Both RCB and DC have enjoyed a stellar run this season, recording six wins each to occupy the second and third spots on the IPL points table, respectively. With five away wins on the trot, RCB will be eager to continue the momentum and steer clear of their three-way tie with Gujarat Titans and DC on 12 points.
Photo: IANS
Not so long ago, Virat Kohli’s last visit to the Arun Jaitley Stadium created a mayhem, turning a routine Ranji Trophy affair into a celebration. On Sunday, the Delhi boy will be back in action at the same venue, where the Royal Challengers Bengaluru will take on Delhi Capitals with an eye on extend their unbeaten run in IPL 2025.
Both RCB and DC have enjoyed a stellar run this season, recording six wins each to occupy the second and third spots on the IPL points table, respectively. With five away wins on the trot, RCB will be eager to continue the momentum and steer clear of their three-way tie with Gujarat Titans and DC on 12 points.
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Kohli has played his part in all those wins, with five of his six half centuries helping the side cross the line. With 392 runs from nine innings, Kohli is second on the Orange Cap list and he has happy memories at the Kotla, where he has amassed 483 runs in ten innings at an average of 69 in RCB colours.
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Kohli’s IPL form is half the story, as DC can equally boast of KL Rahul, who has been a formidable force in their ranks this season. Putting those doubts over strike rate behind him, Rahul has come up with a renewed T20 batting approach, focussing on boundaries and aggression. Fresh from an unbeaten 57 against his former side LSG, Rahul also delivered a statement performance at the M Chinnaswamy to help DC thrash RCB in their earlier face-off this season.
Like Kohil, Rahul too is the highest scorer for his side so far with 323 runs at a blistering strike rate of 153.80, and his brilliant form has helped DC cope with the absence of the injured Faf du Plessis, who is expected to reach full fitness by now. With Karun Nair, Abishek Porel and Axar Patel all in decent touch, DC have the capability to match RCB’s batting might that comprises the likes of Phil Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, Tim David, Jitesh Sharma along side Kohli.
The match also has another subplot between two of the world’s best quicks — Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc. Both Starc and Hazlewood have been in great form this season, and the batters from either side will be wary of the challenges they could pose.
The spin attack of either side appear a strong unit, with DC boasting the likes of Kuldeep Yadav, Vipraj Nigam and Axar Patel while RCB will bank on the duo of Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma.
While the Kotla wicket has already produced two high-scoring matches so far, the spinners are expected to find purchase if they toss the ball up and manage to turn it. There are also chances of dew and thus the team batting first will need a big total.
With both sides hoping to carry the momentum into the business end of the tournament, a win here could boost their chances for a top-two finish.
Squads:
Delhi Capitals: Abishek Porel, Karun Nair, KL Rahul (wk), Axar Patel (C), Tristan Stubbs, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Donovan Ferreira, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohit Sharma, Mukesh Kumar, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Sameer Rizvi, Darshan Nalkande, Dushmantha Chameera, Tripurana Vijay, Faf du Plessis, T Natarajan, Ajay Jadav Mandal, Manvanth Kumar L, Madhav Tiwari
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar (C), Devdutt Padikkal, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suyash Sharma, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Rasikh Dar Salam, Manoj Bhandage, Jacob Bethell, Swapnil Singh, Liam Livingstone, Nuwan Thushara, Lungi Ngidi, Mohit Rathee, Swastik Chikara, Abhinandan Singh.
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