News from the middle is straightforward enough: “We’ll have a bowl first,” Rajat Patidar told the umpires after winning the toss. That decision keeps Royal Challengers Bengaluru on brand – they sit second on the table and prefer to know their target – while Delhi Capitals, sixth and searching for rhythm, are forced to set one on a different pitch to Saturday’s run-fest.
Phil Salt’s calf is still niggling, so the RCB top order remains Kohli-Padikkal-Patidar. Jacob Bethell is absent from the starting XI but is almost certain to appear as the Impact Player once the chase begins. “He gives us flexibility if the asking rate climbs,” a member of the back-room staff explained before play.
Delhi’s XI has been shaken up rather more. Lungi Ngidi, who suffered a nasty bang to the head against Punjab Kings and spent Saturday night under observation, has been ruled out on medical advice. Kyle Jamieson, back to full fitness after ankle trouble, takes his place, and Sri Lanka’s Dushmantha Chameera is drafted in for extra pace. Pathum Nissanka and Mukesh Kumar drop out; 18-year-old Sahil Parakh, a clean-striking Maharashtra batter with India Under-19 experience, is handed a debut. Director of cricket Venugopal Rao talked up Parakh pre-season, calling him “fearless and inventive” – tonight is his first chance to show it under lights.
Saturday’s fixture on pitch No. 6 produced a ridiculous 529-run aggregate – only one T20 has ever seen more – but we switch to strip No. 5 this evening. Earlier in the month Gujarat Titans managed 210 here, enough to pip Delhi by a single run, so expectations of another 250-plus shoot-out are being kept in check. “It still looks good for batting,” said an assistant coach during inspection, “though there’s a hint of grip if you hit the seam.”
Delhi Capitals (bat first): Sahil Parakh, KL Rahul (wk), Nitish Rana, Sameer Rizvi, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Axar Patel (capt), Dushmantha Chameera, Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan, Kyle Jamieson
Impact options: Auqib Nabi, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, T Vijay, Abishek Porel
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (bowl first): Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (capt), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Salam Dar
Impact options: Jacob Bethell, Jordan Cox, Mangesh Yadav, Vicky Ostwal, Venkatesh Iyer
Key facts at a glance
• RCB second on the ladder with five wins from seven; DC sixth at three-four.
• Salt still sidelined; Parakh debuts.
• Ngidi stable but rested after head injury; Jamieson returns.
• Match on pitch No. 5, venue of GT’s 210/7 earlier this season.
With both sides keen on chasing, Patidar has won a small but perhaps telling battle. The heavier duty rests with Delhi’s revamped batting card.
