Deadline: April 28, 2019 at 4 PM IST
Venue: Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
Pitch, scores, and conditions
The average first and second innings scores, at Delhi this season, read 159 and 152 respectively. The dew factor forces captains to bowl first, and thrice in five matches, the decision to chase has paid off. However, Delhi have tasted success only twice at home.
The pitch has gotten better. Ricky Ponting, the head coach, had time and again been complaining about the conditions. The curators have eventually dished out a pitch that best suits their home team. Expect runs to come thick and fast on Sunday.
Probable XI for Delhi: Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Colin Ingram, Axar Patel, Sherfane Rutherford, Amit Mishra, Kagiso Rabada, Ishant Sharma, Sandeep Lamichhane
Probable XI for Bangalore: Parthiv Patel (wk), Virat Kohli (c), AB de Villiers, Moeen Ali, Akshdeep Nath, Marcus Stoinis, Washington Sundar, Umesh Yadav, Tim Southee, Yuzvendra Chahal, Navdeep Saini
Fantasy team
We have opted for a fantasy cricket team on the basis of players’ impact, recent performances, and credit points.
Note that you can, now, change your team after the toss. You can also check players’ performances in the last 5 matches. Tap on the players’ names to get the data while making your fantasy team. Know the point system well before you start.
My XI: Parthiv Patel (wk), AB de Villiers, Virat Kohli (vc), Shikhar Dhawan (c), Shreyas Iyer, Sherfane Rutherford, Moeen Ali, Chris Morris, Kagiso Rabada, Yuzvendra Chahal, Sandeep Lamichhane
Points table
If Bangalore win their remaining three matches, they will collect 14 points – the exact number of points Delhi have already attained in 11 matches. Delhi anyway have to win all their matches in order to avoid the eliminator.
Previous meeting
Iyer starred in the previous contest between these two teams, scoring 67 in a chase of 150 runs. Rabada was awarded for Player of the Match award for his bowling figures of 4 for 28, including the all-important wickets of Kohli and ABD.
Players to watch out for
Wicketkeepers from both teams, Pant and Parthiv, have been brilliant this season. In 11 matches, Pant has smashed 336 runs at a stunning average of 37.3, while Parthiv has scored 10 runs fewer in as many matches.
The same is the case with ABD (414 runs), Dhawan (401 runs), and Kohli (400 runs). All three will play a key role in laying strong foundations at the top.
There are best bowlers and then there is Rabada. He has sniped up 23 wickets – 6 more than the second-highest – in 11 matches at a superior average of 14.6. You give him any pitch and he finds a way to scale up his wicket column.
For Bangalore, Chahal has taken bulk of the wickets. That being said, he has managed only 1 wicket in the last three matches. And with Steyn gone back home to nurse his shoulder injury, the onus will be on the leg-spinner to keep the opposition batters under pressure.
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Nice
Bangalore team is nice.