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Delhi Capitals won the toss at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on April 18 and Axar Patel chose to field first. He pointed to the hard wicket, the afternoon conditions making the surface play slower than usual and Chinnaswamy's history as a chasing ground as the reasons behind the decision.
Rajat Patidar meanwhile was happy to bat first and RCB will look to post a total that tests DC's chase on a surface that Axar believes will assist the bowling side during the day before easing up under lights. Both teams have named unchanged playing XIs showing faith in the combinations that have served them through the opening weeks of the tournament.
RCB vs DC: The toss the teams and what both captains said
Axar won the toss with tails and was straightforward about the thinking. "The wicket looks nice and hard. Since it's a day game it might be a bit slow. Also Chinnaswamy is usually a chasing ground so we would like to chase. That's why we decided to bowl first. If you're winning the break would be bad. But since we lost the last two matches the break helped us regroup. Now we are back together as a unit and ready to start with fresh momentum."
Patidar was equally direct at the toss. "I am happy because we wanted to bat first. We'll look to post a good total on the board." He also handed Axar a sampling at the toss which was a nice touch between two captains who know each other well from the Indian domestic circuit.
RCB vs DC Playing XIs and Impact Players
RCB XI: Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suyash Sharma, Josh Hazlewood. Impact subs: Rasikh Salam Dar, Venkatesh Iyer, Jordan Cox, Mangesh Yadav, Vicky Ostwal.
DC XI: Pathum Nissanka, KL Rahul (wk), Sameer Rizvi, Axar Patel (c), David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Auqib Nabi Dar, Lungi Ngidi, Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar. Impact subs: Vipraj Nigam, Ashutosh Sharma, Karun Nair, Dushmantha Chameera, Nitish Rana.
Also READ: RCB record in green jersey ahead of DC clash: Wins, defeats, history and the jinx
RCB vs DC: KL Rahul's birthday and what both sides need from today
KL Rahul turns 34 today and plays his first game at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, his home ground, on his birthday in what is one of those storylines that writes itself. After a historic homecoming last season Rahul will be desperate to produce something special on a ground where the crowd will be split between loyalty to the venue's most famous son and the yellow and red of the defending champions who call this ground home. His role as DC's batting anchor will be tested immediately against the RCB new ball attack of Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
RCB arrive as the heavier favourites with a 20-12 head-to-head advantage over DC. Patidar has scored 222 runs in five matches at a strike rate of 213.46 this season making him the most aggressive middle-order batter in the competition.
A win today would take RCB to the top of the table leapfrogging Punjab Kings on net run rate. DC have lost their last two games and Axar acknowledged the break gave the squad time to reset. They need a win to stay in the top four conversation and the bowling first decision suggests they believe restricting RCB is their best path to getting it.
