IPL STROKES
PRANAV MEHTA
Not a lot has been right for Sunrisers Hyderabad this season. When you have won just one solitary game out of seven and then you have you captain stripped off captaincy and then he being dropped from the playing XI as well. This speaks volumes of about the tension building up in the team. The absence of Jonny Bairstow, might create an opening for the most successful all-time player for Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Qualification is still a possibility for Sunrisers but it’s going to be more than tough to win seven games out seven and that too when they are completely shattered out of confidence after the first phase, but then miracles do happen, don’t they?
Sunrisers is more than capable of bouncing back, even if it is as a party spoiler. David Warner, Rashid Khan, Jason Roy, Jason Holder, Mohammad Nabi, Sherfane Rutherford, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and all under the captaincy of cool Kane Williamson, make top lethal international players. When they combine with some premium Indian talent, everything looks possible. Though the main concern for Sunrisers Hyderabad has been the middle order.
IYER BACK FOR DELHI
Delhi also lost their main player and captain (Shreyas Iyer) in the first phase, but now he is back and this means that he could solve a lot of team combination problems for Delhi Capitals. In his absence, Delhi looked towards Steve Smith’s service, but now they might be able to pair in Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada, which would make their death overs very lethal.
Delhi would allow Rishabh Pant to captain the remainder of the tournament and this would allow their initial captain Shreyas Iyer to enjoy his game as a player. Captaincy has only added grace and responsibility to Rishabh Pant’s shoulders. He has not only been more practical, but his shot selection also has been quite good. Qualification doesn’t look like a matter of concern, with just two wins required out of six games.
Many eyes will be on the old war horse Ravichandran Ashwin, who has got selected in the T20 world cup team for India. His experience and variations make him quite lethal, but then wouldn’t India be looking for some batting contribution from Ashwin, and this is his opportunity to show his power hitting skills through the IPL and then cement his place in the Indian team. Previously, he was struggling to find a place in the 11 in the Indian Test team, despite being the most experienced spinner.
Did You Know?
Amit Mishra if selected, would be the first player to feature in 100 matches for Delhi franchise. In IPL, he is just 4 wickets behind Lasith Malinga’s tally of 170 Wickets.
Rashid Khan – has a tremendous T20 record in Dubai, having picked 17 wickets in 12 matches at an economy rate of 4.55.
Delhi Capitals have hit the fewest sixes in IPL 2021 (32), but have hit the most fours (142).
Ponting delighted
“I am absolutely delighted to have Shreyas Iyer back in our line-up. It was devastating for him and the team that he dislocated his shoulder just before the start of IPL earlier in the year. He’s a world class player, been an exceptional player for the Delhi Capitals for a long time now, our previous skipper as well. Him sliding into the line-up makes our make-up of our team look a little bit more complete. I think the first part of the tournament, as well as we played – think we won 6 from our 8 games – but our overall balance just didn’t feel like it was right.”
What to expect from the match?
Since Delhi is a way more balanced side and filled with confidence, definitely they would like to start the second phase with domination, especially against a team who has struggled to win that 1 games as well. But then, this is game of cricket and one good wicket, catch or run out, can change the momentum of the entire game and Sunrisers would be counting on all its senior talents to stand up for that one exceptional performance to boost the morale of the team.
