What

The Delhi Daredevils and Royal Challengers Bangalore will draw the curtains on the league season of the VIVO IPL 2017

Both DD & RCB cannot make it to the playoffs and irrespective of the outcome of this match, there will be no change in where they finish in the standings. Even if they win, DD will remain sixth in the eight-team table, while even a victory cannot lift RCB from the floor. DD are on some kind of a roll having won their last couple of matches, and will want to finish off on a happy note in front of their home crowd, while RCB, who haven’t won since April 18 and are returning to the park after a six-day break, will want to finish the season in better spirits.

When

14 May 2017, 2000 Hrs IST

Where

Feroz Shah Kotla Ground, Delhi

The Protagonists

Sanju Samson and Rishabh Pant will want to sign off by leaving a lasting impression. The performance of both youngsters somewhat mirrors that of their team; they have blown hot and cold, and so has their team.

The fierce competitor that he is, Virat Kohli will be at the centre of RCB’s batting plans; there is no denying that the RCB skipper will be hurting from the team’s poor showing this season, and he will want to give the team’s loyal supporters – and his home crowd – something to cheer. In the absence of AB de Villiers, one could expect Chris Gayle to return to the RCB XI; look out for the big Jamaican, who could send a few balls flying out of the small boundaries at the Feroz Shah Kotla.

Match within the match
Chris Gayle against Zaheer Khan should be exciting; the latter has a happy knack of dismissing left-handers, and he has had plenty of success against Gayle in the past.

In all his 9 visits to the crease this season, Virat Kohli has been dismissed by quick bowlers. Up against him in this match are two outstanding bowlers – Zaheer Khan and Pat Cummins. The contest between the RCB captain and the two DD quicks should be interesting to watch.

Head to Head

Overall: Matches played – 18, DD Won – 6, RCB Won – 11, No Result – 1

Since 2011: Matches played – 12, DD Won – 1, RCB Won – 10, No Result – 1

Trivia

If he takes the field, Zaheer Khan will be playing his 100th IPL match.

The current 6-match losing streak is Royal Challengers Bangalore’s longest losing streak in the IPL.

The average first innings total in VIVO IPL 2017 matches at the Feroz Shah Kotla is 188.

The last time, before VIVO IPL 2017, that the Delhi Daredevils won 4 or more matches at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground in a season was in 2012.

Virat Kohli averages 92.33 in six IPL matches at the Feroz Shah Kotla.

There are 7 players in the DD squad who are yet to get a game this season. For RCB, the corresponding number is 5.

RCB have only two wins so far this season. Only two other teams have previously completed a full season with just two wins – Deccan Chargers in 2008 and Delhi Daredevils in 2014.

What Next

This fixture marks the end of the regular league season of VIVO IPL 2017. Having not qualified for the playoffs, the players from both DD & RCB will pack their kits and head homewards. The VIVO IPL 2017 Playoffs are next; first up is the Qualifier 1, which will be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on May 16.