IPL 10, Match 52, DD v RPS Preview: Rising Pune Supergiant a win away from playoffs berth

The Delhi Daredevils will have every opportunity to play the spoilsport for the Rising Pune Supergiant. RPS is set to take on the Daredevils at their den in Feroze Shah Kotla in their next match. The DD camp has nothing to lose as they are already out of contention from the race to the playoffs. On the other hand, RPS are just a win away from confirming their berth for the playoffs this year.

Rising Pune Supergiant are in the top four in the points table and have 16 points to their name. They have picked themselves up really well this season after having seen a midway collapse. They have managed to win 6 out of their last 7 games this season and that speaks volumes about the turnaround that they have had this year. On the other hand, Delhi Daredevils will not do any good to their standings even if they win their remaining fixtures now.

The last time these two sides met in the tournament at the MCA Stadium in Pune, DD had managed to embarrass RPS. They had inflicted a heavy 97 run defeat on the hosts back then. It was a sublime ton from Sanju Samson that had set the tone for the 200-plus total for the Daredevils. In the run chase, RPS batters surrendered meekly to get bowled out for a mere 108.

It will be interesting to see whether RPS returns the favor in the reverse fixture or not.

Toss: Delhi Daredevils have won the toss and have opted to bat

Quotes from the toss:

Steve Smith: Just one change for us as well, Imran Tahir has gone back home, we have a leg-spinner replacement in Adam Zampa. We are looking to be positive, not putting any pressure on ourselves. Looks like a dry wicket, I would have batted first as well, but I ain’t great in reading the wicket.

Zaheer Khan: We will bat first. Looks like a good wicket, want to put some runs on the board. An extra spinner might be handy, so Carlos is out and Nadeem comes in. A win is a win, that’s more important, try and get as high in the table as possible.

Playing XI:

Rising Pune Supergiant: Ajinkya Rahane, Rahul Tripathi, Steven Smith(c), Ben Stokes, MS Dhoni(w), Daniel Christian, Manoj Tiwary, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jaydev Unadkat, Adam Zampa

Delhi Daredevils: Sanju Samson, Karun Nair, Rishabh Pant(w), Shreyas Iyer, Marlon Samuels, Corey Anderson, Shahbaz Nadeem, Pat Cummins, Mohammed Shami, Amit Mishra, Zaheer Khan(c)

Focus will be on

Rishabh Pant

DD star Rishabh Pant has been the talk of the town this season. The way he blasted the Gujarat Lions in the match at Delhi spoke volumes about the talent that he has. Pant has carved a name for himself in the recent times as one of the finest hitters of the cricket ball. However, ever since he hit a 97 against the Lions, the youngsters has failed to score another one to back up that herculean effort. In the previous match against the same opposition, he was seen run out due a lazy brain fade. He would want to cover up for the losses.

Karun Nair

Delhi Daredevils batsman Karun Nair has failed to impress in this season. He got a brisk start in the previous match though. He got off to a start with a couple of exquisite shots coming from his blade. But the Karnataka batsman failed to capitalize on the start that he got. He is certainly due for runs this season. Nair needs to take more responsibility for the team and come up with an improved show to end his lackluster season on a high with a big score to his name.

MS Dhoni

Former RPS skipper MS Dhoni has made it a habit to be in the news in the recent times. Everytime he walks into the park to take on the opposition, there are cameras pointing right at him. He has set very high standards for himself in the world cricket. Needless to say, Dhoni will have the eyes glued to him yet again. Dhoni is on the verge of a new T20 record as well. He needs only two more catches to become the player with most catches in the shortest format of the game.

Team Combinations:

Delhi Daredevils

The Delhi Daredevils are likely to field the same lineup that played against the Gujarat Lions at Kanpur. Carlos Brathwaite was drafted in the side as they had three of their major overseas players leaving the tournament for national duty. Brathwaite did not impress with the bat in the match but is likely to retain his place in the side. The batting order looks good with the top order getting runs this season.

Shreyas Iyer was due for a big score and he covered up for it with a masterly 96 in the last game. Corey Anderson needs to step up to the occasion since the Daredevils do not have the services of Chris Morris anymore. Anderson will have to don the hat of the finisher for the Daredevils. The bowling lineup looks good with Mohammad Shami and Zaheer Khan bowling well up front with Pat Cummins.

Rising Pune Supergiant

The Rising Pune Supergiant are a win away from qualifying for the playoffs. They have been sticking to their winning combination for the last few matches. Hence, it will only come as a surprise if they tinker with the team combinations. At the moment, Ajinkya Rahane and Rahul Tripathi look solid at the top order with Steve Smith and Manoj Tiwary following in.

Ben Stokes and MS Dhoni have been the finishers for the team and have excelled in their respective roles thus far. Jaydev Unadkat has been the unsung hero of the lineup as he has been the key wicket-taker for them in the season. Imran Tahir is the other bowler who has been scalping wickets at will this season. Shardul Thakur and Washington Sundar have played second fiddles to both of them.

StatAttack

1 – Zaheer needs 1 more wicket to complete 100 IPL wickets.

3 – Number of times both teams have faced each other.

16 – Number of runs needed by Sanju Samson to complete 400 runs this season.

47 – Number of needed by Rahul Tripathi to complete 400 runs this season.

114 – Batting strike rate of MS Dhoni in IPL 2017. This is well below his career strike rate that is over 135.