Shaw and Mitchell Marsh, while Sarfaraz Khan’s slow scoring rate during the middle overs has also been an issue. Marsh’s absence for the upcoming week – he has gone back to Australia to get married – further complicates their selection.
However, the presence David Warner, their captain, at the top of the order could be beneficial on a faster pitch. Anrich Nortje, their premier pacer, will need to be careful when bowling to Shimron Hetmyer, who is skilled at working away faster deliveries.
The match should be full of runs, thanks to the efforts of the Guwahati curator, who has produced a pitch conducive to high-scoring matches. If Buttler does indeed miss out, Rajasthan will look to Yashasvi Jaiswal to step up and contribute to the team’s success. As for Delhi Capitals, they would hope that Shaw gets back his scoring rhythm. Shaw will have the unenviable task of fronting up to Trent Boult, whose record against him in the IPL reads: 3 for 28 from 25 balls bowled.
In both their matches this season, Sanju Samson, Rajasthan’s captain and wicketkeeper, and Warner have scored the highest runs for their teams. Samson has a remarkable record against Delhi’s Khaleel Ahmed, scoring 56 runs from 28 balls without being dismissed. Meanwhile, Warner has never been dismissed by Trent Boult in a T20 franchise match and has scored 44 runs from 36 balls against him. Both the skippers will be key for their respective sides, especially when some of the other key batters are struggling to find their rhythm.
Venue and Time
Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati, 3:30 PM IST.
Toss and expected conditions
While the pitch in Guwahati looked like a belter in the previous game, the scenario could be slightly different as this particular match will be an afternoon encounter. The spinners will look to extract extra turn in hot and humid conditions. Having said that, anything below 180 would be difficult to defend. Interestingly, nine of the 11 first-innings scores greater than 160 runs in Rajasthan-Delhi games have been successfully defended. More interestingly, the last ten matches were won by the team that struck more sixes.
Head-to-Head
Overall, the two teams are tied at 13 wins apiece, but Delhi have won seven out of their last nine encounters.
Possible XIs and Impact Player Watch
If Buttler is unable to play because of stitches on his webbing, then Joe Root could be in line to make his Rajasthan Royals debut. Dhruv Jurel, who made a cracking impression after coming on as an impact player in the previous game could be played in his accustomed slot – opener – with Adam Zampa also a good option to bolster the already potent spin attack.
For Delhi Capitals, Rilee Rossouw should keep his place, with Rovman Powell, the West Indies all-rounder, coming in for Marsh.
Likely XIs
Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Joe Root, Sanju Samson (C, WK), Devdutt Padikkal, Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, KM Asif, Yuzvendra Chahal.
Delhi Capitals: Prithvi Shaw, David Warner (C), Rilee Rossouw, Sarfaraz Khan, Rovman Powell, Axar Patel, Abishek Porel (WK), Aman Hakim Khan, Kuldeep Yadav, Anrich Nortje, Mukesh Kumar.
Impact Player
Rajasthan Royals could very well use Dhruv Jurel as an impact player again if they are chasing, or either of Navdeep Saini or KC Cariappa if defending a total.
With DC’s batting struggling to find form, it won’t be a surprise if they unleash Manish Pandey or Lalit Yadav, the all-rounder, as an impact player.