What happened the last time DC played an IPL match in Jaipur?
In a battle of two young captains in IPL 2024, the Delhi Capitals (DC) will lock horns with the spirited Rajasthan Royals (RR) at Jaipur on Thursday, March 28.
Both teams have had contrasting starts to their IPL 2024 campaigns. DC under Rishabh Pant didn't have a great start to their campaign, losing a close encounter against the Punjab Kings at Mullanpur.
On the other hand, the Sanju Samson-lead Rajasthan couldn't have asked for a better start with a near-perfect match at their home ground in Jaipur against the Lucknow Super Giants where they emerged victorious by 20 runs.
Delhi desperately needs a win to avoid too much opening a gap between them and other teams in the points table while Rajasthan will want to keep their momentum going.
But there's one thing that might be an area of concern for DC heading into this match: they have never played any game at Jaipur since 2019.
What happened the last time DC played an IPL match in Jaipur?
The last time these two teams faced each other at Jaipur, fans got to witness a run fest and a special innings from a very special player in Rishabh Pant.
That being said, let's revisit the IPL 2019 match between the Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals in Jaipur.
#3 Rahane and Smith power Rajasthan
After losing opener Sanju Samson for a diamond duck in the second over, Rajasthan skipper Steven Smith joined opener Ajinkya Rahane in the middle.
Both senior players started cautiously, but once set, Rahane decided to take on the Delhi bowlers. He spared no one and clubbed 16 runs off Sherfane Rutherford's over and didn't allow Chris Morris to settle down with his astute gap maneuvering.
It seemed like the partnership would take Rajasthan to a mammoth total in excess of 220, with them going around 10 runs per over in 13 overs. Smith played second fiddle to Rahane, who scored a magnificent century in 60 balls.
#2 DC bowlers pulled things back
Rajasthan were all guns blazing, with Rahane and Smith tonking everything that came their way. And with Ben Stokes and Ashton Turner to come in, a total of 220 was looking ominous.
But the Delhi bowlers, especially Kagiso Rabada and Chris Morris, stitched dot balls to put pressure back on RR batters. This resulted in a batting collapse, which meant DC restricted Rajasthan to 191/6, a fairly gettable total.
#1 Pant's madness ensured DC's win
Chasing 192, DC openers, especially Shikhar Dhawan, batted the way the doctor ordered. He took on the bowling from the word go, smoking 54 runs in just 26 balls, with Delhi racing to 72 runs in just 7 overs.
But Shreyas Gopal scalped both Dhawan and skipper Shreyas Iyer in two overs to push Delhi on the back foot.
The climbing required run rate was not allowing upcoming batter Rishabh Pant to put the foot off the accelerator The left-hander didn't hesitate to counterattack either.
Along with opener Prithvi Shaw, he added 84 runs in just 46 balls. Pant ended with 76 not out in 36 balls, ensuring Delhi won the encounter with four balls to spare.