Last Updated on 4 weeks by Charbel Coorey

IPL 2020 Match 30: DC vs RR Preview Dream11 Possible Playing 11 Pitch Report | DC vs RR Dream11 Prediction Today | Delhi Capitals vs Rajasthan Royals Key Players | Dubai Pitch Report

Five days ago, Delhi Capitals defeated Rajasthan Royals convincingly at Sharjah, further enhancing their IPL 2020 Title credentials. However, DC have faced some challenges since, with the injury to Rishabh Pant and loss to now competition leaders Mumbai Indians. The Royals, on the other hand, pulled off a heist against SRH, thanks to Rahul Tewatia and Riyan Parag.

So, it will be interesting to see how this game pans out. In a game where the Capitals look to have plenty of accumulators in their batting lineup but a strong bowling attack, the onus is on the Royals’ bowlers to limit the boundaries and the top order to improve significantly on their poor showings in recent times.

Key Players to Watch/Key Stats

• Ajinkya Rahane, who came into the DC team last game for the first time, comes up against his former franchise today. Rahane performed brilliantly when he played for RR vs DC (12 inns, 601 runs, avg. 75.13, SR 136.28). So, can he do the same for DC against RR this time around?
• Jos Buttler, apart from an excellent knock from MI, has had a quiet tournament to date. Can he deliver today against a team he has a decent record against? (6 inns, 157 runs, avg. 31.40, SR 184.71).
• Similar to Buttler, Shreyas Iyer has played one magnificent knock (88*) and has only threatened to go big in the others. He has the most runs for DC this season (245), but can he improve on his record vs RR? (7 inns, 140 runs. avg. 23.33).
• Prithvi Shaw is next-highest for DC in IPL 2020 with 202 runs. However, two fifties this season at an overall average of 28 suggests that Shaw will be mighty dangerous, provided he can get through the powerplay. His record vs RR: 4 inns, 116 runs, avg. 29, SR 141.46.
• Shikhar Dhawan was back in the runs last time out, batting the entire innings vs MI (69*). With Rishabh Pant out for a week, DC will need Dhawan to play anchor again. In 18 inns vs RR, Dhawan has struck 490 runs at an average of 30.63 (126.61).
• Is this the day where Steve Smith fires? The RR captain and magnificent batsman has hit just 43 runs in his last five knocks after two consecutive half-centuries to start the season. He has a solid record thus far vs DC, so today could be the day where he’s back in the runs: 6 inns, 173 runs, avg. 43.25, SR 155.86.
• When DC played RR earlier in the season, Marcus Stoinis played a key role in resurrecting a flailing DC innings (39 off 30 balls). Stoinis is having a strong season so far (SR 175), and will be crucial in the absence of Pant.
• What more can be said about Rahul Tewatia? He is arugably the biggest surprise packet of IPL 2020, as his efforts with the bat have led to two of RR’s three wins. His batting stats in IPL 2020: 7 inns, 189 runs, avg. 37.80, SR 152.41. Also, Tewatia was RR’s top run-scorer last week vs DC (38 off 29 balls).
• Kagiso Rabada has taken at least two wickets in 13 of his last 14 IPL matches. His numbers since the beginning of 2019 are extraordinary (42 wickets in 19 matches). Rabada took 3/35 vs RR last week. His South African pace partner, Anrich Nortje, took 1/25 vs Royals and has eight wickets in seven games in 2020.
• Ravichandran Ashwin was player of the match when these two teams met at Sharjah last week (2/22). Ashwin has 15 wickets in 15 matches vs RR, and will be key as the UAE pitches continue to slow down.
• Axar Patel has also been superb, giving DC excellent spin depth even with the loss of Amit Mishra. Patel’s economy rate of 5.05 in six games has been of huge benefit to DC, and has taken four wickets in his past three games (incl. 1/8 in 2 overs vs RR at Sharjah).
• Jofra Archer has been superb in IPL 2020. He has taken at least one wicket in each of his last six matches (total eight wickets), including 3/24 against DC last week. Also, his economy rate of 6.82 in IPL 2020 has been a huge positive for RR.
• Eyes will be on Shreyas Gopal, who is having an under-par tournament to date (four wickets in seven matches, avg. 58, econ. 9). However, his record vs DC (five wickets in four games) and the slower Dubai pitch makes Gopal one to watch.

Stats and Facts

• Head-to-head: Matches 21, DC 10, RR 11.
• Shreyas Gopal possesses a good record against players in the DC top order. Gopal has dismissed Prithvi Shaw in both games he’s bowled to him (avg. 7). Shreyas Iyer has been dismissed by Gopal twice in four innings, averaging just 8.5.
• Delhi Capitals have taken a total of 51 wickets at an average of 21.6 and an economy of 7.9, which is the best of any team in IPL 2020. In contrast, Rajasthan Royals have taken 32 wickets at an average of 40.3 and economy of 9.3, which is the worst in the league.
• Can Sanju Samson rediscover his early season form? He will have to step up against a team he has a poor record against: 8 inns, 135 runs, avg. 16.88, SR 123.85.
• Kagiso Rabada needs two wickets to reach 50 in IPL. This will be his 26th match. Extraordinary numbers.
• Steve Smith needs 73 to reach 1,000 runs for the Royals in IPL.

Possible Playing 11

Delhi Capitals have their injury concerns (i.e. Pant), which gives the feeling that their XI has one accumulator too many. This was the case against Mumbai Indians, so the top order needs to set a strong platform, with at least one or two upping their strike rates. Also, Marcus Stoinis and Alex Carey will be key as the finishers.

Delhi Capitals: 1. Prithvi Shaw, 2. Shikhar Dhawan, 3. Ajinkya Rahane, 4. Shreyas Iyer (c), 5. Marcus Stoinis, 6. Alex Carey (wk), 7. Harshal Patel, 8. Axar Patel, 9. R Ashwin, 10. Kagiso Rabada 11. Anrich Nortje

Rajasthan Royals will be hoping for a big performance from their top order, given the capabilities of Rahul Tewatia down the order. Ben Stokes opened the batting for them against SRH, and it will be interesting to see if that happens again. It could, given the desire for a left-right combination.

Rajasthan Royals: 1. Jos Buttler (wk), 2. Ben Stokes, 3. Steven Smith (c), 4. Sanju Samson, 5. Robin Uthappa/Yashasvi Jaiswal, 6. Riyan Parag, 7. Rahul Tewatia, 8. Jofra Archer, 9. Shreyas Gopal, 10. Kartik Tyagi, 11. Jaydev Unadkat

Dubai Pitch and Weather Report

Teams batting first have won 11 of 13 matches at Dubai in IPL 2020, and this could continue as the pitch shows more signs of slowing down. However, Rajasthan Royals showed that they can chase on this ground, pulling off an excellent run-chase against SRH on Sunday.

Batting first, though, remains a good strategy, particularly given both sides will bank on their spinners doing well.

Dream11 Prediction

Option 1:

Option 2:

Match Prediction

Rajasthan Royals have a great chance of winning this match, particularly if they bat first. However, Delhi Capital’s strong bowling attack gives them the edge, which puts the onus on RR’s up-and-down top order to perform. This one could go down to the wire.

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