DD vs RCB Match Prediction: Who will win the match between Delhi Daredevils and Royal Challengers Bangalore, IPL 2016, Match 56

The league stage of the Vivo IPL comes to an end with a cracking contest between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Daredevils at Raipur. This game will be treated as a knockout by both the sides who are tied on 14 points. The Raipur wicket should be a good one to bat on and somewhere around 165 should be par. Both sides are playing some excellent cricket at the moment and this match has all the makings of a thriller.

RCB has been in red hot form in the last few games and the Daredevils will be wary of the threat that RCB possess. The Bangalore-based team also have a good chance to finish in the top two if Hyderabad does not win their game against Kolkata. Gujarat Lions is the only side to have secured a top two position for themselves as of now.

Daredevils, on the other hand, need to win though as their net run rate does not inspire confidence.

Venue: Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium, Raipur

Match date: May 22, 2016

Match timings: 2000 hrs IST

If Delhi Daredevils bat first

Predicted score: 170 and above

Quinton de Kock has been a little off-colour of late and he would love to come to the party. Rishabh Pant will open with him and the young man has exhibited the temperament needed at this level. They would want to start aggressively against an RCB attack that has few question marks hanging over them.

Karun Nair was simply outstanding in the last game and carried his team through to the finish line single-handedly. It was an innings played under tremendous pressure with Nair showing his nerves of steel and the Daredevils would want more of the same from him.

Duminy, Samson, and Brathwaite occupy the middle order and they would want to take up more responsibilities. Expect a huge score for the Daredevils if the middle order clicks for them.

Chris Morris missed out due to injury in the last game and he could come back for this all-important tie. Nathan Coulter-Nile could miss out then. Jayant Yadav was expensive in the previous game and Mohammed Shami could replace him.

Braithwaite and skipper Zaheer were excellent in the last game with Amit Mishra giving them good company. Zaheer vs Kohli should be an intriguing contest at the top.

If Royal Challengers Bangalore bats first

Predicted score: 180 and above

Expect runs and a lot of runs when the Bangalore boys wield their willows. They love to just bat their opponents out of the game by batting big. Virat Kohli, the Superhuman will open with Chris Gayle at the top. It’s a partnership that sends shivers down the spines of the bowlers.

Kohli would want to continue his stupendous form and score big once again. Don’t be surprised if Virat goes on and gets his 5th hundred of the tournament. Chris Gayle has come into his own after he scored his first fifty of the season in the last game.

He scored a whirlwind 73 off just 32 balls and RCB will be looking for an encore from the big man in this must-win game.

At no. 3 there is another batting great AB de Villiers who has been in scintillating form this season. He has played some outstanding knocks and taken the pressure off Kohli. He has also outscored Kohli in some of the jaw-dropping partnerships they have had.

The others in the batting line up too have stood up. KL Rahul and Shane Watson have been amongst the runs with Sachin Baby and Stuart Binny occupying the lower middle order. Expect the batters to come to the party yet again for the Royal Challengers Bangalore.

The bowling will need to back their batters well. They have done a decent job in the last few games and Daniel Vettori will be satisfied with the progress of his bowlers. Binny and Aravind will open the bowling. Expect a short spell for Binny after which he could be replaced by Chris Jordan or Varun Aaron.

Virat also has the option of using Watson in the middle overs and also towards the back end of the innings. Yuzvendra Chahal has been impressive with his leg spin and he will be expected to bowl his full quota of overs if he keeps it tight. Expect Bangalore to just pip the Daredevils in this tight encounter.

Probable Winners: Royal Challengers Bangalore