With thirteen action packed games behind us, we play our final group stage game against the Delhi Capitals in Vivo IPL 2019 at the Feroz Shah Kotla. With our hopes still alive in this tournament, the competition intensifies between teams looking to seal fourth spot in order to qualify for the playoffs. Unfortunately, in our last game against RCB, uncontrollable weather conditions came into play, costing us 2 crucial points. It’s a game of paramount importance for us, as we must win this game by a convincing margin to maximize our chances of progressing further. Powerplay of Numbers We lead the head-to-head battle against the Delhi Capitals, winning 11 out of the 19 total matches played overall in the Vivo IPL. Delhi Capitals won the last time we faced them in this competition at our fortress despite Rahane’s incredible century. We would like to turn things around and level things up by winning this encounter. The Delhi Capitals have had a good record on the road but have struggled to win games at home, which will be a huge factor in this clash. We have also won 3 out of our last 5 previous meetings at the Feroz Shah Kotla with a 50% win rate. Dynamic Duels Varun Aaron vs Shikhar Dhawan The top order of the Delhi Capitals forms the core of their batting strength. An early wicket in the form of Shikhar Dhawan, who’s been in great form lately, will prove to be a decisive factor. Varun Aaron’s pace will come in handy with the Kotla’s surface favoring this attribute. Shikhar Dhawan has scored only 31 runs in 4 innings against Aaron. Aaron has managed to dismiss him on one occasion. Jaydev Unadkat vs Shreyas Iyer JD has picked up wickets at crucial moments in games for us and will play an integral part whether he is bowling to defend a target or restrict the opposition. The Capitals skipper has led from the front this season playing some defining knocks. The variations that JD brings to his game could provide us an important breakthrough should he pick up the opposition skipper’s wicket. Shreyas Iyer has scored only 6 runs in 2 innings facing Unadkat, while JD has managed to pick him in both the innings. Ajinkya Rahane vs Amit Mishra – These two are no strangers, having played each other on several occasions in the the IPL. We know how well Jinks play against spinners and more often than not, he picks up the googlies and the wrong ones with ease. In the 10 innings in which they have faced one another, Rahane has scored 96 runs at a strike rate of 123.1 while Mishra has picked him thrice. Not to forget, Rahane holds the second highest all-time record for most runs scored against the Delhi Capitals with 782 runs. It’s a do or die game for us! Winning this clash will boost our chances of qualification for the playoffs. We have witnessed this phase of the IPL before, in which multiple teams fight it out for a single playoff spot. Even a slight difference in the net run-rate could make or break hopes for teams aspiring to reach the next stage. Our recent performances have given us confidence to take into our game against the Capitals. Our key objective will be to emerge victorious but also improve our net run rate to increase our probabilities of qualifying. With our fate in our own hands, as a team we believe in winning from anywhere. Halla Bol!