Their play-off berth sealed, Delhi Capitals will aim for a big win against Rajasthan Royals to enhance their chances for a second-place finish when the two teams clash in their final IPL league match in New Delhi on Saturday.

Capitals are already sweating over key pacer Kagiso Rabada’s fitness as he has been ruled out of the remaining 12th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) due to a back injury.

Trent Boult will be stepping into Rabada’s shoes as Delhi look to continue their form in the business end of the tournament.

A big win on Saturday will not only boost Delhi’s morale after the 80-run hammering at the hands of Chennai Super Kings but it could also propel the side to the second position in the eight-team standings.

Delhi are currently sitting third with 16 points from 13 games, just behind Mumbai Indians (16 points) and table toppers CSK (18 points).

The Rajasthan Royals on the other hand will be without their captain Steve Smith as he has returned to Australia to prepare for the World Cup.

Here’s a look at the top five player battles to watch out for in the match between Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals.

Shikhar Dhawan vs Shreyas Gopal

Shreyas Gopal has been one of the best bowlers for Rajasthan Royals and he has tormented big guns such as Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers in this season. It will be interesting to see how Dhawan faces Gopal, since he has taken the aggressive approach against the leg-spinner in T20s so far. The opening batsman has scored 27 runs off 15 balls against Gopal and has been dismissed once by the leg-spinner in the shortest format.

Rishabh Pant vs Jaydev Unadkat

Rishabh Pant hasn’t batted to his potential in this IPL and he will certainly look to strike consistent form in the remainder of the IPL. However, he will be up against Unadkat, who has taken his wicket twice in T20s. But, Pant has batted aggressively against the fast bowler, scoring 38 runs off 21 balls. Pant will have to ensure that he doesn’t get out early on in his innings.

Sanju Samson vs Trent Boult

Trent Boult will be fancying his chances against Sanju Samson as he has a good record against the Rajasthan batsman. The speedster has dismissed Samson once and concedes just 12 runs in 8 balls in T20s. However, Samson is in good nick and he will be certainly hoping to improve his record against Boult.

Ajinkya Rahane vs Amit Mishra

Ajinkya Rahane and Amit Mishra have had an interesting battle in T20s so far. The opening batsman has scored 96 runs from 78 balls against Mishra, but he has been dismissed thrice by the leg-spinner. Mishra will be looking to dismiss Rahane once again in their next match.

Shreyas Iyer vs Varun Aaron

Shreyas Iyer has come up trumps against Varun Aaron in their short battle in T20s so far. The Delhi captain has scored 12 runs off 5 balls against the fast bowler. Aaron will be hoping to improve his record against Iyer, while the Delhi batsman will look to take on Aaron and notch some more runs against the speedster.

(With inputs from agencies)

First Published: May 04, 2019 10:49 IST