Red-hot DC stand in the way of RR's resurgence

Overview:

Anrich Nortje sending David Warner back to the pavilion with a snorter was a significant moment in the overall narrative of Delhi Capitals' crushing win against Sunrisers Hyderabad. It just reiterated the point that with Nortje and Kagiso Rabada in their ranks, DC have the required arsenal to run through sides, especially considering the prevailing conditions in Dubai. The pacemen employed the cross-seam delivery and hit more of the 8 metre short of a good length to share five wickets.

However, in the IPL, matches come thick and fast as DC's focus shifts to the other side of the Sheikh Zayed Road when they take on Rajasthan Royals in Abu Dhabi. Incidentally, in the IPL 2020, DC lost three of their five games in Abu Dhabi. The wicket in Abu Dhabi is relatively slower and DC's pack hunters - Rabada and Nortje - perhaps have to vary their pace a little more. In such conditions, Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin could come in handy. Axar has good control and also surprises the batter with his scrambled seam variety.

With the batting unit also firing collectively, there aren't many concerns for the DC camp. Shikhar Dhawan has blended superbly with Prithvi Shaw at the top of the order. The likes of Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, Shimron Hetmyer and co. add more depth to the line-up. Meanwhile, their opponent for the day, RR, too will come into the match with loads of self belief after Kartik Tyagi