Delhi Capitals take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in Match No. 11 of Dream 11 IPL 2020. The young guns from the north have won two out of two and SRH have lost 2 on 2, so no doubt DC will be starting as favourites look at their early campaign. Delhi will look for a hat-trick win and stay at the top of the table. While for SRH things are not looking any rosier with the team still searching for their first points. Kagiso Rabada has been exceptional with the ball and Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer and Rishab Pant have all scored good runs to put behind the wobbly start against the Kings XI Punjab.
SRH on the other hand have to get their balance right. The middle-order seems fragile with lack of experience and power hitters. Vijay Shankar has been ruled out after his back injury against KKR. The team just can’t depend on David Warner and Bairstow, Indian players need to play their part and win games for the franchise. For me, if SRH doesn’t win tonight they are out from the race to qualify to the playoffs. The return of Kane Williamson is the focus tonight and SRH need experienced players like him to balance the squad.
Head To Head- 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.
Kagiso Rabada has been the standout performer for DC in their two wins in IPL 2020. He is widely regarded as the best fast bowler across formats in the world today. He has picked 36 wickets in 20 IPL matches and his bowling average of 16.94 and strike rate of 12.72 are the best in IPL history.
His battle in the powerplay with Jonny Bairstow could dictate the course of the match. The England opener is a destructive striker with the highest average in IPL history. His strike rate is also in excess of 150!
RISHABH PANT (DC) vs RASHID KHAN (SRH)
Rishabh Pant is the trump card for DC in the middle order. He is the difference between a par score of 160 and a match-winning one of 190-plus. Pant has the third-highest strike rate in the history of the IPL.
In the middle overs, he would be up against one of the finest spin bowlers in international cricket – Rashid Khan of Afghanistan! Rashid also has a stupendous record in the IPL with the best economy rate (min.15 wickets) of 6.57 in the tournament’s history.
The battle between Pant and Rashid would be fascinating and crucial in determining the outcome of the match.
PRITHVI SHAW (DC) vs BHUVNESHWAR KUMAR (SRH)
Prithvi Shaw gave a Player of the Match performance (64 off 43 balls) against CSK in Dubai. He has all the shots in the book and can be devastating in the powerplay. He has a strike rate of a touch over 140 in the IPL.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the highest wicket-taker for SRH in the IPL. He has picked 109 wickets in 88 matches at a strike rate of 18.4 including two 4 wicket-hauls and one five-wicket haul. He has the ability to vary his length and pace and is very effective with his yorkers and pitched-up deliveries. He is also very restrictive with an economy rate of under 7.5. His battle with Shaw in the powerplay will set the tone for the match.
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 of his last nine IPL games, the most for any bowler in the tournament’s history. Last time he went wicketless in an IPL game was 16 matches ago.
Since IPL 2019, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar has taken just 13 wickets in 17 innings in the tournament. However, in the same period, he has taken six wickets in three games against the Capitals.
Among those who have taken at least 20 wickets in the IPL since 2018, Khaleel Ahmed’s strike rate of 12.2 is second only to Rabada’s 11.
It is match 11, And we have a match between two teams placed far apart, not just geographically but on point table as well. On one hand, we have Delhi Capitals, who have won two out of two, while on the other hand, we have Sunrisers Hyderabad, who have lost two out of two. Will DC continue to dominate or will we see a kinda resurgence from SRH?
DC have a great bowling attack, so much that their two frontliners, Ishant & Ashwin, are not missed till now. In batting too, DC have quite a firepower in Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Shimron and Stoinis.
SRH too isn’t a weak team per se, having explosive batsmen like Warner, Baristow & Pandey, ably supported by bowlers like Rashid, Bhuvi, Nabi and squad. They just haven’t put in a winning performance till now. WILL IT BE THEIR DAY TODAY?
For me, Kane Williamson is the MOM. He not only gave stability but respectability to the score with his fast scoring. The final score would have been indefensible without his contribution with the bat.
