This Saturday at the Arun Jaitley Stadium marks a poignant return for Rishabh Pant as he leads the Delhi Capitals in a crucial encounter against Pat Cummins’ Sunrisers Hyderabad. Pant, whose last appearance at this venue saw him navigating the perimeter on crutches following a severe car accident in 2022, has made a commendable recovery, re-establishing himself as a top performer both behind the stumps and with the bat.
Delhi Capitals have experienced a rollercoaster season, with their record currently standing at three wins and four losses from seven matches. However, recent victories over the Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans have revitalized their campaign, placing them back into contention. As they prepare to face the formidable Sunrisers Hyderabad, who are currently fourth on the IPL points table, Pant and his team are set for a challenging match-up.
Sunrisers Hyderabad have been in exceptional form, setting records with two of the IPL's highest-ever totals this season—277/3 and 287/3. To combat this high-scoring team, Pant will need to tactically deploy his resources on a pitch that promises good bounce and carry.
The Capitals will be particularly wary of the threats posed by Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma, whose aggressive batting during the powerplay has been a highlight of the season. Head, with a 39-ball century under his belt, along with Sharma, are key players for Hyderabad, both boasting strike rates close to 200.
Hyderabad’s lineup is further bolstered by Heinrich Klaasen, known for his finishing abilities and a strike rate equal to Head's. The challenge for Delhi’s bowlers, including the pace trio of Ishant Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed, and Mukesh Kumar in the powerplay, is substantial.
Delhi might find some relief through Kuldeep Yadav, whose economical left-arm wrist spin has been effective this season, maintaining an economy rate of just 6.06. Alongside him, Pant has additional spinning options with Axar Patel and Tristan Stubbs, enhancing their defensive strategy.
Despite these strengths, Delhi’s concern remains with David Warner’s injury, which complicates their batting strategy. However, newcomer Jake Fraser-McGurk has shown promising skills in his initial IPL outings.
Sunrisers' bowling, despite the prowess of their batters, has shown vulnerability on high-scoring pitches, with only Cummins managing an economy rate below eight. Veteran bowlers Jaydev Unadkat and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, alongside spinners Mayank Markande and Shahbaz Ahmed, have struggled, often giving away too many runs.
In this high-stakes game, Pant might choose to bat first if he wins the toss, aiming to put early pressure on Hyderabad with a strong total. Alternatively, if Delhi ends up chasing, they will look to restrict Sunrisers to a manageable score, ideally below 220, since that total could well be achievable against Hyderabad’s less consistent bowling attack.
Team News
David Warner, who is nursing a knuckle injury, might not be available for this contest and Delhi are likely to go in with the same XI that triumphed over Gujarat Titans.
Meanwhile, Jaydev Unadkat gave away 37 runs from just 2 overs in the match against RCB and SRH might bring in left-arm pacer Akash Singh, who played for CSK previously, into their playing XI.
Head-to-head record
It's another close contest in the head-to-head record. The two teams have played each other 23 times in the past, with SRH winning 12 to Delhi's 11 victories.
Weather Report
Despite the forecast of a few odd showers in Delhi on Friday, the weather should be all-clear for the Saturday contest with temperatures ranging between 30-35°C.
Probable XIs
DC Probable XI: Prithvi Shaw, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Tristan Stubbs, Shai Hope, Rishabh Pant(w/c), Axar Patel, Sumit Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Mukesh Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed (Impact sub: Abishek Porel)
SRH Probable XI: Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Aiden Markram, Nitish Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen(w), Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, Pat Cummins(c), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Akash Singh, T Natarajan (Impact sub: Mayank Markande)
Full squads
Delhi Capitals: Prithvi Shaw, David Warner, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Rishabh Pant(w/c), Tristan Stubbs, Shai Hope, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed, Abishek Porel, Jhye Richardson, Kumar Kushagra, Sumit Kumar, Praveen Dubey, Lalit Yadav, Anrich Nortje, Yash Dhull, Mitchell Marsh, Lizaad Williams, Ricky Bhui, Rasikh Dar Salam, Vicky Ostwal, Swastik Chikara
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen(w), Abdul Samad, Nitish Reddy, Shahbaz Ahmed, Pat Cummins(c), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat, T Natarajan, Umran Malik, Washington Sundar, Mayank Markande, Rahul Tripathi, Glenn Phillips, Anmolpreet Singh, Upendra Yadav, Jhatavedh Subramanyan, Sanvir Singh, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Marco Jansen, Akash Maharaj Singh, Mayank Agarwal
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(With PTI inputs)