IPL: RCB aim to continue good form against Delhi (Preview)

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will aim to continue their promising start to the season when they take on Delhi Daredevils in an Indian Premier League (IPL) clash at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Sunday.

RCB had produced an excellent all-round show in their opening match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in this same venue. putting up 227, courtesy of some healthy contributions from Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Sarfaraz Khan. They romped home by 45 runs, with Shane Watson and Parvez Rasool bowling exceptionally well.

South African veteran AB de Villiers and India team star Virat Kohli had produced an awesome batting display to help them to a massive total of 227. Young batsman Sarfaraz Khan, who plundered 35 runs off just 10 balls, is also in excellent form.

Shane Watson and Parvez Rasool followed up with exceptional efforts with the ball as RCB registered a comfortable 45-run victory.

The RCB's batting looks more or less settled with Chris Gayle and Kohli opening the batting. The West Indies star could not get going in the first match and will be eager to make amends on Sunday. The opening pair are followed by de Villers and Shane Watson. The likes of Sarfaraz, Kedar Jhadav and Rasool are also useful with the bat.

Delhi on the other hand, had a poor start as they lost their opening match in Kolkata. But they bounced back on Friday with an eight-wicket thrashing of Kings XI Punjab. Leg-spinner Amit Mishra showcased his class with a haul of 4/11 in three overs while skipper Zaheer Khan returned to form after a poor outing against the Kolkata Knight Riders. The former India pacer gave away just 14 runs in his four over while claiming a wicket.

Quinton de Kock played a starring role in the victory against Punjab with an unbeaten half-century. He will be expected to come up with another useful contribution against RCB. The likes of Carlos Ricardo Brathwaite and Jean-Paul Duminy will also relish the chance to bat on the helpful track here.

With both teams having several power hitters in their ranks, Sunday's game could be a high scoring one. The wicket at the Chinnaswamy Stadium is helpful for batting and scores of 200 or more cannot be ruled out. The Delhi bowlers in particular, will have their task cut out against the likes of Gayle, Kohli, de Villiers and Watson.