There was a stage in this IPL in UAE when it was a foregone conclusion that Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore would make the playoff stage with consummate ease. Both DC and RCB were in rampaging form and looked the best teams in the competition given their depth and balance. Only Mumbai Indians looked in the same class and category. But with successive defeats in the business end of the league stage, it has been one hell of a time for Delhi and Bangalore. While Mumbai Indians played as per their reputation to bag the No. 1 spot on the table (18 points from 13 matches) and can't be dislodged from that position, DC and RCB need to win full points in their 14th and last matches to stay in the hunt for phase 2 of IPL 2020. Both Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore are on 14 points and RCB (-0.145) have a marginally better nett run rate than DC (-0.159). The No. 2, 3 and 4 positions won't be decided till Tuesday after the Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Mumbai Indians match. SRH are on 12 points after 13 matches and have a positive nett run rate (0.555). Kolkata Knight Riders are also in fray after finishing on 14 points. (POINTS TABLE | FIXTURES & RESULTS)
Live streaming of the Delhi Capitals vs Royal Challengers Bangalore IPL 2020 match will start from 7:30 PM Indian Standard Time (IST). IPL is being broadcasted live on the Star Sports network in India. Fans can watch DC vs RCB on Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 HD, Star Sports 2, Star Sports 2 HD, Star Sports 1 Hindi and Star Sports 1 Hindi HD TV channels. Live streaming will be on Disney+ Hotstar. Jio and Airtel also offer live streaming on smart phones.
Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers have suffered a slump in form at the wrong time. DC have lost four matches on-the-trot and RCB have tasted three straight defeats. The teams have largely suffered due to poor batting that has been their strength.
Virat Kohli and AB De Villiers have done the bulk of the scoring for RCB. Young Devdutt Padikkal has given RCB rousing starts but it's the big games where he has not been able to contribute. Kohli has depended a lot on his young all-rounders like Washington Sundar but the presence of South African Chris Morris has been a big factor. How Morris performs against his old team in a needle game will be worth watching.
Delhi Capitals have a lot of experience in their batting. Shikhar Dhawan has suffered a run drought after scoring back-to-back centuries. The normally reliable Shreyas Iyer has not been able to stitch partnerships and suddenly all plans have gone haywire. Big teams normally know how to pull things back quickly and Ricky Ponting would have worked overtime to bring his team back on course.
The first leg match between RCB and DC ended in a 59-run win for Iyer's team. Kagiso Rabada finished with four wickets for 24 runs and was well supported by fellow-South African paceman Anrich Nortje and all-rounder Axar Patel who took two wickets each. DC will look up to Rabada and Co to keep Kohli and his batting giants in control for sure. Watch DC vs RCB live.