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RAJASTHAN VS. DELHI: INDIAN T20 LEAGUE, MATCH 23 | MATCH PREDICTION, AND FANTASY CRICKET TIPS

Rajasthan, who had had a topsy-turvy journey in the Indian T20 league so far, will take on high-flying Delhi in match 23 at Sharjah on Friday.

Rajasthan returns to their happy ground where they started the season with two big wins before losing three matches in a row. S Samson and S Smith have struggled in the last three matches Rajasthan played, scoring only 26 runs between them. They lost early wickets in all three matches and could not recover from that. Coming back to Sharjah can rekindle the form of Rajasthan’s batsmen. J Buttler coming to form is a big positive from the last game against Mumbai.

J Archer has been the most impressive of the Rajasthan bowlers, and K Tyagi made a good impression against Mumbai. S Gopal picked up two wickets and looked threatening. All in all, the bowling looks more healthy than the batting for Rajasthan.

Delhi has looked like one of the most balanced sides of the tournament along with Mumbai. They have lost one match out of the five and sit at second place in the points table. P Shaw and S Dhawan have been attacking from the word go, which sets a good platform for the likes of Iyer, Pant, and Stoinis to attack. In the last game played here by Delhi, S Iyer scored an outstanding 88 runs off just 38 balls.

Like batting, Delhi’s bowling has been top-notch too. Rabada and Nortje have been excellent with the ball, picking up wickets and restricting batsmen in the death overs. Spin twins A Patel and R Ashwin form a strong bowling attack.  

Rajasthan has the upper hand going into this fixture with a head-to-head record of 11-9 in their favor. But Delhi has been victorious on the last three occasions and look good to make it four.

With both teams looking for those crucial two points, we should be in for an entertaining game at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

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Match Details

  • Match: Rajasthan vs. Delhi, Match 23
  • Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah
  • Date & Time: Oct. 9, 2020, at 7.30 PM IST

Probable Playing XI

Team Rajasthan

J Buttler (WK), S Smith (C), S Samson, R Uthappa, R Parag, M Lomror, R Tewatia, S Gopal, T Curran, J Archer, J Unadkat

Team Delhi

S Dhawan, P Shaw, S Iyer (C), R Pant (WK), M Stoinis, A Carey, A Patel, R Ashwin, K Rabada, A Nortje, H Patel

Pitch Report

A run-fest is on the cards between Rajasthan and Delhi at Sharjah. The dimensions of the ground give the bowlers very little margin, with 90 sixes having been hit at this venue in just four games.

The bowlers will have a tough time on this wicket with some mishits also going outside the stadium. Change of pace has been relatively successful at this venue, which the batsman from both sides will keep their eyes on.

The lowest total set so far is 208. Although chasing teams have won just once out of the last four matches, you never know what a safe score at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium is.

Key Players

  • S Smith has scored 119 runs in two innings at this venue. He can come back to scoring form in this match.
  • J Buttler scored 70 against Mumbai and needs no invitation to clear the short boundaries at this stadium. 
  • J Archer is deceptively quick and has lots of variations. Expect him to pick up a few wickets.
  • P Shaw attacks in the power play and scores fast. With just J Archer to contain runs, he can put pressure on Rajasthan straight away.
  • S Iyer has made his highest score of the season so far at this venue. With more balls to play, he can go big again here.
  • K Rabada has picked up 12 wickets so far with the best figures in his last match. It’s difficult to look beyond him at the moment.

Howzat Dream Team

  • Wicketkeepers: J Buttler, S Samson
  • Batsmen: S Smith, S Dhawan, S Iyer, P Shaw
  • All-rounders: A Patel, M Stoinis
  • Bowlers: T Curran, K Rabada, A Nortje
  • Captain: J Buttler/ P Shaw
  • Vice Captain: S Dhawan/A Nortje

NOTE: The Howzat dream team above is just a suggestion. You can select your own fantasy cricket team by using your knowledge of cricket. 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 playing 11.

Select your own team and play fantasy cricket on your favorite fantasy cricket app, Howzat!