The last time Delhi Capitals and Sunrisers Hyderabad met on a cricket field, they produced one of the most fascinating IPL games in recent memory. For the first time in the competition’s history, two spinners bowled the Super Over and it was our very own Bapu who rose to the occasion to get us over the line in a thrilling finish.
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The two teams have had contrasting fortunes in the first phase of IPL 2021. While the DC Men in Blue won 6 out of their 8 games in the competition, just a solitary win for Sunrisers Hyderabad means that they languish at the bottom of the table.
Despite the distance between the two sides in the IPL 2021 points table, Head Coach Ricky Ponting is aware that the match on Wednesday in Dubai would be anything but easy.
"The IPL is such an even tournament that anyone on any given day can beat any team. We've got great respect for Sunrisers Hyderabad. They have got world-class players in David Warner, Kane Williamson and Rashid Khan, who is probably their key player. They always try and keep the game really close and really tight. But having said that, we have prepared really well and have done everything we can for the game. I am pretty confident that our boys can get the job done tomorrow."
Will UAE treat us well once again?
The chatter ahead of the second phase of the competition has revolved mainly around two things. Firstly, on how the teams will cope with the change in conditions as the tournament moves to UAE. Secondly, there’s been a lot of debate and speculation on which teams are the strongest after the squad changes are taken into account.
It is safe to say we come out on the right side of both of those arguments, which bodes well for DC’s chances in IPL 2021. We enjoyed our best season last time out in the UAE, reaching our first-ever final after ending the league stage in 2nd place.
The arrival of Shreyas Iyer will serve as a big boost as well, with the now fully fit star batsman expected to slot back straight into the line-up. Many of our stars like Kagiso Rabada (Purple Cap holder with 30 wickets), Shikhar Dhawan (618 runs) and Marcus Stoinis (352 runs and 13 wickets) enjoyed their best-ever seasons in IPL 2020 in the UAE, and DC fans will hope it is more of the same once again.
Stat Attack
Captain Pantastic is never too far away from the action, and if his record against Sunrisers is anything to go by, he’s going to be the centre of attention on Wednesday as well. ‘Spider-Pant’ has smashed 431 runs and 20 sixes against SRH in the IPL, the most for him against any opposition.
Ravichandran “The Master” Ashwin was our best performing spinner in UAE in 2020 with 13 wickets. The wily off-spinner will be expected to go well once again. One more wicket and he will become just the 3rd Indian bowler to bag 250 T20 wickets.
Shreyas Iyer is all set to make his first appearance of IPL 2021, and it could prove to be a hallmark moment for the 26-year-old. This will be Shreyas Iyer’s 150th T2o match, and at least 25 runs on the night will see him bring up 4000 runs in the format.
Key Battles
Ravi Ashwin vs David Warner
An off-spinner against a left-hander is one of the most favourable match-ups, and even more so for Ravichandran Ashwin. The Master has dismissed David Warner thrice in 11 IPL innings, with the left-hander striking at just 110.46 against the off-spinner. For an SRH side that relies heavily on its top-order batsmen to do the bulk of the scoring, success for Ash here could prove to be a fatal blow for the opposition in Dubai.
Rishabh Pant vs Rashid Khan
The middle overs will be of paramount importance, and the Rishabh Pant vs Rashid Khan battle will go a long way in deciding which way that phase of DC’s batting innings goes. ‘Audacity’ is a word we’re hoping to use once again if Rishabh Pant can repeat some of his effective and innovative reverse sweeps against a stalwart of modern T20 cricket.
Prithvi Shaw vs Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Prithvi Shaw was one of the chief architects of our electric starts in the powerplay in the first half of IPL 2021, and the pocket dynamite will look to continue from where he left off. The swashbuckling opener had a powerplay strike rate of 187, hitting a boundary every three balls. The biggest obstacle that stands in the way of another trademark Prithvi Shaw start is Bhuvneshwar Kumar. If Shaw can counter his swing and provide another top start in the powerplay, it will be advantage DC.
DC were on a two-game winning streak when IPL 2021 got suspended, while SRH were on a two-game losing one. We have emerged victorious in 3 out of the last 5 games against the Men in Orange, and another win on Wednesday will be the perfect way to start the second phase of the competition.
