After a successful start to their IPL campaign, the Rajasthan Royals stumbled in their latest match, losing to the Punjab Kings in a close contest. Despite their strong bowling attack, the Royals struggled to contain Punjab’s opening batsmen, Shikhar Dhawan and Prabhsimran Singh. With their spinners struggling, there will be added pressure on Trent Boult, Jason Holder, and KM Asif to take early wickets. Holder was impressive in the last match with his death bowling, and he will hope to continue his good form. The Royals’ decision to send Ravichandran Ashwin to open the innings backfired as he was dismissed without scoring. Going forward, they are likely to stick with their regular opening pair of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler. The team boasts a strong middle order, with Sanju Samson, Devdutt Padikkal, Riyan Parag, and Shimron Hetmyer, which should give them confidence. Dhruv Jurel, who made a good impression in his IPL debut, played an excellent cameo to get the team close to the finish line, and it will be interesting to see if he makes it into the starting eleven.
The Delhi Capitals have had a rough start to their IPL campaign, having lost both of their opening games. They are now eager to turn things around and secure a win in their upcoming match to avoid slipping to the bottom of the points table. While David Warner has been in fine form, scoring 56 and 37 runs in the last two games, his opening partner Prithvi Shaw has struggled to find his rhythm. The middle order, comprising of Sarfaraz Khan, Mitchell Marsh, and Rilee Rossouw, has also failed to fire so far, putting additional pressure on the top order. The team’s wicket-keeping position remains a concern, as they have yet to find a stable replacement for Rishabh Pant. In the last match, Abhishek Porel did a decent job behind the stumps and may get another chance to prove himself. Meanwhile, all-rounder Axar Patel has been delivering some crucial blows with the bat, although he has not been as effective with the ball. Kuldeep Yadav has also struggled to take wickets in the early matches. On a positive note, Anrich Nortje put up an impressive performance in his IPL debut game and will be looking to carry that momentum forward. Khaleel Ahmed will also play a crucial role in the team’s bowling attack. More IPL prediction for today can be obtained from the link provided.