IPL 2017: RPS v DD, Game 9 – Match Result Predictions

The Rising Pune Supergiant will play host to the Delhi Daredevils in the 9th match of the season at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune. RPS started off with a victory at the same venue in their first game of the season against Mumbai Indians but lost their previous game against Kings XI Punjab. DD looked like winning their first game against Royal Challengers Bangalore when the young Rishabh Pant was going strong but RCB’s disciplined bowling at the death pulled it back for them. Both RPS and DD will go into the game with a loss on their backs.

The match will begin at 8 PM on a pitch that plays well for the batsmen. In the last game at Pune, MI batted first and scored 184 runs which RPS chased down courtesy a brilliant 84 from their skipper Steven Smith. Their record batting second is excellent but they have struggled setting up the targets. They have lost 8 games on the trot while batting first and once again they would look to bat last. Winning the toss and fielding first seems to be the trend in the IPL so far and this encounter could witness the same too.

Here is what Crictracker predicts for the game:

Scenario 1: RPS wins the toss

Toss prediction: RPS would choose to bowl first

First innings score prediction: 140-150

Second innings prediction: RPS would win the match by 7 wickets with 2 overs in hand

Scenario 2: DD wins the toss

Toss prediction: DD would choose to bowl first

First innings score prediction: 160-170

Second innings prediction: RPS would win the match by 10-20 runs

Head to Head Record

Overall: Total Matches – 2, RPS Won – 2, DD Won – 0

This will be the first occasion when RPS will host DD in Pune. Last year, they had played their home game in Visakhapatnam against the opposition. RPS hold an edge over DD as they defeated them in both their previous meetings once batting first and the other while chasing. The current scenario of the league also suggests that RPS have a better chance of winning once again.

Playing Combinations:

Rising Pune Supergiant

The opening batsman Ajinkya Rahane looked in top form in the first game against MI when he scored 60 off just 34 balls but missed out in the next game. But his presence at the top is assuring for RPS. His partner Mayank Agarwal has had two failures in a row and that would be a cause for concern.  The skipper Smith has been a stupendous form since he landed in India and would be expected to come good again. Ben Stokes and Manoj Tiwary too played decent knocks in the last game and the batting order looks ominous. But MS Dhoni hasn’t found his touch so far and would be itching to hit the stripes as soon as possible.

Their major concern is in the bowling department. Ashok Dinda was taken for plenty against MI and did not come too good against KXIP either. Daniel Christian also went for 12 runs per over in the last match. Their major weapons would be Stokes and Imran Tahir. Stokes has picked up 2 wickets in 2 games whereas Tahir has 5 wickets in the bag already and is the current leading wicket-taker in the league along with Rashid Khan. They would once again rely on these two to come good against DD.

Also read Predicted XI for RPS

Delhi Daredevils

The batting of DD does not have any big names and contains mostly emerging young Indian batsmen. Aditya Tare was tried at the top of the order alongwith Sam Billings in their previous game but both got out after decent starts. Karun Nair and Sanju Samson formed the middle order but failed to make an impact. Rishabh Pant was the sole bright spot in their line-up who fought till the end but he did not find any support from the lower order. The overseas all-rounders Chris Morris and Carlos Brathwaite fell cheaply and Nair was left stranded. In the absence of JP Duminy, each of the batsmen need to raise their game if DD are to qualify for the playoffs this year.

Bowling wise, they possess a better bunch than their batting. The captain Zaheer Khan is still going strong and bagged 2 wickets in the last game. Morris was outstanding as he picked up 3 for 21 and the other pacer Pat Cummins too bowled with some steam. Shahbaz Nadeem was terrific with figures of 1/13 in 4 overs but the leggie Amit Mishra has been off the track lately and his dismal show continued in IPL too. At the moment, he seems to be the only weak link in the bowling line-up and needs to step up big time.

Also read Predicted XI for DD

It will be a contest between the strong batting of RPS and the strong bowling of DD. The batting of DD seems to be pretty fragile and might be the difference between the two teams. The Smith led team holds the upper hand and would be expected to hold that in this clash as well.

Going by the head to head record, RPS are the favourites to emerge victorious once again.

You can follow live scores of the match here

Do let us know your predictions in the comment section below.