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Both the Rajasthan Royals (RR) and the Delhi Capitals (DC) are expected to be without key players when they face off in Match 58 of the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) at the DY Patil Stadium on Wednesday, May 11.
However, they cannot afford to give the other an inch as the playoff race heats up. RR will be without Shimron Hetmyer, who has returned home owing to the birth of his child. They are likely to replace the southpaw with South African batter Rassie van der Dussen. DC, on the other hand, are likely to miss the services of Prithvi Shaw, who has been hospitalized and is recovering from a bad fever.
The first meeting between the two sides this year was marred by an ugly final-over controversy that saw a dubious no-ball call, an enraged DC bench and a potentially record-breaking blitz from Rovman Powell cruelly cut short. DC vs RR won't be short of drama this time around either, although Obed McCoy has since lost his place in the Royals playing XI.
While qualification for the playoffs and even a top-two spot is at stake for the Royals, the Capitals cannot afford a loss in their last-ditch quest to make the top four. An interesting encounter is on the cards on Wednesday.
You can find the full IPL match list here.
IPL 2022 Match Prediction: RR vs DC
The battle of the openers could well determine the fate of the DC vs RR clash. Jos Buttler and David Warner have unsurprisingly been two of the best batters on display in IPL 2022 and their respective IPL teams are heavily dependent on them to provide explosive starts while batting through the innings. This is especially true in the case of Buttler, since RR don't bat very deep and will need to make up for Hetmyer's absence.
Who can get Buttler out? Khaleel Ahmed troubled him in the previous meeting with a stellar first over, but the other DC bowlers couldn't quite do enough to unsettle the RR opener. Buttler has a good record against Kuldeep Yadav, who has been a touch expensive over the last few IPL 2022 matches. He is also the master of playing out strike bowlers before destroying the weak links, something the Capitals will be wary of.
Warner, on the other hand, was dismissed relatively early by Prasidh Krishna. Trent Boult remains a new-ball threat but his influence has waned a touch over the second half of the season, while Yuzvendra Chahal broke a lean run of wicket-taking form with a three-fer in RR's last encounter.
Overall, this one is too close to call. But given how often Hetmyer has bailed RR out of trouble this season and how his potential replacements in the playing XI have struggled to find their bearings, the Capitals could start as the favorites. Unless Buttler can produce something special, DC can be backed to recover from their thrashing at the hands of the Chennai Super Kings.
Prediction: DC to win Match 58 of IPL 2022
