<p>The youngest skippers at this year’s IPL take centre stage as the Rajasthan Royals take on the Delhi Capitals at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Sanju Samson, aged 26, leads the Royals while Rishabh Pant, 23, leads the Capitals. Here's our analysis.<br /><br /><strong>The SWOT for RR</strong><br /><br /><strong>Strengths</strong>: The emergence of Chetan Sakariya. The 23-year-old got three wickets on his RR debut against the Punjab Kings. In a run fest where 438 runs were scored in 240 balls, Sakariya managed the best economy (7.8) among all pace bowlers. That list of pacers included names like Chris Morris, Mustafizur Rahman, Ben Stokes, Mohammad Shami, Jhye Richardson and Riley Meredith.</p>.<p><strong>Weaknesses</strong>: Rahul Tewatia and Shreyas Gopal are the first-choice spinners. They are preferred for team balance as they provide batting ability down the order. However, they haven't been able to make an impact with their bowling. Against Punjab, the two bowled five overs and conceded 65 runs while failing to pick up any wickets. The team should try out other options as these two are holding them back.</p>.<p><strong>Opportunities</strong>: With Ben Stokes out of the tournament with injury, overseas batters David Miller or Liam Livingstone are likely to make the playing XI. Miller entered the season with an attractive fifty, his fastest ODI half-century, against Pakistan. Livingstone is a hard-hitting batsman who can take on the fast bowlers.</p>.<p><strong>Threats</strong>: RR's core strength revolved around Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes. With two of them currently unavailable, the team has multiple hurdles to overcome. The team will have a tough time in the coming matches unless someone else in the squad can take up the responsibility of delivering for the team.<br /><br /><strong>The SWOT for DC</strong></p>.<p><strong>Strengths</strong>: South African pacer Kagiso Rabada can inflict a lot of damage on the opposition batting. He fetched 30 wickets last season and claimed the coveted Purple Cap. Fellow South African Anrich Nortje supported him well last year but he is right now stuck in quarantine awaiting the delayed results of his Covid-19 test.</p>.<p><strong>Weaknesses</strong>: A somewhat shaky middle-order. For a long stretch last season, DC depended on the top order to deliver. However, if an opposition team can remove the likes of Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan and Rishabh Pant, that would heap pressure on the middle-order comprising Ajinkya Rahane, Marcus Stoinis and Shimron Hetmyer. RR need to figure out ways to snag some top-order wickets.</p>.<p><strong>Opportunities</strong>: An upbeat DC have a chance to continue their winning momentum and rack up some early tournament points. And they've also made a good start in terms of their net run rate.</p>.<p><strong>Threats</strong>: Rishabh Pant is still new to IPL captaincy. He is not used to high-pressure situations and opposition teams can use that to their advantage.</p>.<p><strong>Head-to-head:</strong></p>.<p><strong>Matches played</strong>: 22</p>.<p><strong>RR</strong>: 11</p>.<p><strong>DC</strong>: 11</p>.<p><strong>Form guide</strong> (most recent match first):</p>.<p><strong>RR</strong>: L-L-W-W-L</p>.<p><strong>DC</strong>: W-L-W-L-W</p>.<p><strong>Team news</strong></p>.<p>In a huge setback, RR all-rounder Ben Stokes has been ruled out of the tournament with a broken finger. Stokes suffered the injury while fielding against the Punjab Kings. DC's Kagiso Rabada is expected to be available for selection but Anrich Nortje is still stuck in quarantine due to a delay in getting his Covid-19 test results. DC's Axar Patel, who was diagnosed with Covid-19, will also be unavailable as he continues his recovery.</p>.<p><br /><strong><em>Deccan Herald’s</em> dream XI:</strong></p>.<p>Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson, Rishabh Pant (captain & wicketkeeper), Marcus Stoinis, Chris Morris, Rahul Tewatia, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Amit Mishra.<br /><br /><strong>Impact player for RR</strong></p>.<p><strong>Sanju Samson</strong>: The 26-year-old made a statement with a brilliant ton on his captaincy debut against Punjab. With Stokes out of the tournament, Samson will have to take on more responsibility. He will also have to add consistency to his form and carry it through the season.</p>.<p><strong>Impact player for DC</strong></p>.<p><strong>Kagiso Rabada</strong>: Expect him to make an immediate impact with wickets up top and at the death. Rabada snagged four wickets in the two matches against RR last season. A true match-winner, he could soon put himself among the Purple Cap contenders again.</p>.<p><strong>How to watch</strong></p>.<p>The match will be broadcast live on the Star Sports network. Viewers can also catch the action online on Disney+Hotstar. The match begins at 7.30 pm IST.</p>
<p>The youngest skippers at this year’s IPL take centre stage as the Rajasthan Royals take on the Delhi Capitals at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Sanju Samson, aged 26, leads the Royals while Rishabh Pant, 23, leads the Capitals. Here's our analysis.<br /><br /><strong>The SWOT for RR</strong><br /><br /><strong>Strengths</strong>: The emergence of Chetan Sakariya. The 23-year-old got three wickets on his RR debut against the Punjab Kings. In a run fest where 438 runs were scored in 240 balls, Sakariya managed the best economy (7.8) among all pace bowlers. That list of pacers included names like Chris Morris, Mustafizur Rahman, Ben Stokes, Mohammad Shami, Jhye Richardson and Riley Meredith.</p>.<p><strong>Weaknesses</strong>: Rahul Tewatia and Shreyas Gopal are the first-choice spinners. They are preferred for team balance as they provide batting ability down the order. However, they haven't been able to make an impact with their bowling. Against Punjab, the two bowled five overs and conceded 65 runs while failing to pick up any wickets. The team should try out other options as these two are holding them back.</p>.<p><strong>Opportunities</strong>: With Ben Stokes out of the tournament with injury, overseas batters David Miller or Liam Livingstone are likely to make the playing XI. Miller entered the season with an attractive fifty, his fastest ODI half-century, against Pakistan. Livingstone is a hard-hitting batsman who can take on the fast bowlers.</p>.<p><strong>Threats</strong>: RR's core strength revolved around Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes. With two of them currently unavailable, the team has multiple hurdles to overcome. The team will have a tough time in the coming matches unless someone else in the squad can take up the responsibility of delivering for the team.<br /><br /><strong>The SWOT for DC</strong></p>.<p><strong>Strengths</strong>: South African pacer Kagiso Rabada can inflict a lot of damage on the opposition batting. He fetched 30 wickets last season and claimed the coveted Purple Cap. Fellow South African Anrich Nortje supported him well last year but he is right now stuck in quarantine awaiting the delayed results of his Covid-19 test.</p>.<p><strong>Weaknesses</strong>: A somewhat shaky middle-order. For a long stretch last season, DC depended on the top order to deliver. However, if an opposition team can remove the likes of Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan and Rishabh Pant, that would heap pressure on the middle-order comprising Ajinkya Rahane, Marcus Stoinis and Shimron Hetmyer. RR need to figure out ways to snag some top-order wickets.</p>.<p><strong>Opportunities</strong>: An upbeat DC have a chance to continue their winning momentum and rack up some early tournament points. And they've also made a good start in terms of their net run rate.</p>.<p><strong>Threats</strong>: Rishabh Pant is still new to IPL captaincy. He is not used to high-pressure situations and opposition teams can use that to their advantage.</p>.<p><strong>Head-to-head:</strong></p>.<p><strong>Matches played</strong>: 22</p>.<p><strong>RR</strong>: 11</p>.<p><strong>DC</strong>: 11</p>.<p><strong>Form guide</strong> (most recent match first):</p>.<p><strong>RR</strong>: L-L-W-W-L</p>.<p><strong>DC</strong>: W-L-W-L-W</p>.<p><strong>Team news</strong></p>.<p>In a huge setback, RR all-rounder Ben Stokes has been ruled out of the tournament with a broken finger. Stokes suffered the injury while fielding against the Punjab Kings. DC's Kagiso Rabada is expected to be available for selection but Anrich Nortje is still stuck in quarantine due to a delay in getting his Covid-19 test results. DC's Axar Patel, who was diagnosed with Covid-19, will also be unavailable as he continues his recovery.</p>.<p><br /><strong><em>Deccan Herald’s</em> dream XI:</strong></p>.<p>Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson, Rishabh Pant (captain & wicketkeeper), Marcus Stoinis, Chris Morris, Rahul Tewatia, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Amit Mishra.<br /><br /><strong>Impact player for RR</strong></p>.<p><strong>Sanju Samson</strong>: The 26-year-old made a statement with a brilliant ton on his captaincy debut against Punjab. With Stokes out of the tournament, Samson will have to take on more responsibility. He will also have to add consistency to his form and carry it through the season.</p>.<p><strong>Impact player for DC</strong></p>.<p><strong>Kagiso Rabada</strong>: Expect him to make an immediate impact with wickets up top and at the death. Rabada snagged four wickets in the two matches against RR last season. A true match-winner, he could soon put himself among the Purple Cap contenders again.</p>.<p><strong>How to watch</strong></p>.<p>The match will be broadcast live on the Star Sports network. Viewers can also catch the action online on Disney+Hotstar. The match begins at 7.30 pm IST.</p>