Delhi Capitals have struggled to seal off games and it cost them big in the last match when they lost seven wickets for eight runs against Kings XI Punjab to lose the match. With their strong group of Indian players, Delhi should ideally be bossing the league but they have failed to get the team dynamics and game situations right.
Sunrisers, on the other hand, arrive after blasting Royal Challengers Bangalore at home and their biggest plus is a dominant top-order and a potent bowling attack. On a slow wicket at Delhi, though, their task could be cut out if the Delhi seamers can make early inroads.
Conditions: Pace off the ball could be the way to go on a two-paced wicket.
Player Recommendations:
Wicket-keeper: Rishabh Pant (10 credits)
Johnny Bairstow made a resounding ton in the last match but the Delhi surface isn't as encouraging for stroke play. Besides, Rishabh Pant is a local boy with golf awareness of the conditions at Kotla and can belt it from the the word go. What further favours him is his century last year at the same venue against the same opposition.
Batsman: David Warner (11 credits)
Bairstow might be edged out by Pant but no one can usurp David Warner in that batting line-up. The current Orange Cap holder, David Warner, has stormed back into the IPL after the ban and is hungry as ever for runs. Before he leaves for Australia mid-way, Warner would want to ensure he
Delhi Capitals have struggled to seal off games and it cost them big in the last match when they lost seven wickets for eight runs against Kings XI Punjab to lose the match. With their strong group of Indian players, Delhi should ideally be bossing the league but they have failed to get the team dynamics and game situations right.
Sunrisers, on the other hand, arrive after blasting Royal Challengers Bangalore at home and their biggest plus is a dominant top-order and a potent bowling attack. On a slow wicket at Delhi, though, their task could be cut out if the Delhi seamers can make early inroads.
Conditions: Pace off the ball could be the way to go on a two-paced wicket.
Player Recommendations:
Wicket-keeper: Rishabh Pant (10 credits)
Johnny Bairstow made a resounding ton in the last match but the Delhi surface isn't as encouraging for stroke play. Besides, Rishabh Pant is a local boy with golf awareness of the conditions at Kotla and can belt it from the the word go. What further favours him is his century last year at the same venue against the same opposition.
Batsman: David Warner (11 credits)
Bairstow might be edged out by Pant but no one can usurp David Warner in that batting line-up. The current Orange Cap holder, David Warner, has stormed back into the IPL after the ban and is hungry as ever for runs. Before he leaves for Australia mid-way, Warner would want to ensure he has his team in a winning position.
All-rounder: Vijay Shankar (9 credits)
On a slow pitch, Vijay Shankar might come more into the game than before and could be a handy choice. He played with Delhi Daredevils last season and has a fair idea of how the Kotla might play out. He may not be used with the ball but if he is, the Kotla might just provide that little bit of assistance to his cutters.
Bowler: Sandeep Lamichhane (8.5 credits)
Lamichhane's powerplay bowling would be crucial for Delhi against Sunrisers. The Nepal leg-break bowler is a T20 genius and his battle against the Hyderabad openers could well set the flavour of the contest. Iyer would want to push him at them early and I'm the attritional battle might just see Lamichhane come out on top.
Captain: David Warner
Vice-captain: Rishabh Pant
Predicted Playing XI:
Delhi Capitals: Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Shreyas Iyer, Colin Ingram, Rishabh Pant, Chris Morris, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, Kagiso Rabada, Sandeep Lamichhane, Amit Mishra
Sunrisers Hyderabad: David Warner, Jonny Bairstow, Kane Williamson, Vijay Shankar, Manish Pandey Yusuf Pathan, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shahbaz Nadeem, Siddarth Kaul, Sandeep Sharma
