The race for the playoffs in the Indian Premier League continues on Tuesday when the latter stages of the IPL 2024 season begins for the Delhi Capitals and the Rajasthan Royals when they do battle in a key game at the top of the table.
Rajasthan Royals will need a very poor turn of events for them not to be involved in the playoffs so they are chasing a lofty position in the table. Delhi will move level on points with the top four with a win here but defeat could end their campaign from a competitive standpoint.
Delhi Capitals
The Delhi Capitals have won two of their three matches in Delhi this season and if they are going to make it through to the postseason then you would imagine they are going to have to win the two which remain, especially the second of those against the Lucknow Super Giants who are one of the teams they can still catch. The Delhi batters have really come to the party on this ground and if they have two more exceptional displays in them then the Capitals could be well placed.
The doubts over this side revolve around the bowling department and if they are slightly off they can go around the park and with their run rate already negative they can barely afford another defeat if they are going to stay alive but they certainly can’t afford a heavy loss. That bowling unit is really going to need to improve if Delhi are to make the top four but with scores beginning to slow down a touch in this competition there is still a chance that will happen.
Rajasthan Royals
The Rajasthan Royals have probably been the best team in the competition so far but they have been overtaken at the top of the table now. They have the chance to restore top spot with a win here but it would be much more important to them to cement second spot and they will be right on the edge of securing that if they come out on top here. With four games left, two of which are at home, albeit a temporary home in Guwahati, they are in a good spot to sew up two chances of making the final.
Rajasthan have been good with the bat this season but they probably aren’t getting the plaudits that some of the teams are with regards to their batting because their bowling has been so good and so effective that their batting hasn’t had to hit the heights that some of the teams in the competition have done. Rajasthan aren’t fighting at the top of the table purely because of the quality of their bowling attack but they are a large reason why they are there.
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Key Players
There is a clear narrative in this match around the two captains and wicket-keepers and Rishabh Pant has the chance to showcase why he should be the Indian keeper when the World Cup comes along next month. His team need a big match from him.
There is a case to be made that Sanju Samson is currently in possession of that spot and the Rajasthan skipper gets the chance to show why he should be there when the World Cup comes along. He might not be as explosive as Pant but he can go bigger than him.
Betting
The Rajasthan Royals have already beaten the Delhi Capitals this season even though they got themselves into a bit of a hole at 36/3 but that was probably the time before Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal really clicked into gear in this competition. Both have hit their strides in recent times and that has to be a boost for the Royals and as such I think they’ll complete the double over Delhi Capitals. To be fair, Delhi have caught fire since then but I think they are a bad matchup to this Rajasthan side.
You get the feeling that if Delhi are going to win matches they have to get off to decent starts with the bat but not many have taken Trent Boult and Sandeep Sharma down this season and if they can get rid of Jake Fraser-McGurk and get the Capitals on the back foot then Rajasthan would be ahead of the game. The other area where Delhi match up badly is at the end of their bowling innings and if they get it wrong to the likes of Shimron Hetmyer or Rovman Powell they will know about it. 4/5 isn’t a massive price on Rajasthan but I think they win and it is acceptable enough for a punt here.
Tips
Back Rajasthan Royals to beat Delhi Capitals for a 3/10 stake at 1.80 with William Hill
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