IPL2024 Preview: Delhi Capitals’ “Clear Plans” to Take on the Unstoppable Sunrisers Hyderabad at Kotla

At last, the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 has made its way to New Delhi, where the Delhi Capitals, the hosts, will take on the in-form Sunrises Hyderabad on Saturday at Arun Jaitley Stadium, their home field.

This season, the Sunrisers Hyderabad hitters have been absolutely dominating. The team has amassed two record-breaking totals (277/3 against MI and 287/3 against RCB), but their bowlers have also given up a lot of runs. The Pat Cummins-led team has actually let up more than 200 runs three times in the league so far, but they still managed to defeat the Punjab Kings by two runs even though they scored 182/9. They only managed to pick up three wickets while defending a target of 163 in the match against GT, further demonstrating the sorry status of their bowling unit.

This season, the Hyderabad team has relied more on their batting, so if their players don’t perform well against the Capitals, the visitors’ negotiations won’t be simple. Also, according to DC coach Ricky Ponting, they have some “clear plans” for the hitters from the South.

“Today, we completed all of our planning. For every one of their batters, we have some pretty specific strategies in place. During the pre-game news conference, Ponting said, “How, you know, one, first and foremost, we’re gonna get them out.”

DC fulfilling all requirement

Delhi Caps may have had a difficult start to the tournament—they had lost four of their first five games—but they had definitely polished their act before visiting their customary home field. With their bowlers in outstanding form and their hitters in terrific form, they have won their last two games, particularly after their victory against the Titans.

The pacers have performed well, with Khaleel Ahmed leading the way. The left-arm pacer has already claimed ten scalps. Along with Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav’s injury return has improved their spin assault. Axar has taken five wickets from seven matches, compared to Kuldeep’s six from four. However, their USP has been sparingly bowling at a low economic rate.

The economy rate for both bowlers has been less than seven. In the middle overs against SRH, their spells will be very important, particularly against Heinrich Klaasen, who has scored 102 runs off of 48 deliveries against spin.

Additionally, DC boasts a group of flashy hitters, and the arrival of Jake Fraser-McGurk has strengthened the lineup. The uncapped Australian batsman, who can smash the ball excessively far, demonstrated his dominance with a 35-ball 55 on his debut.

Prithvi Shaw, who has been among the runs with five outings this season, including a half-century, 43, and 32, stands beside McGurk.

Rishabh Pant’s comeback to the big league has been nothing short of a Bollywood screenplay, except from this. The middle order, which includes players like Shai Hope, Tristan Stubbs, and Axar Patel, has gained value from the captain’s aggressive stroke play and impressive wicket-keeping abilities.

Group News

After three victories in seven games, the home team has six points. Sunrisers, meanwhile, have eight points from six games and have been posing a danger to the opponents with their unprecedented totals.

Both teams arrive in Delhi having triumphed in their prior games. The Gujarat Titans’ batting squad was rocked by DC bowlers, who eventually bowled them out for 89 to win the match by six wickets. Meanwhile, SRH recorded the best IPL total of 287/3 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

In addition, Ponting provided an update on David Warner’s condition, stating that he had healed 90% of his knuckle damage.

David is coming closer to being fully recovered. We would anticipate a little bit more progress from him today,” Ponting said.

We haven’t had the easiest start to the year. Mitchell Marsh has left, and Harry Brook never showed up to begin with. Then Kuldeep and Mukesh missed a few matches, but the two consecutive victories have pleased me,” he said.

Details of the Match

Match: Sunrisers Hyderabad vs. Delhi Capitals

Date & Time: April 20, 2024, Saturday, at 19:30 IST

Location: Delhi’s Arun Jaitely Stadium

Likely XIs

Delhi Capitals: Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Mukesh Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, Shai Hope, Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Sumit Kumar, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Prithvi Shaw, and Tristan Stubbs.

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Pat Cummins (c), Abdul Samad, Nitish Reddy, Shahbaz Ahmed, Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat, T Natarajan