IPL 2019: Delhi Capitals vs Rajasthan Royals preview: Capitals aim for second place finish

New Delhi, May 3: With their play-off berth sealed, Delhi Capitals will aim for a big win against Rajasthan Royals to enhance their chances for a second-place finish when the two teams clash in their final Indian Premier League (IPL) group match in New Delhi on Saturday (May 4).

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The Capitals will be without key pacer Kagiso Rabada as the South African pacer was ruled out for remainder of the season due to a back niggle.

And Delhi will have a huge void to fill on Saturday (May 4), when they are sure to compete in the Play-offs for the first time in seven years.

🚨 ANNOUNCEMENT 🚨@KagisoRabada25 to miss the rest of our season after being recalled by Cricket SA for precautionary reasons ahead of the World Cup.#ThankYouKagiso #ThisIsNewDelhi #DelhiCapitals pic.twitter.com/eUARj0i2Mv

— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) May 3, 2019

A big win against the Royals will not only boost Delhi's morale after the 80-run hammering at the hands of CSK but it could also propel the side to the second position in the eight-team standings.

Delhi are currently sitting third with 16 points from 13 games, just behind Mumbai Indians (16 points) and table toppers CSK (18 points).

A win against Rajasthan will enhance Delhi's chances of featuring in Qualifier 1, giving them two shots at the May 12 final.

In the absence of Rabada, Delhi's bowling attack looked miserable, but it is the shoddy performance of the batting unit which would be a cause of concern for skipper Shreyas Iyer.

The hustle for our final league game of the season is underway 💪🏻#DCvRR #ThisIsNewDelhi #DelhiCapitals pic.twitter.com/1Gg3ywgNih

— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) May 3, 2019

Chasing CSK's challenging 179 for four, Delhi were shot out for just 99 with only Iyer (44) making a significant contribution.

The likes of Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant and Colin Ingram would like to forget the disastrous outing against CSK and come out afresh in Delhi's last home game.

Rajasthan, on the other hand, are mathematically still alive in the tournament with 11 points from 13 games.

They need to win against Delhi and hope for favourable results from other remaining games to secure a play-off berth as the fourth team.

But a win against Delhi might just not be enough for Rajasthan as it will take them to 13 points, after their last game against Royal Challengers Bangalore was washed away.

7⃣8⃣2⃣ runs and counting against @DelhiCapitals in Vivo @IPL!

And, the last time we played them, @ajinkyarahane88 scored a supreme 💯😍 #HallaBol pic.twitter.com/zWpnl7SVFn

— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) May 3, 2019

With Steve Smith having departed home for World Cup preparations, Ajinkya Rahane will return to captaincy duties. Ashton Turner is expected to replace Smith in the playing eleven.

The departure of Smith, Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes has weakened Rajasthan's batting, putting more responsibility on the shoulders of Rahane, Sanju Samson and Liam Livingstone but the team's bowling unit would be pumped up after the leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal's hat-trick in the rain-truncated match against ECB.

In the last encounter between the two sides last month, it was Delhi Capitals who came out on top in Jaipur by six wickets in a high-scoring affair.

Teams

Delhi Capitals: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Colin Ingram, Keemo Paul, Axar Patel, Rahul Tewatia, Amit Mishra, Ishant Sharma, Hanuma Vihari, Ankush Bains, Chris Morris, Sherfane Rutherford, Jalaj Saxena, Sandeep Lamichhane, Trent Boult, Avesh Khan, Nathu Singh, Bandaru Ayyappa, Colin Munro, Manjot Kalra.

Rajasthan Royals: Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Ashton Turner, Ish Sodhi, Oshane Thomas, Liam Livingstone, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Shubham Ranjane, Stuart Binny, Shreyas Gopal, Sudhesan Midhun, Jaydev Unadkat, Prashant Chopra, Mahipal Lomror, Aryaman Birla, Riyan Parag, Dhawal Kulkarni, Krishnappa Gowtham, Varun Aaron, Shashank Singh, Manan Vohra, Rahul Tripathi.

Match starts at 4 PM IST

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