IPL 2018, Match 45, Delhi Daredevils vs Royal Challengers Bangalore - Match Prediction

It will be a battle between two bottom-placed sides in the tournament when Royal Challengers Bangalore meet the Delhi Daredevils in a more or less dead rubber at the Feroz Shah Kotla in New Delhi.

Both teams are almost out of the reckoning for the playoffs. Bangalore, in particular, has failed years after years despite having a pretty solid team. It has been the same case this year, and one more defeat will certainly mean that Bangalore will bow of the tournament.

Their IPL dreams might not be over yet. However, a win on Saturday will mean they might dream a bit longer. Bangalore needs to keep winning which will be a challenging prospect. They have three away games against Punjab, Hyderabad and Rajasthan. They have to win all their four remaining games and hope that some results go their way.

That is the only way that Bangalore can make a fairytale entry into the playoffs. However, the chances of that are pretty slim.

For Delhi, it will be a much more difficult situation. Even if they win the next three games, they need to get a combination of factors correct to progress. It will be very tough for Delhi, but it might just give them the freedom to play without any fear. Despite Delhi’s below-par performance in the tournament so far, Rishabh Pant has been quite phenomenal.

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The southpaw played a scintillating inning of 128 off just 63 deliveries against the Sunrisers Hyderabad. It was carnage on display by the pocket-sized dynamo.

He took on the star-studded Hyderabad bowling line-up with disdain and smashed 15 fours and seven sixes during his historic innings. Pant smashed Bhuvneshwar Kumar for 44 runs in his last two overs. It also included a-26 run over in the final over of the innings.

However, despite his innings, Delhi was blown away by a brilliant unbeaten partnership from Shikhar Dhawan and Kane Williamson. They stitched together the highest partnership in the tournament which sealed a nine-wicket victory for the No 1 team in the tournament. On the other hand, Bangalore has struggled big time with their bowling department. Barring a few matches, the bowling has leaked runs, especially in the death overs.

The form of Yuzvendra Chahal has also been a major concern for Bangalore. The leggie hasn’t been able to replicate his national form in the IPL.

The batting department also looks brittle. They have been overly reliant on the likes of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. Mr 360 has had a few quiet days. However, if Bangalore has to keep their slim chances in the tournament alive, De Villiers has to come into the act.

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Team Combinations

Delhi Daredevils

Jason Roy was given another go in the previous match. However, none of the batsmen was able to support Pant. However, the home team is expected to retain the same team which lost against the Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Predicted XI: Prithvi Shaw, Jason Roy, Shreyas Iyer (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Glenn Maxwell, Vijay Shankar, Liam Plunkett, Amit Mishra, Harshal Patel, Trent Boult, Shahbaz Nadeem

Royal Challengers Bangalore

The ploy to go with Moeen Ali didn’t quite work out in the previous game. It remains to be seen whether he retains his place in the evening match today.

If he does not get included, Quinton de Kock or Brendon McCullum is expected to be back at the top of the order. It means Washington Sundar might make a return in place of Manan Vohra.

Predicted XI: Quinton de Kock/Brendon McCullum, Parthiv Patel (wk), Virat Kohli (c), AB de Villiers, Mandeep Singh, Colin de Grandhomme, Washington Sundar, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammad Siraj.

Match Prediction

Bangalore has a superior record against the Delhi Daredevils. In the 19 matches played between the two teams so far, Bangalore has won 13 times while Delhi has won six. However, I have a gut feeling that Delhi will win in the today’s night clash. The form of Rishabh Pant has been quite extraordinary, and he along with his team deserve a victory.

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