Rajasthan Royals will be without the services of explosive top-order batsman Evin Lewis and the most expensive player in Indian Premier League (IPL) history Chris Morris, skipper Sanju Samson said after he won the toss and elected to bowl vs Delhi Capitals on Saturday.
Its the first day game of the season, which will make batting easier in the second half of the day, Samson said on his decision to bowl. Reflecting on his side’s thrilling win in their last outing against the Punjab Kings, Samson lauded the “complete team effort”.
“We have all settled down and moved on to this game, it was a complete team effort by everyone,” he said.
South African duo of Tabraiz Shamsi and David Miller have been included to replace Morris and Lewis.
Meanwhile, DC skipper Rishabh Pant said he also would have chosen to chase. “We were looking to bowl first as well, but it doesn’t matter. There will be a bit on the wicket in the day game,” he said.
He confirmed one change for the game, with Lalit Yadav replacing Marcus Stoinis.
He said his team is not focusing on the playoffs yet, and just want to get the next win under their belt. “It’s good to be nearing a record, but we’re not looking at individual performances, not thinking too much about qualifying.”
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Pitch report: Pitch number 8 will be in use for today’s game at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium. Its a new strip with moisture in the surface. There’s no base underneath so spinners are likely to dominate. Pacers will be looking to hit the deck hard and get some bounce off the surface and will be challenging.
Playing XIs:
Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (WK/C), Liam Livingstone, David Miller, Mahipal Lomror, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Kartik Tyagi, Chetan Sakariya, Mustafizur Rahman, Tabraiz Shamsi.
Delhi Capitals: Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (WK/C), Lalit Yadav, Shimron Hetmyer, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Avesh Khan.
