Advance by Ganesh chandrasekaran
For the second game in a row, Delhi Capitals will face a team they have not beaten so far at IPL 2020. It instills a spirit of justice that Delhi meets the Mumbai Indians in the final only if they managed to beat them all. the others at least once. This will be easier said than done as SRH has consistently managed to bring out the best in Delhi through good planning and even better execution.
The early switch from Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Sandeep Sharma has ensured that Delhi’s opening partnerships remain harmless, while Rashid Khan (6 wickets in 2 outings) has proven to be a thorn in the flesh. But it is with the bat, that SRH has found a way to make a difference against Delhi. David Warner has led a solo charge in first place against players like Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje. Warner’s scores of 45 and 66 have also given SRH opening positions worth 77 and 107 against Delhi, which have been instrumental in his successes against them.
The importance of setting the tone early against a team like Delhi in particular has its advantages as it is a team that thrives and builds on this initial momentum. Rabada was generally the man anointed in the early stages by Ricky Ponting to get this right. And when Rabada managed to set the tone, victory invariably followed Delhi. On the other hand, they have yet to show a tendency to turn things back if there is a gloomy phase early on, as indicated by the pattern of their losses.
Rabada has not been at his best, with no ground in three of the last four outings, in addition to conceding crucial limits that have led to an unflattering economy in this phase. With that, the coverage has also flown over Delhi’s weakest link in bowling, the third beat. In addition to Nortje and Rabada, 6 pacers have been tested which have combined to give only 7 plots at an economy rate of 10.05.
Delhi had a brief setback from such an attack against the Mumbai Indians in the first qualifier before that lead was squandered in the final six overs. They would hope this was more than a false dawn. One of the important battles that could prove decisive is against Warner, given his excellent record against DC. Can Rabada get the best of himself in this key match? Or will DC look to R Ashwin to take advantage of the left-hander matchup? Will Delhi finally prove its resilience in case things go wrong early?
When: Sunday, November 8 at 7:30 p.m. IST
Where: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
What to expect: Eliminator was added to the puzzle without dew forming during the second half. So that should be on both teams’ minds as to what to do with the draw.
Team news
Hyderabad sunrises
They would have little reason to change a winning combination. A possible change could occur if Saha passes in shape.
Probable XI: David Warner, Shreevats Goswami / Wriddhiman Saha, Manish Pandey, Kane Williamson, Priyam Garg, Jason Holder, Abdul Samad, Rashid Khan, Shabaz Nadeem, T Natarajan, Sandeep Sharma
Capitals of Delhi
Prithvi Shaw’s lack of form at the top will be cause for concern, as will the third pacemaker. Daniel Sams, who has played in place of Shimron Hetmyer, could find his place by going back to being an Indian pacemaker without having made much of a difference.
Probable XI: Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Marcus Stoinis, Shimron Hetmyer, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, R Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje
Did you know
– Delhi Capitals / Daredevils is the only team among the original eight teams that has yet to appear in an IPL final
– In 14 knockout games, Shikhar Dhawan averages just 13.86 with a high score of 34
What they say
“I think the dynamics of our bowling attack, we have skill. Sandeep comes in and balances it, myself, I have rebound and a bit of movement as well. Natarajan just comes in and he’s very, very subtle with his variation and he’s consistent as well. There is a very good balance. Then we have a world class spinner in Rashid Khan. Nadeem also fit very well in our attack. David has really used him well in this tournament and we have been able to see the best of Nadeem – Jason holder highlights the variety in the SRH attack.
“I don’t want to speak negatively about the team, but going forward it is important to come in with a strong mindset. It is never too late and we will make sure to come back strong.” – Shreyas Iyer after DC’s loss to MI in the first Qualifier.
Capitals of Delhi Squad: Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer (c), Rishabh Pant (w), Marcus Stoinis, Axar Patel, Daniel Sams, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Shimron Hetmyer, Harshal Patel, Mohit Sharma, Alex Carey, Tushar Deshpande, Avesh Khan, Praveen Dubey, Sandeep Lamichhane, Keemo Paul, Lalit Yadav
Hyderabad sunrises Squad: David Warner (c), Shreevats Goswami (w), Manish Pandey, Kane Williamson, Priyam Garg, Jason Holder, Abdul Samad, Rashid Khan, Shahbaz Nadeem, Sandeep Sharma, T Natarajan, Abhishek Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha, Jonny Bairstow, Vijay Shankar, Khaleel Ahmed, Siddarth Kaul, Mohammad Nabi, Bavanaka Sandeep, Billy Stanlake, Fabian Allen, Virat Singh, Basil Thampi, Sanjay Yadav, Prithvi Raj Yarra
