Rajasthan Royals vs Delhi Capitals Predictions: Delhi are having issues with the unavailability of Rishab Pant

Playing in their third game of the season Rajasthan Royals will welcome Delhi Capitals in the 11th game of the season at Barsapara Cricket Stadium on 8th April. The teams have started their campaigns in very contrasting manners. Who will win this game?

The Rajasthan Royals (RR) have kicked off their IPL 2023 campaign with a victory and a loss. In their opening match, they emerged victorious against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by a massive 72 runs. But their second match against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the Baraspara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati didn't go as planned as they lost by a narrow margin of 5 runs.

The RR bowlers had a tough time in their last match as they were unable to contain the opening pair of Shikhar Dhawan and Prabhsimran Singh. With the spinners struggling, the onus will be on the likes of Trent Boult, Jason Holder, and KM Asif to pick up early wickets. Holder was impressive in the last match with his death bowling and will be expected to lead the attack once again.

The team's batting also needs improvement as their experiment of sending Ravichandran Ashwin to open the innings didn't work out. Going forward, they are expected to stick with their tried and tested opening pair of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler. The middle order consisting of Sanju Samson, Devdutt Padikkal, Riyan Parag, and Shimron Hetmeyer is strong, which should give them a lot of confidence.

In their last match against PBKS, they were three down inside the powerplay and were struggling until Hetmyer and Jurel batted well to take them closer to the finish line. Jurel, who made his IPL debut as an impact player, played an excellent cameo and is expected to be seen in the starting eleven soon.

Overall, RR has a lot of potential and talent, and they will be looking to bounce back strongly in their upcoming matches.

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson (wk/c), Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Jason Holder, Ravichandran Ashwin, Obed McCoy, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal

The Delhi Capitals (DC) have had a rough start to their IPL 2023 campaign, losing their first two matches. In their first game against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), they were beaten by a significant margin of 50 runs. In their second match against Gujarat Titans (GT), they only managed to score 162 runs in their 20 overs, which their bowlers failed to defend.

As they prepare to face Rajasthan Royals (RR) in their third match of the season, DC will be looking to bounce back and get their campaign back on track. Although RR will be familiar with the conditions at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, DC will be hoping to use their opponent's recent loss to PBKS to their advantage.

DC's batting has been a major concern so far, with only David Warner showing consistency at the top of the order. The middle order, which includes Sarfaraz Khan, Mitchell Marsh, Rilee Rossouw, and Axar Patel, has failed to fire. The team is also struggling to find a stable alternative for Rishabh Pant behind the stumps.

On the bowling front, Anrich Nortje has been impressive, picking up two wickets in his debut game. However, apart from him, the bowlers have failed to take wickets regularly.

As they take on RR, DC will be looking for improved performances from their batting and bowling units. Warner will be hoping for better support from his opening partner Prithvi Shaw, while Khan and Patel will be looking to build on their promising performances. Nortje and Khaleel Ahmed will be the key bowlers for DC.

The Delhi Capitals will be desperate to register their first win of the season and avoid falling to the bottom of the table.

Prithvi Shaw, David Warner (c), Mitchell Marsh, Rovman Powell, Sarfaraz Khan, Axar Patel, Abishek Porel (wk), Kuldeep Yadav, Anrich Nortje, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar

Saturday's match at the Baraspara Stadium is likely to be another high-scoring affair, with dry and grassless conditions favouring the batsmen. DC is having a hard time with the bat and it will be interesting how they go about their business. Opting to bowl first will be a key decision, and achieving a score of around 200 runs on this pitch would be considered commendable. We expect a high-scoring game and Rajasthan is expected to come out on top.