IPL 2021, DC vs RR LIVE UPDATES: Delhi wins by 33 runs, reclaims top spot

It's another win for DC, as it has nearly sealed its playoffs berth, while it looks in great contention to win the title this season. For RR, it just needs to click consistently. Read full report here....

OUT! Tewatia c Hetmyer b Nortje 9 (15). RR 121/6 (20). Batting: Sanju Samson 70 (53), Tabraiz Shamsi 2 (4).

RR steers on, courtesy of Samson and Tewatia, but still needs 64 off 24. Are we in for a thriller?

RR 91/5 (16). Batting: Sanju Samson 48 (38), Rahul Tewatia 7 (11).

RR has lost half of the side, with Lomror and Parag being the latest to depart. With 99 more needed off 48, RR looks really in trouble now.

OUT Lomror c Avesh b Rabada 19 (24), Parag b Axar 2 (7). RR 56/5 (12). Batting: Sanju Samson 20 (23), Rahul Tewatia 1 (1).

RR seems to have stabilised for now with Samson and Lomror. However, the DC bowlers are not letting it has easy. 112 needed in 66.

RR 43/3 (9). Batting: Mahipal Lomror 16 (19), Sanju Samson 13 (18).

The third wicket for RR is down and Miller just throws it away to spinner Ashwin as an attempted step-out shot against him gets him stumped by Pant, while Ashwin has claimed its 250th T20 wicket. DC continues to be in the game, as RR needs 134 off  84.

OUT! Miller st Pant b Ashwin 7 (10). RR 21/3 (6). Batting: Sanju Samson 5 (11), Mahipal Lomror 3 (8).

RR has been off to a shaky start, losing both its openers, Livingstone and Jaiswal. Nevertheless, it is not yet ready to press the panic button, as Samson and Miller seem to be taking the charge hereon. Remember, DC has twice defended a target less than 143, both against RR.

OUT! Livingstone c Pant b Avesh 1 (3), Jaiswal c Pant b Nortje 5 (4). RR 15/2 (3). Batting: Sanju Samson 3 (4), David Miller 6 (7).

DC finished on 154, having lost a couple of more wickets, in the form of Hetmyer and Axar. Seems to be a below-par total on this track and should be easy for the RR batters. But, can the DC bowlers squeeze through?

OUT! Hetmyer c Sakariya b Mustafizur 28 (16), Axar c Miller b Sakariya 12 (7). DC 154/6 (20). Batting: Lalit Yadav 14 (15), Ravichandran Ashwin 6 (6).

The fourth wicket falls for DC as Iyer has been stumped for 43 off spinner Tewatia. With Hetmyer still about, can DC go past 160?

OUT! Iyer st Samson b Tewatia 43 (32). DC 121/4 (16). Batting: Shimron Hetmyer 28 (14), Lalit Yadav 3 (6).

Another setback of DC as Pant has played onto his stumps, courtesy of an attempted pull for a rising delivery from Rahman. Shimron Hetmyer is the new man in. How much is DC eyeing hereon?

OUT! Pant b Mustafizur 24 (24). DC 84/3 (12). Batting: Shreyas Iyer 39 (26), Shimron Hetmyer 1 (2).

Pant and Iyer have taken charge of the innings and are going steady so far. However, they are finding it difficult to score against RR's fruitful bowling attack, while the dry pitch is creating some bounce.

DC 56/2 (9). Batting: Rishabh Pant 17 (16), Shreyas Iyer 19 (18).

The RR pacers have struck with a couple of breakthroughs, as both the openers are back in the hut. Can Pant and Iyer stabilise the innings hereon?

OUT! Dhawan b Kartik Tyagi 8 (8), Shaw c Livingstone b Sakariya 10 (12). DC 36/2 (6). Batting: Rishabh Pant 7 (7), Shreyas Iyer 9 (9).

The DC openers, Dhawan and Shaw have been off to a slow start, but the RR pacers have bowled tight si far. Looks to be an interesting clash between bat and ball.

DC 18/0 (3). Batting: Shikhar Dhawan 8 (7), Prithvi Shaw 10 (11).

Toss: RR elects to field

Sanju Samson: We will bowl first. It's a day game. It becomes easier to bat second. We have all settled down and moved on to this game. It was a complete team effort by everyone. Evin Lewis and Chris Morris miss out; Tabriez Shamsi and David Miller are in. They have a balanced side. We are looking forward to an exciting game.

Rishabh Pant: We were looking to bowl first as well, but it doesn't matter. There will be a bit on the wicket in the day game. One change for us, Lalit Yadav replaces Marcus Stoinis. It's good to be nearing a record, but we're not looking at individual performances, not overthinking about qualifying.

Playing XI
DC: Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Lalit Yadav, Shimron Hetmyer, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje and Avesh Khan.
RR: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (c & wk), Liam Livingstone, David Miller, Mahipal Lomror, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Kartik Tyagi, Chetan Sakariya, Mustafizur Rahman and Tabraiz Shamsi.

Hello and welcome to Asianet Newsable's live coverage of Match 36 between Delhi Capitals (DC) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) of the 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. DC is currently placed at the top of the table and aims to virtually seal its playoffs berth with a win here. Meanwhile, RR had pulled off a thrilling two-run win against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in its previous match and would look to ride on the same momentum.

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The two teams have faced off on 23 instances and are head-on, with RR having a lead of 12-11. DC has won both of the two matches in UAE, while they would be clashing for the first time in Abu Dhabi. The weather in Abu Dhabi would be warm, with an expected temperature of 36 degrees and nearly 56% humidity. The track has been aiding the batsmen of late. However, since it is usually on the slower side, a changed strip could make the difference.

LIVE SCORECARD: IPL 2021 - DC vs RR

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Probable XI
DC: Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Shimron Hetmyer, Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Steve Smith, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje and Avesh Khan.
RR: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Evin Lewis, Sanju Samson (c & wk), Liam Livingstone, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Mahipal Lomror, Chris Morris, Chetan Sakariya, Kartik Tyagi and Mustafizur Rahman.