IPL 2024: Predicting 3 players who could pick up the most wickets in today's RR vs DC match
To help you recover from the shock of Wednesday's record-clattering IPL 2024 encounter between the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) and the Mumbai Indians (MI), we have a more regular cricket-friendly game lined up for Thursday.
Jaipur's Sawai Mansingh Stadium will play host to the Rajasthan Royals (RR) clash against the Delhi Capitals (DC) on a pitch that had a bit for everyone when Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) visted here in the previous match.
It was two-paced and offered variable bounce in the afternoon which rewarded consistent bowling and self-application while batting. And although Thursday's is a night game, RR and DC's bowlers are at least likely to not feel that this sport isn't for them and they can be replaced by bowling machines any day.
On that note, here's our take on which three could be among the most wickets:
#3 Trent Boult
Trent Boult looked close to returning to his best form in RR's IPL 2024 opener against LSG. He was lucky to get Quinton de Kock out early but simply forced Devdutt Padikkal into submission for a duck. And despite the assault by Nicholas Pooran in his final over, he ended with pretty decent figures of 2/35.
The first evening game in Jaipur could suit him much better. Early swing would be likely and his short balls and slower-ones would hold a bit in the surface, making it difficult for the batters to clear the long boundaries.
Had it not been for Abhishek Porel's final-over heroics against Harshal Patel to take DC to a par score against the Punjab Kings, we would be talking much more about how DC's middle-order crumbled from 94/2 to 147/8.
Not only the middle and lower-orders, but David Warner who has got out to him three times in 13 T20/T20I clashes, might have a hard time against him too.
#2 Sandeep Sharma
Sandeep Sharma epitomised RR's win against LSG. The veteran pacer, who made his name with his swing in the IPL, bowled his first over in the 15th of the second innings. He ended with figures of 1/22 in three overs with the all-important wicket of LSG's well-set captain KL Rahul next to his name.
The tactic was exceptional. His cuttters and the use of wide length balls strangulated Rahul and Pooran and LSG didn't know what hit them. Even RR captain Sanju Samson said after the game that Sandeep deserved the Player of the Match more than him because RR wouldn't have won without him.
If RR use him in the same way against DC, he'd be able to expose their soft under-belly even more than Boult. The more Capitals go looking for quick runs in the last five overs, they more chances there would be for him to take wickets.
#1 Kuldeep Yadav could be a contendor for IPL 2024 Purple Cap
You can't speak enough about Kuldeep Yadav's comeback peak. He had an unlucky IPL 2023 but Rishabh Pant's return behind the stumps seemed to have brought his best for the Capitals against PBKS.
The wicketkeeper constantly encouraged his strike bowler to loop the ball up, set the perfect fields and it resulted in two wickets that brought DC back in the game. But one stump-mic chatter caught Pant asking him to "not be afraid" apparently due to the short boundaries in Mullanpur and give the batters easy singles.
Jaipur's longer boundaries would help him more in that regard and so would RR's ultra-agressive right-handers. He's likely to be one of the contendors for the Purple Cap come the end of IPL 2024 and it'd be a massive surprise if he doesn't pick wickets on Thursday.