Big picture
Even before the start of IPL 2020, it seemed the lack of experience in the middle order is usually a headache for the Sunrisers Hyderabad. Two games into the season, things aren’t having a look any rosier with the team still looking for their first points.
It doesn’t help that their opponents on Tuesday will be the Delhi Capitals, who have probably the most balanced bowling attacks in the tournament. Despite two first-choice bowlers – Ishant Sharma and R Ashwin – being unavailable, the Capitals strangled the Chennai Super Kings on Friday to register their second win in as many matches. Kagiso Rabada used to be once again in the vanguard with the ball, while Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant all scored good runs to put in the back of the wobbly start against the Kings XI Punjab. Their main pre-tournament gap, the lack of a finisher, also seems to have been plugged by Marcus Stoinis.
The Sunrisers, however, are yet to determine their best XI. With David Warner and Jonny Bairstow opening the innings and Manish Pandey coming in at No. 3, Priyam Garg is forced to bat out of position. After a poor back ruled Vijay Shankar out for the match against the Kolkata Knight Riders, the Sunrisers tried Wriddhiman Saha, but his laboured 31-ball 30 failed to supply any confidence. It’s going to not be a surprise, subsequently, whether they make further changes to their playing XI.
In the news
Since hurting his left elbow against the Kings XI, Ashwin has hit the gym and also batted in the nets, but the Capitals will not hurry him back. “Ashwin is doing pretty polite, but we need to give him a two-three game rest in order that he feels better,” Iyer had said at the toss against the Super Kings. Also, there was no official word on Ishant Sharma’s fitness after he went out on account of back spasms.
The extent of Shankar’s back problem isn’t fully known, but whether fit, he must replace Saha in the playing XI for the Sunrisers. Kane Williamson, though, may once again find it difficult to break in despite being to be had.
Likely XIs
Delhi Capitals: 1 Prithvi Shaw, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 4 Rishabh Pant (wk), 5 Shimron Hetmyer, 6 Marcus Stoinis, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Amit Mishra, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Anrich Nortje, 11 Avesh Khan
Sunrisers Hyderabad: 1 David Warner (capt), 2 Jonny Bairstow (wk), 3 Manish Pandey, 4 Vijay Shankar/Wriddhiman Saha, 5 Mohammad Nabi, 6 Abdul Samad, 7 Abhishek Sharma, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Sandeep Sharma, 11 Khaleel Ahmed/T Natarajan
Rashid Khan and David Warner have a chat in the middle BCCIStrategy punts
Expect Rabada and Anrich Nortje to go around the wicket straightaway to Warner, who hasn’t enjoyed that sort of bowling in recent times. Since the start of 2019, his T20 average against fast bowlers coming from around the wicket has been 24.00, versus 60.44 when they’re bowling from over the wicket. It started with Stuart Broad throughout the Ashes, and then, earlier this year, Jofra Archer exploited the same weaknesses throughout the T20I and ODI series in England. Warner used to be uncomfortable against Pat Cummins as polite when the seamer deployed a similar plan for the Knight Riders in the final game.
Pant has a great record against the Sunrisers’ two best bowlers: Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Rashid Khan. No one else has dominated Kumar as much in the IPL – Pant averages 65 with a strike rate of 250 against him. Against Khan, those numbers are 54 and 146 respectively. Overall also, Pant has an average of 46.86 against the Sunrisers, his second-best against the current IPL teams. His unbeaten 128 in the 2018 IPL had also come against the Sunrisers, with both Kumar and Khan in the opposition.
Don’t be surprised whether the Sunrisers bring Kumar or Sandeep Sharma on when Iyer comes to the crease. Iyer has been out thrice each and every to Kumar (seven innings) and Sandeep Sharma (eight innings) in T20 cricket and has a combined average of 12 at a strike rate of 83 against the two.
Stats that matter
The Sunrisers lead the head-to-head record with 9-6. But this new look Capitals side have a 2-1 record against them, including a win in the Eliminator of IPL 2019.
Pant is yet to hit a six in T20s this year. Also, he has now gone 60 balls without a six in the IPL, his longest streak.
Rabada has taken two or more wickets in each and every of his final nine IPL games, the most for any bowler in the tournament’s history. Final time he went wicketless in an IPL game used to be 16 matches ago.
Khan and Mohammad Nabi head the list of most frugal bowlers in the IPL since 2019, with economies of 6.4 and 6.5 respectively (minimum 20 overs).
Since IPL 2019, Kumar has taken just 13 wickets in 17 innings in the tournament. Alternatively, in the same period, he has taken six wickets in three games against the Capitals.
Among those who have taken a minimum of 20 wickets in the IPL since 2018, Khaleel Ahmed’s strike rate of 12.2 is second only to Rabada’s 11.