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Rajasthan and Delhi lock horns in what will be an enthralling affair at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday, April 15.

While Delhi are in confident spirits after their seven-wicket win over Chennai, which gave Rishabh Pant a flying start to his captaincy, Rajasthan will be eager to make things right after a disheartening defeat to Punjab on Sunday. The Sanju Samson-led side have lost Ben Stokes to injury, and this effectively means they now will prolong their Indian T20 League 2021 campaign without one of the best all-rounders in the format.

The Rajasthan vs Delhi head-to-head record is all square at present, with each side registering 11 wins each from their 22 encounters so far. However, Rishabh Pant and Co. have won each of the last five meetings between the teams in the T20 extravaganza thus emphasizing the advantage they carry into the upcoming tie.

Rajasthan vs Delhi head-to-head
Rajasthan Metrics Delhi
22 Matches 22
11 Wins 11
50% Win Percentage 50%
Record at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Rajasthan Metrics Delhi
9 Matches 10
4 Wins 4
44.44% Win Percentage 40%

Rajasthan and Delhi have both picked up four wins from the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, although Rishabh Pant's men have played a game more. Both teams have played at the venue this term, and have a gist of the conditions available at hand. Considering it is a ground that caters to massive totals, the toss-winning captain is likely to bat first. The toss record is in favour of Rajasthan, who have won three of the last five tosses.

Coin toss record and H2H last 5 matches
Rajasthan Metrics Delhi
3 Tosses won 2
0 Matches won 5
0% Win Percentage 100%

While his consistency is always questioned, Shikhar Dhawan is one of the most entertaining batsmen in the Indian T20 League. Since 2018, the opener has scored 1,721 runs at an average of 40.02 while aggregating 450-plus runs in his last three consecutive seasons. The odds back him as the top batsmen to score maximum runs in the Rajasthan vs Delhi fixture, and he will lock horns in a batsman vs bowler duel with Liam Livingstone - the apparent replacement of the injured Jofra Archer.

With Ben Stokes ruled out of the 2021 edition, South Africa’s David Miller will be given the responsibility to pile up the runs in the middle order. The 31-year-old has aggregated 322 runs in 14 meetings with Delhi - at a strike rate of 115.82 - and will be aiming to add to his tally of 1850 runs.

Best Batsmen
Player Matches Innings Runs High score Average Strike rate 100 50
Shikhar Dhawan 19 19 547 78* 32.17 130.23 0 6
David Miller 14 14 322 47* 35.77 115.82 0 0

Delhi veteran Amit Mishra will look to make amends for missing out on wickets in his 150th Indian T20 League match on Saturday, April 10. The spinner, with 150 wickets in his career, has scalped 30 wickets against Rajasthan at a strike rate of 14, and will look to exploit the troubled state of affairs in Rajasthan's batting order.

Jaydev Unadkat, meanwhile, has a formidable record against Delhi so far, bagging 16 wickets from eight matches. The batsman-friendly pitch is expected to be a hassle for the pacer but the 29-year-old - with 81 career wickets in his Indian T20 League career - is poised to make a strong statement on Thursday and add to his tally of seven scalps in as many visits.

Best Bowlers
Player Innings Overs Maidens Wickets Average Economy Strike rate
Amit Mishra 19 70 1 30 16.1 6.9 14
Jaydev Unadkat 8 28.2 0 16 15 8.47 10.6

Featured photo: AFP / Xavier Galiana

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