What

Match 6 of VIVO IPL 2018 against the Delhi Daredevils will be a special occasion for the Rajasthan Royals, not only because it will be their first home game of the season, but also because it will be the team’s return to their fortress in a long time. The Royals’ season-opener against Sunrisers Hyderabad was a largely forgettable outing, and the team will be keen to make amends and open their account at their home ground.

The Delhi Daredevils come into this match after being blown away by KXIP’s KL Rahul in their season opener. DD posted 166-7 – a respectable total on most occasions, but were caught off guard as Rahul got stuck into their bowlers and set a new mark for the fastest half-century in the IPL.

Both teams would want to quickly erase the opening game from their memory, but they would do well to take learnings of deficiencies in that game and work towards fixing them.Both teams will definitely have a hard look at their combinations and batting order. On paper, Delhi Daredevils – further bolstered by the joining of Glenn Maxwell – definitely look the stronger team; will they be able to translate potential to performance?

When

11 April 2018, 2000Hrs (IST)

Where

Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur

Impact Batsmen

D’Arcy Short comes into this IPL season with a reputation to live up to; the Australian – the top run-getter in T20s so far this year – has a batting strike-rate of 150.38. RR need him to live up to this billing and see the team off to the blazing starts he has often given teams when playing elsewhere. Sanju Samson batted well in the first half of his knock in Hyderabad before taking his foot off the accelerator; RR will be served well if he can bat in fifth gear throughout, for the team has depth in batting and can afford their batsmen to play aggressively. Ben Stokes, the most-expensive signing at the IPL Player Auction 2018, hasn’t been in the best of batting forms recently, but RR will hope he can start hitting a few balls out of the park soon.

Colin Munro and Rishabh Pant, who should in the top three, are the most destructive batsmen in the Delhi Daredevils line-up. Munro has scored his 400 T20 runs this year at a strike-rate of 189.57, while Rishabh Pant’scareer strike-rate of 161.59 is the best among all Indian batsmen with more than 1000 runs in T20 cricket.Glenn Maxwell has joined the team and one expects he will be slotted right in.

Impact Bowlers

While the Rajasthan Royals bowling attack had plenty of variety, that did not translate to success on the pitch; their bowlers managed to pick up only a solitary wicket in the match against SRH. Ben Stokes isn’t completely fit and might not bowl four overs always; hence JaydevUnadkat needs to step up to be the leader of the pack.
DD’s bowling attack has weakened with Kagiso Rabada being ruled out of the season because of injury. With that development, the burden of being the team’s bowling spearhead has fallen on the shoulders of Chris Morris, who will need to return rich hauls. Amit Mishra – the second-highest wicket-taker in the IPL – has a fabulous record against RR (26 wickets in 16 matches at an average of 16.38) and he will be expected to add to his tally.

Team Head to Head

Overall: Matches – 16, Rajasthan Royals won – 10, Delhi Daredevils won – 6

In Jaipur: Matches – 4, Rajasthan Royals won – 3, Delhi Daredevils own – 1

Trivia

The IPL will return to the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur for the first time since 2013.

The Rajasthan Royals have an incredible record while playing at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium; they have a 24–9 win-loss record at the venue. Under Shane Warne, who wanted his team to treat their home ground as a ‘fortress’, RR won each of their seven matches in the inaugural season of the IPL.

Ajinkya Rahane has scored more runs against the Delhi Daredevils than against any other IPL opponent; in 15 matches against DD, Rahane has an aggregate of 632 runs – which includes nine innings of 40 or more – at an average of 63.20.

What Next

Rajasthan Royals’ next game will be their away fixture against Royal Challengers Bangalore, scheduled on 15 April (4p.m). The Delhi Daredevils’ next destination will be the Wankhede Stadium where they take on the Mumbai Indians on April 14 (4p.m).