RR vs DC IPL 2024 Match Preview: Delhi Capitals eye improved batting display against Rajasthan Royals

IPL 2024 RR vs DC with Sanju Samson and Rishabh Pant

Delhi Capitals will aim to improve their batting performance in their second outing of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 against Rajasthan Royals on Thursday, March 28 in Jaipur.

One of the main reasons Delhi Capitals lost the opener was their below-par batting, which failed to fire despite the return of Rishabh Pant. The DC skipper has completed his remarkable comeback journey to cricket after recovering from injuries suffered in a horrific car accident.

Pant aiming to shake off rustiness

Pant made a much-awaited return to the field 453 days after he had suffered career threatening, multiple injuries in the car crash in December 2022. His stay at the crease during DC’s season opener lasted just 13 balls and yielded 18 runs, not enough to judge his class, but there were flashes of his brilliance in his work with the bat and gloves, on either side of stumps.

DC will also want their openers David Warner and Mitchell Marsh to convert their starts. The Aussie duo got out for 21-ball 29 and 12-ball 20 in the match against Punjab.
Abishek Porel was the lone bright spot (32 off 10 balls) and the reason DC reached a decent total of 174/9 in 20 overs.

But the competitive total was not enough for Capitals to stop Punjab Kings, who won the match by four wickets at their new home ground in Mullanpur.

After getting the taste of the action against PBKS and overcoming the early jitters, Pant would aim to shake off his rustiness against Rajasthan Royals at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium.

Nortje to strengthen DC bowling

Ishant Sharma, who twisted his ankle against PBKS, is fit to play against the Royals is a piece of good news for DC fans. But Anrich Nortje's return is the one news they were desperate to hear.

DC looked lacklustre in all three departments against the Punjab Kings, who headed into the match as underdogs against the more fancied Capitals side.

The South Africa pacer has been out injured due to stress fracture in his back which had also sidelined him for the World Cup last year. However, after an intense rehab spell, he is back to lead the DC attack. Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel are expected to play a bigger role against the Royals.

Can Samson maintain a good scoring run?

Sanju Samson hit an unbeaten 82 to power the Rajasthan Royals to a 20-run win against the Lucknow SuperGiants. It was Samson's fifth successive fifty in RR’s first match of the season, since the 2020 edition. But he must avoid getting carried away and aim for consistency in the coming matches to bury the ghosts of his inconsistent past.

Riyan Parag, too, will look to continue the momentum against the Capitals with another useful contribution at No. 4. Parag made full use of the opportunity at No.4 by scoring ing a crucial 43-run knock.

Trent Boult continued his trend of getting the wicket in the first over with another superb bowing performance.
While RR will be playing their second successive match at home, for DC it will be their second straight away match. They will not only be up against an inspired host, but also a trend that is going on in all the eight IPL 2024 games so far. All the eight matches have been won by the hosts.

RR vs DC Squads:

Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (c), Abid Mushtaq, Avesh Khan, Dhruv Jurel, Donovan Ferreira, Jos Buttler, Kuldeep Sin, Kunal Singh Rathore, Nandre Burger, Navdeep Saini, Prasidh Krishna, Ravichandran Ashwin, Riyan Parag, Sandeep Sharma, Shimron Hetmyer, Shubham Dubey, Rovman Powell, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Trent Boult, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Yuzvendra Chahal and Tanush Kotian.

Delhi Capitals: Rishabh Pant (c), David Warner, Prithvi Shaw, Yash Dhull, Abishek Porel, Axar Patel, Lalit Yadav, Mitchell Marsh, Pravin Dubey, Vicky Ostwal, Anrich Nortje, Kuldeep Yadav, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Khaleel Ahmed, Ishant Sharma, Mukesh Kumar, Tristan Stubbs, Ricky Bhui, Kumar Kushagra, Rasikh Dar, Jhye Richardson, Sumit Kumar, Swastik Chikara and Shai Hope.

Match starts: 7.30 pm IST