Royals out to work their way around Stokes-shaped void

The Overview:

Ben Stokes will no longer be available for Rajasthan Royals this season. In their season opener against Punjab Kings, Royals' new captain Sanju Samson constantly sought Stokes's counsel on the field, feeding off the experience of the English all-rounder. Stokes even was seen having chats with Chetan Sakariya when the youngster had the ball in hand. His broken finger therefore comes as a big blow not just for Rajasthan, but Samson too, which could be why Stokes will continue to stay on in India despite the injury.

After their opening game heartbreak, Samson will now have to try and outwit last season's finalists Delhi Capitals, who despite missing mainstays like Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje and Axar Patel, put away Chennai Super Kings rather comfortably. However, they too have been hit with a snag leading into the contest, once again levelling the playing field. The Capitals would've hoped to bring in their South African pace duo, but COVID-related logistical issues have rendered them unavailable - something the Royals would love to capitalise on.

When: RR vs DC, April 15, 2021, 19:30 IST

Where: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

What to expect: A high run-scorer like most games at the venue. The two games played here have seen totals above 180. While Delhi chased down 189, Rajasthan fell short by a mere four runs chasing 222. Dew will be a factor teams will consider, which makes the toss all the more crucial.

Head To Head: RR 11 - 11 DC.

Rajasthan haven't won any of their last five encounters against Delhi. Last year, in 2020, on both occasions, the Royals weren't allowed to cross the 150-run mark.

Team Watch:

Rajasthan Royals

Injured/Unavailable: Ben Stokes is obviously out of the tournament. Jofra Archer has been given clearance to resume "light training" post surgery, but there's no clarity on his IPL participation yet. However, David Miller and Andrew Tye are out of quarantine and will be available for selection.

Tactics & Match-ups: Royals will have a new opening pair after being forced to make a change for Stokes. David Miller could be slotted into the middle order, while Jos Buttler could be promoted to the opening spot. Although Prithvi Shaw has scored at a strike rate of more than 165 against left-arm pace, it's brought about his downfall as well, getting dismissed as many as six times against it. With RR playing two left-arm seamers, they will hope to snare him early.

Probable XI: Jos Buttler, Manan Vohra, Sanju Samson (c, wk), David Miller, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Shivam Dube, Shreyas Gopal, Chris Morris, Mustafizur Rahman, Chetan Sakariya

Delhi Capitals

Injured/Unavailable: Anrich Nortje is in