IPL 2020 | SRH vs RR: Match Preview, Predicted XI & Dream11 Fantasy Picks

IPL 2020 | MI vs DC: Match Preview, Predicted XI & Dream 11 Fantasy Picks

The last match of the weekend will bring the Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals against each other in a much-awaited contest of two table toppers of the season. Both teams have excelled in this season in both bowling and batting departments. The teams have had a similar nervous start into the IPL 2020 but were good enough to bounce back emphatically. Delhi Capitals have dominated the season so far, winning five out of six matches they have played with an impressive rune rate of 1.257 while the Mumbai Indians have squeezed the opposition batsmen while their batsmen have batted with immense freedom and flamboyance. The Bowling lineup of both Mumbai and Delhi Capitals have one surprise each in their bowling lineup with James Pattinson and Anrich Nortje making headlines after coming into the tournament as replacements. Both the teams are riding high on wicket-takers in their bowling line with Trent Boult and Bumrah form a formidable triplet along with Pattinson while Delhi Capitals have their hopes running high on the pair of Kagiso Rabada. There is little to separate between the two sides until now this season and the match may very well be their toughest battle both against bowlers as well batsmen of the other team so far in the season. Rohit’s Mumbai is more experienced and hence can be relied upon to hold their nerves but Shreyas Iyer’s side, too, has shown a certain sense of calmness to deal with some crunch moments of a particular game. Although the teams have a very lengthy batting order, the openers have also played a significant role in building such a success story in this season for these teams but their task will be cut out as Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock will be up against Rabada and Nortje, followed by the crafts of Ravichandran Ashwin whereas Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw will have to show their class against Trent Boult, Pattinson and followed by Jasprit Bumrah. Needless to say, the batsmen have a mountain ahead of them to cross over and earn a win for their respective teams. The success story of these two teams can be stated with the fact that Sharjah which otherwise has turned out to be a nightmare for the bowlers could do little to dent the potency of the bowling lineups of these teams. Both Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals won their last game in Sharjah on the back of strong bowling that dismantled the batting lineup of the opposing sides. There are not a lot of things that the match will change in terms of teams’ positioning on the points table as the battle will be to become number one. Rohit’s slides will be eager to prove that they are consistent and can still win matches in quick succession while the Shreyas Iyer’s side will be itching to get out on the filed to establish that the team has matured over time and that the brand of cricket they play can produce favorable results for a considerably long period of time. Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals: Match Details Match number- 27 Date: October 11, 2020 at 7:30 PM IST, 14:00 AM GMT, 6:00 PM Local Venue: Abu Dhabi Pitch and weather A used pitch that was used in the match b between the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Kings XI Punjab will be used again for the clash of the titans of the IPL 2020 and that may influence captains into deciding to bat first after winning the toss. There are chances of due in the latter part of the second innings of the game and the Delhi Capitals rely on R Ashwin and Axar Patel to bring good results with spin and the due factor may also add into the captain's dilemma after the toss. However, the threat of a slowing pitch should overweigh the threat of due in the last part of the game. The weather in Abu Dhabi is likely to remain ideal to play cricket with the temperature hovering in the range between 30 degrees to 35 degrees and a possibility of breezes going across the ground will make the conditions pleasant for the players on the field. Team News Mumbai Indians Mumbai Indians have made the least number of changes to their playing XI so far in this season and the trend is likely to continue in the game against the Delhi Capitals as well. Rohit Sharma does not have any reasons either to tinker with the winning team and that means Nathan Coulter-Nile who missed out due to the injury will remain sitting out in the dugout even if he recovers from his injury. Expected XI Rohit Sharma (captain), Quinton de Kock (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, James Pattinson, Rahul Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah Delhi Capitals With Shimron Hetmyer coming good in the last game against the Rajasthan Royals, the Delhi Capitals look like a well-balanced side and there is a high chance that Shreyas Iyer and Ricky Ponting will not look to make any changes in playing XI. Shikhar Dhawan has looked good so far in the tournament but he is yet to produce a match-winning effort on his own and with Ainkya Rahane sitting in the dugout, there will be some pressure on him to lead the team’s batting effort at the top of the order. Expected XI Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer (captain), Rishabh Pant (wk), Marcus Stoinis, Shimron Hetmyer, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals: Dream 11 team and suggestion Quinton de Kock, Ishan Kishan, Rohit Sharma, Prithvi Shaw, Shreyas Iyer, Kieron Pollard, Marcus Stoinis Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Rahul Chahar, Kagiso Rabada Captain: Rohit Sharma Vice-captain: Shreyas Iyer Delhi Capitals have dominated the season so far, winning five out of six matches they have played with an impressive rune rate of 1.257 while the Mumbai Indians have squeezed the opposition batsmen while their batsmen have batted with immense freedom and flamboyance. The Bowling lineup of both Mumbai and Delhi Capitals have one surprise each in their bowling lineup with James Pattinson and Anrich Nortje making headlines after coming into the tournament as replacements. Bot the teams are riding high on wicket-takers in their bowling line with Trent Boult and Bumrah form a formidable triplet along with Pattinson while Delhi Capitals have their hopes running high on the pair of Kagiso Rabada. There is little to separate between the two sides until now this season and the match may very well be their toughest battle both against bowlers as well batsmen of the other team so far in the season. Rohit’s Mumbai is more experienced and hence can be relied upon to hold their nerves but Shreyas Iyer’s side, too, has shown a certain sense of calmness to deal with some crunch moments of a particular game. Although the teams have a very lengthy batting order, the openers have also played a significant role in building such a success story in this season for these teams but their task will be cut out as Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock will be up against Rabada and Nortje, followed by the crafts of Ravichandran Ashwin whereas Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw will have to show their class against Trent Boult, Pattinson and followed by Jasprit Bumrah. Needless to say, the batsmen have a mountain ahead of them to cross over and earn a win for their respective teams. The success story of these two teams can be stated with the fact that Sharjah which otherwise has turned out to be a nightmare for the bowlers could do little to dent the potency of the bowling lineups of these teams. Both Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals won their last game in Sharjah on the back of strong bowling that dismantled the batting lineup of the opposing sides. There are not a lot of things that the match will change in terms of teams’ positioning on the points table as the battle will be to become number one. Rohit’s slides will be eager to prove that they are consistent and can still win matches in quick succession while the Shreyas Iyer’s side will be itching to get out on the filed to establish that the team has matured over time and that the brand of cricket they play can produce favorable results for a considerably long period of time. Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals: Match Details Match number- 27 Date: October 11, 2020 at 7:30 PM IST, 14:00 AM GMT, 6:00 PM Local Venue: Abu Dhabi Pitch and weather A used pitch that was used in the match b between the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Kings XI Punjab will be used again for the clash of the titans of the IPL 2020 and that may influence captains into deciding to bat first after winning the toss. There are chances of due in the latter part of the second innings of the game and the Delhi Capitals rely on R Ashwin and Axar Patel to bring good results with spin and the due factor may also add into the captain's dilemma after the toss. However, the threat of a slowing pitch should overweigh the threat of due in the last part of the game. The weather in Abu Dhabi is likely to remain ideal to play cricket with the temperature hovering in the range between 30 degrees to 35 degrees and a possibility of breezes going across the ground will make the conditions pleasant for the players on the field. Team News Mumbai Indians Mumbai Indians have made the least number of changes to their playing XI so far in this season and the trend is likely to continue in the game against the Delhi Capitals as well. Rohit Sharma does not have any reasons either to tinker with the winning team and that means Nathan Coulter-Nile who missed out due to the injury will remain sitting out in the dugout even if he recovers from his injury. Expected XI Rohit Sharma (captain), Quinton de Kock (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, James Pattinson, Rahul Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah Delhi Capitals With Shimron Hetmyer coming good in the last game against the Rajasthan Royals, the Delhi Capitals look like a well-balanced side and there is a high chance that Shreyas Iyer and Ricky Ponting will not look to make any changes in playing XI. Shikhar Dhawan has looked good so far in the tournament but he is yet to produce a match-winning effort on his own and with Ainkya Rahane sitting in the dugout, there will be some pressure on him to lead the team’s batting effort at the top of the order. Expected XI Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer (captain), Rishabh Pant (wk), Marcus Stoinis, Shimron Hetmyer, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals: Dream 11 team and suggestion Quinton de Kock, Ishan Kishan, Rohit Sharma, Prithvi Shaw, Shreyas Iyer, Kieron Pollard, Marcus Stoinis Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Rahul Chahar, Kagiso Rabada Captain: Rohit Sharma Vice-captain: Shreyas Iyer

IPL 2020: We aren't playing good enough over the 40 overs- Steve Smith

Steve Smith-led Rajasthan Royals suffered their fourth straight loss in the ongoing IPL 2020. Their latest defeat has come in the hands of Delhi Capitals at Sharjah. The skipper responded to the 46-run loss stating that they were beaten in all three facets of the game. In a venue like Sharjah, the bowlers did well to restrict Delhi to 184. However, the batters failed to rise up to the challenge as they were folded for 138. Smith sounded optimistic as he vows to change the fortunes of the team. "We are not playing good enough over the 40 overs, and not executing when the pressure is coming on and you can't win many games that way. The bowlers did a good job, and I don't think the wicket was as good as it has been here, a bit sloppy tonight, and we gave away 10-15 extra runs. We have to remain positive, turn things around quickly. At the moment it doesn't seem to be going our way." The 31-year-old hasn’t fire with the bat in his last four outings and it has been a concern for the side with a thin batting line-up. Smith hit a couple of fifties but couldn’t bail his side out of trouble thereafter. Meanwhile, the Royals would be hopeful of having the presence of Ben Stokes in the side for the next encounter.

IPL 2020 | DC vs RR: 3 Reasons Why Delhi shrug off Rajasthan to reach top of the table

Team to beat in this tournament, Delhi Capitals maintained their dominance in the Indian Premier League defeating Rajasthan Royals by 46 runs in the 23rd match of the cash-rich league. Playing at the high scoring venue of Sharjah, Rajasthan Royals capitulated once again and failed to chase down a 185-run target set by Shreyas Iyer and his men. The top order heavy team were sent packing by the halfway point of the chase with their top three batsmen in Jos Buttler, Steve Smith and Sanju Samson failing to grab any ground. With the batting stalwarts out of the equation, Rajasthan never had enough firepower in their middle order to stage a comeback against a staunch Delhi bowling and at the end of the day lost the game by a big margin of 46 runs. On that note, here are the three reasons why Delhi Capitals breezed past Rajasthan Royals to move to the top of the table. Shimron Hetmyer Sent to bat in the first innings after losing the toss, despite scoring at a healthy rate, Delhi Capitals were struggling for momentum at the halfway stage, losing their entire top order, courtesy some awful running between the wickets. When Hetmyer walked into the crease, Delhi had just lost Rishabh Pant in a horrendous mix-up with Marcus Stoinis and were reeling at 79/4 in 9.2 overs. Like most successful batsmen have done in this tournament, Hetmyer too took some time to settle in nodding around the first 10 odd balls. He then constructed a crucial partnership along with Marcus Stoinis to put Delhi at a place where the bowlers had something to defend in this ground. Before he finally got out to Kartik Tyagi trying to hit him for the third consecutive six in the 17th over, Hetmyer had scored 45 off 23 balls. Returning to field later, he took two stunning catches in the boundary line to affect dismissals of Steve Smith and Shreyas Gopal. Rajasthan order top order The Rajasthan Royals top order have been in shambles for almost the entire duration of the tournament. After losing their last game against Mumbai by 59 runs, Steve Smith had said that they understand the issues and would look to gain some momentum before Ben Stokes comes into the squad. The top order has consistently failed to show up and provide Royals with the momentum they need in this tournament. But to no avail, Rajasthan scripted the same narrative once again. On the night, mainstays Steve Smith and Sanju Samson threw away their wickets when Rajasthan needed them to see the innings through and young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal barely looked comfortable during his stay at the crease. Rajasthan would really hope that either the law of averages catches up to them, or Ben Stokes singlehandedly manages to change the fortunes of this franchise. Delhi hunt in pack A target of 185 is not something that any team is unfamiliar or uncomfortable with at the Sharjah Stadium. For that matter, it was Rahul Tewatia of Rajasthan Royals who carved an incredible IPL story in this ground chasing down an impossible target 224 runs against the Kings XI Punjab on the 27th of last month. But comeback stories are not made every day. Losing their best batsmen within the first 10 overs meant that Rajasthan had a nearly impossible task ahead of them against a team that bowled and fielded well on an everyday basis. Barring Axar Patel who bowled just 2 overs for 8 runs everyone else was amongst wickets tonight. The bowling unit frustrated the batsmen and squeezed soft dismissals out of them with Rabada being the pick of the bowlers notching up 3 wickets. However, Ravichandran Ashwin was awarded the man of the match trophy on the night for his fantastic spell of 2/22 in four overs where he picked two crucial wickets of Jos Buttler and Mahipal Lomror. For Rajasthan Royals, it is now a tournament of survival. Most teams know their chinks in the armour and have exploited the same to win against them by huge margins in the last four games. With games coming thick and fast, Rajasthan need to turn their campaign around against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, who have not really settled in the tournament as well. They play their next game on Sunday, 11 October and have barely any time for recovery before the doubleheader. Some might pray that the law of averages catches up to them and the team sees a turnaround in their fortunes, but at the current state, no amount of luck can help the team if they consistently keep underperforming in the tournament.

IPL 2020 | DC vs RR: Stoinis, Ashwin hoist Delhi to table-crowning victory

Brief Scores: Delhi Capitals 184/8 in 20 overs (Shimron Hetmyer 45, Marcus Stoinis 39; Jofra Archer 3/24) beat Rajasthan Royals 138/10 in 20 overs (Rahul Tewatia 38, Yashasvi Jaiswal 34; Kagiso Rabada 3/35) by 46 runs. Delhi Capitals' well-oiled mechanisms functioned at optimal capacity to hand Rajasthan Royals their fourth straight defeat in the 23rd match of the Indian Premier League 2020. In pursuit of an attainable 185, RR endured the strain of a misfiring top-order to go down by a bumper 46 runs in a snoozefest on Friday, October 9 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Ravichandran Ashwin was deservedly awarded the Man-of-the-Match for his game-changing spell of 2/22. Besides churning a valuable 35, Marcus Stoinis sneaked away with figures of 17/2 in his two overs to plot RR's demise in emphatic fashion. Lazy RR find themselves in a pickle Chasing anything below 200 at Sharjah is not a tough grind by any stretch of the imagination. But the boxes need to be ticked nonetheless. RR's inauguration was the polar opposite of what they'd have aspired for. Jos Buttler fell prey to a smart grab by Shikhar Dhawan as he chose the wrong ball to hoick off Ravichandran Ashwin. Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and one down Steve Smith consumed an alarming number of deliveries with the scoreboard pressure breathing down their neck. Scuffling to keep his head above water, Smith managed to time a flick right out of the screws only to witness Shimron Hetmyer belly flop to grasp a blinder zipping in from deep mid-wicket. Agile as a rabbit, DC complete formalities The lucky ground puffery was rubbished as nonsense with Sanju Samson crumbling to his fourth successive single-digit score, his toe-edged swat registering more elevation than distance. Mahipal Lomror parcelled a dolly to catching cover off Ashwin before Jaiswal had his stumps tinkled by Stoinis' off-cutter, leaving RR in a rabbit hole of despair at 82/5. Fortune was clearly favouring the brave as an off-guard Kagiso Rabada recovered stunningly to lay hold of Andrey Tye's vigorous jab at mid-wicket. Jofra Archer couldn't script a last-ditch miracle either, with Shreyas Iyer jogging backwards to pouch his benign golf-swing. Rahul Tewatia middled a few out of the park to bring about a nostalgia kick from THAT Sharjah heist, but 78 off 24 balls was just a heck of a lot of trash to clean for the pocket-sized dynamite. Hetmyer bettered his previous screamer by lifting from inches off the turf Shreyas Gopal's square-cut before Rabada had Tewatia chopping on for 38 to hammer the final nail in RR's coffin. Rajasthan on an absolute roll Banking upon the tried and tested doctrine of chasing at Sharjah, Steve Smith invited DC to have a crack. Although not without a couple of stopgaps in the playing eleven. Andrew Tye and Varun Aaron registered their season debuts as Tom Curran and Ankit Rajpoot made way. Safe to say, the skipper had hit the nail on the head as RR drew early blood. Jofra Archer proved the undoing of Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw, who'd already enjoyed a slice of luck earlier as Kartik Tyagi misjudged a skier charging in from fine-leg. Livewire Yashasvi Jaiswal then rubbed salt into DC's wounds, leaping across to intercept Shreyas Iyer's drive before clattering the stumps direct with a rifle-like throw to nab him a country- mile short. Pant harakiri symptomatic of DC's plight Marcus Stoinis extinguished the flames to a certain degree, picking the length and rocking onto the back-foot to tramp consecutive maximums over cow corner off Shreyas Gopal. However, no words can justify the split second of absurdity that transpired next. Stoinis knocked one to the left of mid-wicket and took a default prod in an approach to sneak a single, albeit non-striker Rishabh Pant was on a different planet altogether. He didn't bat an eye at the field, couldn't care less about his partner's consent and rushed blindly towards the striker's end as a loopy underarm pass sealed his fate. Axar-Harshal flex their muscles after Hetmyer blaze Stoinis and Shimron Hetmyer joined forces to keep the engine pumping for a brief while till a languid flash of the blade off Rahul Tewatia spelt the former's doom at 39. The left-handed typhoon mashed Tyagi for two jumbo sixes to raze his economy, but the young quick was rewarded for his otherwise nifty exploits as long-on cupped Hetmyer's tonk for a spirited 45. Late cameos from Axar Patel and Harshal Patel were worth their weight in gold, rafting the pink jerseys to a par score of 184/8, which seemed a dicey proposition at first but turned out to be more than enough in the grander scheme of things. What's next in store? Down in the mouth, Rajasthan Royals will pray for an elusive victory in the first of Sunday's doubleheader against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday, October 11. Fireworks are expected later in the evening as Mumbai Indians tackle the rampaging bandwagon of Delhi Capitals.