Preview DC vs RCB IPL 2021, Match 22, April 27th, Narendra Modi Stadium. DC vs RCB head to head player stats and records. Team news and match predictions for DC vs RCB.
Key match stats DC vs RCB preview
Venue Stats – Narendra Modi Stadium
- Average first innings: 163
- Average first innings winning score: 171
- Average powerplay score: 47
- All-time win % batting 1st vs batting 2nd: 50% / 42%
Find full venue stats and records here
Team form DC vs RCB preview
- DC – WWWLW
- RCB – LWWWW
- Recent meetings: IPL 2020, DC won by 59 runs, DC won by 6 wickets
DC vs RCB preview
As we preview DC vs RCB, it really feels like the games are coming thick and fast in this IPL 2021 tournament. Both teams are coming off the back of gruelling matches on Sunday with DC needing a super over to beat the Sunrisers and RCB’s 100% record evaporating (along with a large amount of sweat) in the heat of a day time game in Mumbai. We hope then that those exertions plus the fact that the teams have had to travel and set up in a new Covid secure bubble won’t impact what should otherwise be a fascinating fixture between 2 of the early favourites for the title.
DC will certainly come into the game full of confidence with 3 wins in a row under their belt including 2 really good scraps against tough opposition at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. The Capitals will also be able to draw upon the fact that they comfortably defeated RCB twice in last year’s IPL and they’ll be keen to extend that run against a team they could well end up facing during the playoffs, if not the final itself.
For RCB, the run of wins had to end sometime and I’m sure that the experienced heads in the squad will take a similarly pragmatic view of Sunday’s defeat against the Super Kings. At the 19 over point of CSK’s innings, RCB would probably feel they were in control of the game but then … It’s the nature of T20 cricket that overs like that will happen every so often and I’m sure RCB will be keen to bounce back vs DC today.
I’m writing this preview before the opening match has taken place at the Narendra Modi Stadium so we’ll have to wait and see what the conditions are like. Suffice to say that both teams have the advantage of a smattering of international stars who featured in T20 series between India and England so the venue which hasn’t been used to host an IPL fixture for some 6 years, won’t be completely alien to them.
DC vs RCB head to head stats
DC bowling vs RCB batting
A quick look then at RCB’s batsmen who have played at the Narendra Modi Stadium before does show that Kohli and de Villiers have enjoyed previous IPL matches at this venue, albeit some time ago. By coincidence both players have scored 62 runs here with Kohli yet to be dismissed and AB having been out just the once.
Previewing this game, you would think that the big head to head would be Rabada vs the likes of Kohli, Maxwell and de Villiers. However, the South African speedster is yet to really find his rhythm in IPL 2021 and you could argue that it was his poor last over in the previous game that required DC to go to the super over in the first place. Rabada does have very good stats against this much vaunted RCB battin unit but we wait to see if he can improve upon them given his current form
Of course, it could just be a case of Rabada pinning for a reunion with his South African colleague Anrich Nortje that is prompting his dip in form. The performances of the likes of Avesh Khan and Amit Mishra have ensured that Nortje hasn’t been missed to date but we saw that England’s out and out pacers were successful on this pitch against India and as such we may yet see a recall for the RSA quick in this match particularly given the 5 wickets he took against RCB in last year’s IPL
One big head to head match up in favour of RCB has always been Ashwin vs Kohli with the world’s number 1 red ball spinner having only managed to dismiss his international captain once over an extended IPL career. Perhaps this is why Ashwin doesn’t get a look into India’s T20 side?
Assuming that the Narendra Modi isn’t a slow turning dust bowl like the pitches of Chennai then DC will have a difficult decision to make as to whether to keep their 3 pronged spin attack and if they do opt for a little more firepower, which spinner might they drop?
RCB bowling vs DC batting
In my mind at least, Mohammed Siraj has been one of if not the best bowler on show in IPL 2021 across all phases of the game. He’s kept it tight up front and taken wickets in the powerplay as well as being effective at the back end of an innings without quite picking up the bonus wickets that Harshal Patel has managed. Coming into this match he also has a very good head to head record against the DC top 3.
Indeed, stopping the DC powerplay train will be crucial for RCB in this match with Dhawan the current orange cap wearer and Prithvi Shaw having a better strike rate than any other top order batsmen in IPL 2021.
As far as DC are concerned, they’ve generally opted to play the extra batsman in their last couple of matches which has required them to use 3 of their overseas slots. Again, unless we get to the Narendra Modi and discover it too is going to be a pitch that is hard to score on then I’d imagine that it will be a choice between Smith and Hetmyer as to who gets picked with Marcus Stoinis reverting to more of a batting allrounder role.
In regards Hetmyer, I’ve always had the impression that he is little more than just a haircut and a flashy pair of trainers and his performances to date for DC have done little to convince me otherwise. Granted, he doesn’t always get a long period at the crease particularly given the form of DC’s top order over the last couple of seasons but 15 matches into his Capitals career and it’s difficult to remember him really influencing a game for them! Of course, in this match (if he plays) he’d come up against his former employers and the only IPL team he has scored a 50 for in two and a half seasons of trying.
All IPL player head to head records can be found here
