JAIPUR:
Steve Smith was a bit surprised when he got a call from the
Rajasthan Royals management which handed the captain’s armband to him just before the start of the match against Mumbai Indians on Saturday.
IPL SCHEDULE| IPL POINTS TABLEPlaced seventh on the points table, Royals relieved Ajinkya Rahane of his captaincy duties and the management thought that bringing Smith back at the helm may change their fortunes. Their prediction turned out to be true as the hosts pulled off a five-wicket win over MI to end their losing streak. Royals got past the target with skipper Smith leading the show.
Rajasthan’s hopes of qualifying for the play-offs look slim, but a crucial win on Saturday must have rejuvenated the players such as Jofra Archer, Sanju Samson and skipper Smith himself. The side had one of the best combinations on paper but they missed out on fixing minor issues that came to haunt them.
On Monday, Royals get another chance to bring their campaign back on track against a confident
Delhi Capitals
. Naturally, both sides would be keen to maintain their winning formula and the hosts have a slight advantage playing at home.
The team obviously will feel the absence of Jos Buttler, who has left for England, but the other batsmen of the side have enough firepower to negate the Capitals’ challenge. Ben Stokes, Samson and Rahane have formed the backbone of the batting thus far. Among the bowlers, Archer has been the most impressive. The paceman has taken most wickets for Rajasthan — eight from four matches — and the onus will be on him to provide the early breakthroughs. Jaydev Unadkat and Shreyas Gopal are also quite sharp in keeping the runs in check.
On the other side, Capitals’ skipper Shreyas Iyer will again be in focus after he, in partnership with Shikhar Dhawan, took the team to safety against Kings XI Punjab at the Kotla.
Both the batsmen struck half-centuries to ease DC to a five-wicket win over Kings XI Punjab. Iyer and Dhawan played some sensible cricket and were judicious in their shot selection.
The Delhi outfit sports a settled look in the bowling department. The fast-bowling unit is spearheaded by the fiery South African Kagiso Rabada. Chris Morris, Trent Boult, the experienced Ishant Sharma and leg-spinner Amit Mishra and left-arm spinner Axar Patel have supported him well.