IPL 2021: Match 7, RR vs DC Match Prediction – Who will win today’s match?

Preview

Delhi Capitals (DC), the 2020 runners-up, made a stupendous start to the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The team, led by Rishabh Pant, decimated the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by seven wickets at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai after chasing down 189 runs.

Their next match is against the Sanju Samson-led Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Thursday, April 15 at the same venue. On the head-to-head count, both teams are locked on 11 wins each. The only time the teams met in Mumbai, the Royals managed to come out trumps.

But going into the next game, RR have been dealt with a body blow as their star all-rounder Ben Stokes has been ruled out due to a broken finger. The Royals would also need to sort their batting out if they have to avoid losing back-to-back matches.

Match Details

Match – Rajasthan Royals vs Delhi Capitals – 7th match

Venue – Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

Time – 7:30 PM IST, 02:00 PM GMT

Where to watch live – Star Sports Network, Hotstar

Pitch Report

The pitch at the Wankhede Stadium has been an absolute belter for batting. Bowlers haven’t had much to cheer about while bowling on the batting paradise. The track isn’t expected to change in nature and batting second should be the way forward. The temperature would around the 30 degrees Celsius mark. The conditions would be clear with no chances of a downpour.

Avg first innings score:  182 (Last 9 IPL T20s at the Wankhede)

Record of chasing teams: Won – 5, Lost – 3, Tied – 1

Probable Playing XIs:

Rajasthan Royals

Jos Buttler, Manan Vohra, Sanju Samson (c & wk), Shivam Dube, Liam Livingstone/David Miller, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Chris Morris, Shreyas Gopal, Chetan Sakariya, Mustafizur Rahman

Bench: Liam Livingstone/David Miller, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Mahipal Lomror, Jaydev Unadkat, Andrew Tye, Anuj Rawat, Akash Singh, Jofra Archer, KC Cariappa, Mayank Markande, Kuldip Yadav, Kartik Tyagi

Delhi Capitals

Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Marcus Stoinis, Shimron Hetmyer, Chris Woakes, Ravichandran Ashwin, Tom Curran, Amit Mishra, Avesh Khan

Bench:  Chris Woakes, Tom Curran, Praveen Dubey, Lukman Meriwala, Axar Patel, Ripal Patel, Manimaran Siddharth, Vishnu Vinod, Lalit Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Steve Smith

Head-to-Head

Overall

Played – 22 | Rajasthan Royals– 11 | Delhi Capitals – 11 |N/R – 0

At neutral venues

Played – 8 | Rajasthan Royals – 4 | Delhi Capitals – 4 |N/R – 0

Probable best batsman of the match

Shikhar Dhawan- Delhi Capitals

Shikhar Dhawan has a decent record against the Royals. In 19 matches, the left-hander has scored 547 runs at an average and strike rate of 32.18 and 130.24 respectively. The southpaw has also scored six half-centuries with a top score of an unbeaten 78. Also, the fact that he scored an unbeaten 54-ball 85 against the Super Kings should keep him in pretty good stead.

Probable best bowler of the match

Mustafizur Rahman– Rajasthan Royals

Mustafizur Rahman, on his IPL return, didn’t have a great outing as far as numbers are concerned. In four overs, the Bangladesh pacer went for 45 runs and couldn’t get a wicket. But he could have easily gotten two and missed out due to an error of judgment in taking a DRS and a dropped catch. The Satkhira-born would again be expected to lead the bowling attack for RR.

Today’s match prediction: Delhi to win the match.

Scenario 1

Toss: Rajasthan win the toss and bowl

Powerplay score – 60-65

First innings score – 200-220

Result – Delhi win the match

Scenario 2

Toss – Delhi win the toss and bowl

Powerplay score – 55-60

First innings score – 185-205

Result – Delhi win the match

Disclaimer: This prediction is based on the understanding, analysis, and instinct of the author. While making your prediction, consider the points mentioned, and make your own decision.