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RAJASTHAN VS. DELHI: INDIAN T20 LEAGUE 2021, MATCH 7 | PREDICTION AND FANTASY CRICKET TIPS

In match seven of the Indian T20 League 2021, Rajasthan take on last season’s runners-up Delhi at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday.

In their first match, Rajasthan fell short by just 4 runs in the chase against Punjab, whereas Delhi won comfortably against Chennai and showed just why they are considered one of the title contenders this season.

S Samson's heroic innings nearly took his team home in the last game. He will need more support from the likes of J Buttler and the others. The team has suffered a massive blow as B Stokes has been ruled out of the tournament due to a broken finger and is expected to be replaced by L Livingstone in the playing XI. Young pacer C Sakariya was the only bowler who was impressive. The likes of Morris and Mustafizur went for plenty in the last match. The spinners Gopal and Tewatia need to do a better job in the middle overs.

Although Delhi played their opening match without two of their best bowlers, they ended up winning the match with ease. Openers S Dhawan and P Shaw stole the show with their massive 138-run partnership. The pace duo of Nortje and Rabada were brilliant for the team in the previous season and will come back straight into the playing XI here. That means C Woakes, who bowled well in the last game, and T Curran will miss out. Skipper Pant and the others did not have to do much with the bat in the last game, but may need to perform here.

With both teams looking strong and pretty fearless, expect a cracking game of T20 cricket at the Wankhede on Thursday.

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Match Details

  • Match: Rajasthan vs. Delhi, Match 7
  • Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
  • Date & Time: Apr. 15, 2021, at 7:30 PM IST

Statistics

  • Head-to-Head Record: Rajasthan (11) - Delhi (11)
  • Last 5 Games Record: Rajasthan (0) - Delhi (5)
  • Average 1st Innings Score (Last 5 Games): 175 runs 
  • Chasing Record (Last 5 Games): Won 3, Lost 2

Probable Playing XI

Rajasthan

J Buttler (WK), L Livingstone, S Samson (C), M Vohra, R Parag, S Dube, R Tewatia, C Morris, S Gopal, M Rahman, C Sakariya

Delhi

S Dhawan, P Shaw, A Rahane, R Pant (C & WK), S Hetmyer, M Stoinis, R Ashwin, A Mishra, K Rabada, A Nortje, A Khan

Weather and Pitch Report

Mumbai is expected to have clear weather during the match. The temperature will be around 31 degrees during the game. 

As seen in the previous match, the pitch at the Wankhede Stadium is very batting-friendly. While the pacers should get some bounce and movement with the new ball, the batsmen will enjoy batting here as the stadium has small boundaries and the ball comes onto the bat nicely. With not much spin from the surface, the extra bounce can be useful for the spinners here.

Keeping in mind the dew factor, both captains will look to chase here on winning the toss. The results of the last five matches also favor the side batting second. A first-innings score of around 195 runs should be a competitive one.

Top Fantasy Picks

  • J Buttler will be back at the top of the order in this match, where he has had most of his success in Rajasthan. He scored 172 runs in the 5-match series against India at a strike rate of 147, including 2 half centuries. He will look to get Rajasthan off to a flying start here.
  • S Samson hit his 3rd century of the league in the last match but fell agonizingly short of helping his team reach the target, not being able to clear the rope on the last ball. He will look to build on his superb knock of 119 runs and get his maiden win as captain in this match.   
  • C Sakariya had bowling figures of 3 for 31 in a high-scoring game, despite bowling in the power play and death overs. He was impressive with his variations and took a superb catch to dismiss N Pooran in the last match.
  • S Dhawan showed why he is such a prolific run scorer at the top of the order for Delhi in the last game. He scored 85 runs off just 54 balls, including 10 fours and 2 sixes. This was his 3rd half century knock in the last four innings.
  • R Pant did not get much time in the middle with the bat due to the brilliance of the openers Shaw and Dhawan. He has played game-changing knocks in the last few months and will be looking to continue the same form here. 
  • A Nortje comes into this game with a brilliant form. Last season, he was the second-highest wicket taker for Delhi with 17 wickets. He took 7 wickets in his last two ODIs in the recent series against Pakistan and will take the field with high confidence here.

Howzat Dream Team

  • Wicketkeepers: J Buttler, S Samson, R Pant
  • Batsmen: L Livingstone, S Dhawan, P Shaw
  • All-rounders: C Morris
  • Bowlers: C Sakariya, A Nortje, A Khan, K Rabada 
  • Captain: J Buttler/S Dhawan
  • Vice Captain: R Pant/S Samson

NOTE: The Howzat dream team above is just a suggestion. You can select your own fantasy 11, and play all the fantasy cricket matches from the Indian T20 League in the coming days. Also, don’t forget to make any necessary changes to your team once the actual playing 11 is announced by each team (30 minutes before the start of the match) as some players you have selected might not be part of the team suggested.

Get fantasy cricket tips on your favorite fantasy sports app and select your own team, Howzat!

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