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Bangalore: Exonerated delhi capitals Allowed himself to be in a playoff race, but leader was struck by one match ban Reesha Pant.
Capital’s have had to pay a heavy price since their 20th consecutive victory over Rajasthan Royals on Tuesday. The cost of losing at a slow pace at the back isn’t much of an issue but Pant’s absence during Sunday’s crucial game with RCB can dent the chances of Capitals’ advancement.
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“I think it’s not just about losing our top scorer, we also face an uphill task,” D.C.’s head coach Ricky Ponting said.
The wicketkeeper-batsman who has made a comeback after being away for long is now team’s highest run-getter with 413 runs and his deputy Axar Patel will captain in absence of Pant while Abhishek Borel becomes automatically selected character donning gloves behind the wickets.
Capitals have been flat this season but redeemed themselves and won three out of their last four games. It won’t be an easy task versus RCB as they need to overcome Pant’s setback since home side is in form winning all their previous four matches and they must move past the Capitals to remain alive in the competition.
A defeat at home would deny them any chance of promotion from the Championship that they have seen win over the past few weeks. Fife du Plessis His men have shown they will not surrender without a fight.
In view of cloudy skies above M Chinnaswamy Stadium and bowling resources on each side, it should make for interesting contest. If RCB bowlers continue in this manner, well-disciplined and accurate like when they faced Gujarat Titans last time at home then Capitol batsmen who’ve been inconsistent throughout the season would do well to avoid any mistakes in the match.
Mohammed Siraj seems to have found his rhythm and Swapnil Singh, a left arm spinner has also done well. Capitals have also got proven wicket-takers with Mukesh Kumar (15 wickets) and Khalil Ahmed (14) leading the pace attack. However, spinners Kuldeep Yadav (14), Axar (10) both of whom are economical bowlers will most likely be required by DC.
