IPL 2022: Match 34 - Predicted Rajasthan Royals Playing XI vs Delhi Capitals

The Rajasthan Royals will be locking horns with Delhi Capitals in Match 34 of IPL 2022 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on April 22. RR will be heading into this clash on the back of a thrilling seven-run win over the Kolkata Knight Riders earlier this week and they would be eyeing yet another victory when they face DC who only got a day’s break after their nine-wicket win against Punjab Kings.

As far as the northern derby is concerned, the Royals would not be looking forward to making any chopping and changes in their playing XI and stick to the winning combination that they had fielded against KKR in their previous fixture. Karun Nair’s performance in the last game was not up to the mark but, the team management would not be benching him instantly without providing some much-needed chances.

Here’s a look at the Rajasthan Royals’ predicted XI against Delhi Capitals:

Openers: Jos Buttler and Devdutt Padikkal

Jos Buttler is in the form of his life in the ongoing IPL 2022. He scored a blistering 103 runs from 61 balls against KKR which was also his second century in the tournament. The rate at which he is going, others are only playing the catch-up game in the Orange Cap list. The Englishman would be expected to come up with yet another match-winning knock on the 22 yards.

Devdutt Padikkal has been a pale shadow of himself this season compared to what he was in the last two editions. The southpaw has only managed 138 runs from six matches averaging 23 and a strike rate of 122.12. The youngster is yet to score a half-century this year and he would be hoping to break the shackles against DC.

Middle-Order: Sanju Samson (c & wk), Karun Nair, Shimron Hetmyer

Skipper Sanju Samson has been decent with the bat so far and scored a vital 19-ball 38 in the last match. He has so far amassed 155 runs from six appearances including one half-century. Samson would be looking to play an impactful knock against the northern rivals and regain his form.

Karun Nair could only manage three runs in the last game but, that was his first game of the season. He would be hoping to make the most of his opportunities against the Capitals. Shimron Hetmyer has been the most consistent middle-order batter for RR this season. The Caribbean power-hitter has scored 223 runs from six outings, averaging 74.33 and a strike rate of 179.84 including a half-century.

All-Rounders: Riyan Parag and Ravichandran Ashwin

Youngster Riyan Parag has been a part of the Rajasthan set-up for a long time. He has the ability to play game-changing knocks in the middle order and can also provide handy breakthroughs with the ball in hand. The emerging talent has so far managed just 48 runs and a solitary scalp.

Ravichandran Ashwin apart from his off-spin can also go berserk lower down the order, especially in the middle and death overs. While he has not been much impressive with the bat this season, the Tamil Nadu cricketer has made the ball do the talking really well. In fact, he had sent an in-from Andre Russell back to the dugout in the last game with a dream delivery.

Bowlers: Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, Obed McCoy, and Yuzvendra Chahal

The Rajasthan bowlers have been working in tandem and are in splendid form at the moment. New Zealand speedster Trent Boult has made a tremendous impact in the wickets column with seven scalps from five matches. Emerging pacer Prasidh Krishna might have finished with figures of 1/43 against KKR but, he got the key wicket of the dangerous Aaron Finch, which was one of the turning points of the match.

Obed McCoy bowled a match-winning final over of the contest against the Kolkata Knight Riders where he held his nerves and accounted for Sheldon Jackson before castling Umesh Yadav to seal the deal for his side. Yuzvendra Chahal, on the other hand, registered a hat-trick as well as a fifer with his Player-of-the-Match performance of 5/40 as a result of which he also occupies the top spot in the Purple Cap list, having registered 17 scalps to his name from six outings.

Here’s the Predicted XI of the Rajasthan Royals:

Jos Buttler, Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson (c & wk), Karun Nair, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, Obed McCoy, Yuzvendra Chahal