Less than 48 hours after a slug fest in Sharjah, Delhi Capitals will take guard on the other side of the E311 expressway. Royal Challengers Bangalore will meet them at the Dubai Stadium having had three extra hours of rest, just compensation for having played the afternoon fixture in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. 

Call it destiny or the quirk of the year, the bookmakers have offered near-equal odds on RCB and the Capitals going on to lift the IPL title. Talks of championship credentials are still premature but Monday's encounter will ensure one of these perpetual underachievers are halfway to the magic number of eight league wins that typically assure a playoffs berth. 

Both teams have more in common than their past and their one super-over win each: Both balanced through the middle with all-rounders and enough fire to expend at the top. In a significant break from persona, RCB now attack through their spinners, in particular Yuzvendra Chahal, while Delhi, so accustomed to playing on slow turners at the Kotla, now have a double-barrelled Protea pace pairing as their primary weapon of choice. 

For all the progress RCB have made, they haven't fully been tested by a well-rounded bowling attack as often. A clearer idea of their lower middle-order's standing in this IPL could also emerge against Delhi, an attack with a more even balance between pace and spin. The young batting stars for the Capitals haven't yet delivered under the pressure of a run chase, and Dubai, where no chasing team has won this year, could well bring to light that aspect of their game. 

When: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Delhi Capitals, Match 19, IPL 2020, 18:00 Local, 19:30 IST 

Where: Dubai International Stadium 

What to expect: Little respite from the Dubai weather for teams already facing a rapid turnaround with the hottest day of the week forecast for Monday. Interestingly, there is a small 10% chance of light rain around match start time but one that's unlikely to affect the game. 

The talented Devdutt Padikkal hasn't been tested against an off-spinner at the start of his innings yet and Tamil Nadu twice knocked him over with that ploy in the Syed Mushtaq Ali and Vijay Hazare Trophy finals. Watch out for a possible introduction of R. Ashwin in the PowerPlay and if Finch consequently dons the aggressor hat. 

Team News: 

Royal Challengers Bangalore 

Although head coach Simon Katich has effectively ruled out changing a winning combination, a strategy tweak may be made for this fixture. Deepak Chahar and Bhuvneshwar Kumar found swing in Dubai and Dale Steyn could provide a match-up advantage against a predominantly Indian top-order for the capitals, who could find Adam Zampa relatively easier to negotiate. 

Probable XI: Devdutt Padikkal, Aaron Finch, Virat Kohli (c), AB de Villiers (wk), Shivam Dube, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Isuru Udana, Washington Sundar, Adam Zampa/Dale Steyn, Navdeep Saini, Yuzvendra Chahal 

Delhi Capitals 

Two injury concerns hover over the Capitals following their win over KKR in the Sharjah cauldron. Prithvi Shaw didn't field in the second innings after being hit by a throw during batting and did limp around at the presentation. Amit Mishra hurt his fingers while trying to take a return catch and didn't bowl out his overs. Ajinkya Rahane could make his Capitals bow and Axar Patel could come back in for the leggie. 

Probable XI: Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw/Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Marcus Stoinis, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel/Amit Mishra, Harshal Patel, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje 

Did you know? 

- Kagiso Rabada has taken at least one wicket in his last 18 games in the IPL, a streak dating back to 2017 

- Kohli has found an opportune time to return to form. Against Delhi, he has scored 8 half-centuries at an average of 63.46 and a SR of 139