SunRisers Hyderabad know how to win games as the roles seem to be defined, the players are given a long rope and there is confidence in the unit. Delhi Capitals, however, have found ways of squandering winning positions and end up on the losing side. There is quality in the ranks, but the players are young and they have failed to identify and capture critical moments in the match.
As both sides prepare to face off, their IPL head-to-head record is pretty interesting. SunRisers have the clear edge over Delhi as they have won 8 out of the 12 encounters between the sides. At Kotla, which is supposed to be the home ground of Delhi, SRH has dominated, winning 3 out of the 4 matches played at the venue.
David Warner and the Delhi syndrome
For SunRisers, the form of David Warner is a huge plus at the top of the order. However, if we pit his exemplary record in the IPL, his numbers fade against Delhi. The Australian has scored 203 runs in 8 matches against the Delhi team and his strike rate is 132 which is the lowest among all the currently active teams in the IPL.
However, his numbers at the Kotla are quite. The opening batsman has scored 758 runs in 29 T20s at the venue, which could well be what Sunrisers want from the maverick at the top of the order.
For Delhi, the bigger problem is their middle order muddle. The top order keeps providing them with good starts, but the choke in the middle order has cost them two games now. This season, out of the 669 runs scored by the Delhi Capitals, almost 74.29 % of the runs have come from the top-order batsmen.
When we look at the bowling attack of Delhi, we see that the majority of the work is done by the overseas players in Kagiso Rabada and Chris Morris. The Indian crew need to step up and this is the time when Amit Mishra has to get the job done for this side. He needs just 1 wicket to reach 150 wickets in IPL.
Rishabh Pant, who needs to identify the fact that he has to stay put and win games for his side, needs 35 more runs to surpass David Warner and become the highest scorer for Delhi in IPL. Also, his highest score of 128* came against Sunrisers Hyderabad last season and this is the boost he needs before this match.
