With seven wins in nine matches so far, Delhi Capitals (DC) are placed second in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 table for the time being. Their latest test comes in the form of a rejuvenated Rajasthan Royals (RR) captained by Sanju Samson. While DC registered a comfortable eight-wicket win with 13 balls to spare against a struggling SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) side, RR escaped with a narrow win over Punjab Kings (PBKS) by just two runs. Both captains will be hoping to put a stamp of authority on the match early on in order to dictate terms going deeper into the game.
Individual performances and a gritty team effort helped both teams cross the line for a win in their respective previous games.
DC rode on the brilliance of the evergreen Shikhar Dhawan, who made a fine 42 while Shreyas Iyer announced his arrival back to the side after injury in supreme fashion, scoring a masterful 47 to help his team overhaul the 135-run target.
Pacers Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje broke the backbone of SRH in the initial overs and then came back to restrict the opposition in the death overs.
Nortje received the man-of-the-match award for his spell of two wickets for 12 runs in four overs. Rabada claimed three wickets.
RR, on the other hand, needed the help of youngsters such as Yashasvi Jaiswal and Kartik Tyagi in order to claim a win. They are currently placed fifth in the points table with four wins and four losses in eight games so far.