Momentum. A word found in physics textbooks has been used more than many others in cricket, T20 cricket specifically, in the past decade or more. At present, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have momentum in abundance as they gear up to face Delhi Capitals (DC) in a crucial IPL 2024 match at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday.
An underwhelming start to the season has been succeeded by a juggernaut of wins, four in a row, which has kept them in contention for the Playoffs, albeit in the hope of other results going their way. The bowling, more than the batting, has played a bigger role in this change of fortunes. Mohammed Siraj has found the extra zip with the white orb, claiming seven wickets in his last five matches.
Yash Dayal has offered better control than before and taken some key wickets along the way. The duo of Swapnil Singh and Karn Sharma have offered the spin-bowling support- considered the Achilles heel of the franchise at the start of the tournament.
The batting has been led by the player whom the fans adore more than any other. This is not the Virat Kohli of 2016, far from it, but the seasoned batter has been the batting lynchpin with 634 runs in 12 matches at a strike rate of 153.51 and received crucial help at various stages from Rajat Patidar, Will Jacks and Dinesh Karthik.
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DC, who currently have 12 points in the same number of matches, will head into the fixture without captain Rishabh Pant, who was fined and suspended for one game for a third over-rate offence for the season.
At the pre-match press conference on Saturday, head coach Ricky Ponting confirmed that Axar Patel will lead the side and it remains to be seen how DC go about finding the best possible combination to beat RCB and get the two points.
The start of DC’s campaign mirrored that of RCB’s, but key changes to personnel have helped them find the desired results, the most crucial of which has been the introduction of Jake Fraser-McGurk.
The IPL is littered with examples of how players brought in due to injuries to others have grabbed the opportunity with both hands. Fraser-McGurk- brought in for Lungi Ngidi- is another addition to that list, with 309 runs in seven matches at an eye-popping strike rate of 235.87.
He has been supported by Tristan Stubbs (318 runs in 12 matches at a strike rate of 188.16) and Pant (413 runs in 12 matches at a strike rate of 156.43). DC have also been helped by sparkling, yet sporadic, performances by Abishek Porel, who did not seem like a certain starter when the competition began but could take up the gloves in Pant’s absence on Sunday.
Mukesh Kumar leads DC’s bowling charts with 15 wickets in eight matches, but those scalps have come at an economy rate of nearly 11 runs per over. Khaleel Ahmed has taken one wicket less than Mukesh, but those returns have come at an economy rate of 9.68.
The standout performer with the ball for DC has been Kuldeep Yadav with 14 wickets in nine matches and his left-arm wrist spin will hold the key in the middle phase of the innings.
DC sit above RCB in the points table and a win would give them the edge in the Playoff qualification race. But they will know that in front of a fanatic crowd and an opposition that has hit form at the backend of the tournament, it would take all the forces coming together for them to get the desired two points on Sunday.
What: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Delhi Capitals, Match 62, Indian Premier League 2024
When: May 12, 2024, 7:30 PM IST
Where: M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.
Royal Challengers Bangalore
After several unsuccessful combinations, RCB seem to have found the XI that can deliver results consistently and will rely on the same group of players to keep their Playoff qualification chances alive. RCB opted to skip practice ahead of the fixture on Sunday.
Likely playing XI: Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis (c), Will Jacks, Rajat Patidar, Mahipal Lomror, Cameron Green, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Swapnil Singh, Karn Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Lockie Ferguson.
Delhi Capitals
DC will come into the contest after beating arguably the most complete side in the competition, Rajasthan Royals. But the absence of Pant means they will need to alter their combination by bringing an Indian batter to their side or changing their overseas combination.
David Warner had a hit at the nets on Saturday and it will be interesting to see if DC opt for his experience on Sunday.
Likely playing XI: David Warner, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Abishek Porel, Shai Hope, Tristan Stubbs, Ricky Bhui, Axar Patel (captain), Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed.
QUOTE UNQUOTE
“David Warner missed the last game, he got that nasty knock on his hand about a month ago now and hasn’t played a game since. He trained really strongly yesterday, he’ll be out hitting balls in the middle now, so he’ll be doing some more batting today. Hopefully, he’s available for selection for tomorrow.”- Ricky Ponting on David Warner’s availability for the RCB match.
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