FANTASY
Follow UsA herculean effort by Kartik Tyagi in Rajasthan Royals first match after resumption fetched the two important points. However, they will be up against a romping Delhi Capitals team in the 36th encounter of IPL 2021. Delhi are topping the points table with 14 points and are almost through to the play-offs, a win against Rajasthan will probably ensure a spot. On the other hand, for Rajasthan, every match is vital. With eight points and a net run rate of -0.154, they are presently at number five.
In terms of head-to-head record, Delhi are slightly behind with a win percentage of 47.8 percent in 23 matches against each other. But, in the last five matches, the Delhi based franchise have walked with authority against Rajasthan. They have won four out of the five. The only thing that has been in favor of Rajasthan is that they won the reverse leg against Delhi.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Overall: Matches – 23 | DC – 11 wins | RR – 12 wins
Last five matches: DC – 4 wins | RR – 1 win
SUGGESTED TEAM
While you could go for the above team, you also have the option of choosing your own team from Cricket.com’s Fantasy Research Centre. You can use this tool to build your team with the help of algorithms. Based on your preferences, the platform will guide you to create the ideal fantasy XI.
GROUND DETAILS
The Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi has seen two matches this season and in both the matches batting in the first innings has been a difficult feat. In the first match, Royal Challengers Bangalore were dismissed for 92 in the first innings and Mumbai Indians scored 155 in the previous match. On an average 124 runs have been scored in the first innings this season. Whereas, In the last 10 IPL matches in Abu Dhabi, the average score has been around 161. Teams batting second have won eight of the last 10 matches.
Just like the other venues in UAE, the spinners had to toil around for wickets. In the last 10 matches, spinners have bagged 28.4 percent of the wickets at a balls/wicket ratio of 33.8 as compared to 71.6 percent at 19.8 by pacers. In the two matches this season, it hasn’t changed.
SUGGESTED CAPTAIN
Yet another season of IPL and Shikhar Dhawan is once again among the 400+ runs scorers. This is the sixth consecutive season where he has scored 400+ runs, that’s a testimony of his consistency. With 422 runs in IPL 2021, Dhawan is at the top of the runs scorers list. The current Orange Cap holder is undeniably our choice of captain.
Our Criclytics Player Projector predicts, Dhawan could score 25-37 runs against Rajasthan
X-FACTORS
Liam Livingstone showed a glimpse of hitting power before he was dismissed via a stunning catch by Fabian Allen in the first match for Rajasthan in their resumption. The right-handed middle order batsman has hit 1238 runs at a strike rate of 157.5 in T20s in 2021. With a record of that kind, no wonder he is one of the X-factors.
Our Criclytics Player Projector predicts, Livingstone could score 22-32 runs against Delhi
The deadly pace duo of Delhi is back as Anrich Nortje who missed the first half made a strong presence in the first match. His raw pace was too much to handle for the Hyderabad batsmen. He picked up two vital wickets in their win against the Hyderabad team. With 24 wickets in UAE, the pacer is one of the must haves in the fantasy team.
Our Criclytics Player Projector predicts, Nortje would pick up 1-2 wickets against Rajasthan
Along with Nortje, Kagiso Rabada as well seems to have found his mojo back. After a pale first half of the IPL 2021, Rabada roared back with three wickets in the first match after resumption. In both India and UAE, Rabada has a good record, but he has a better record in UAE when speaking about balls/wicket. He has bagged a wicket every 14.5 balls in India as compared to 12.7 in UAE. The deadly pace duo of Delhi are must haves.
Our Criclytics Player Projector predicts, Rabada could pick 0-1 wickets against Rajasthan