Apr 22: Delhi Capitals vs Rajasthan Royals, 34th Match, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Safe XI: Jos Buttler (capt), Rishabh Pant, David Warner (vice-capt), Shimron Hetmyer, Prithvi Shaw, Devdutt Padikkal, Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Khaleel Ahmed, Trent Boult
Captain: Jos Buttler
The Orange Cap holder with 375 runs in six outings with two hundreds this season is our obvious choice for captaincy in our safe XI. In his T20 career, he has scored more runs at the Wankhede Stadium than anywhere else – 626 runs in 22 games at a strike rate of 146.94.
Vice-captain: David Warner
After a difficult season with Sunrisers Hyderabad, David Warner has turned his form around this season with Capitals, recording scores of 61(45), 66(38) and 60*(30) in his last three outings. In the last four games against Royals, he has scored 158 runs at a strike rate of 142.34.
Hot Picks
Yuzvendra Chahal: The current Purple Cap holder with a staggering 17 wickets in six outings bowled one of the overs of the tournament in Royals’ last game against Kolkata Knight Riders, picking up four wickets for two runs. The last time he played at the Wankhede, he picked up 4 for 41 against Lucknow Super Giants.
Shimron Hetmyer: As a finisher in T20 cricket, maintaining consistency is one of the most difficult skills but Hetmyer has aced it this season recording scores of 25 or more in all six of his outings. He has scored the most runs in the death overs this season – 152 runs in just 62 balls at a strike rate of 249.18 with just two dismissals.
Differential Picks
Khaleel Ahmed: Like Warner, Khaleel has found form with Capitals after an indifferent season with Sunrisers. He has picked up ten wickets in five outings so far, and returned an economy rate of 7.15.
Axar Patel: After a sedate start to the season with the ball, Axar Patel played a key role in Capitals’ win over Punjab Kings on Wednesday, taking 2 for 10 in his four overs. Against Royals he has picked up 12 wickets in 11 games, and maintained an economy rate of 6.76.
High Risk XI: Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson, Rishabh Pant (capt), David Warner, Shimron Hetmyer (vice-capt), Sarfaraz Khan, Lalit Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Khaleel Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Obed McCoy
Source: ESPN Crickinfo