The 20th match of the IPL 2021 will be the last match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, for this season. Till now, teams have faced multiple challenges while batting on the slow turners in Chennai. Both Delhi Capitals and Sunrisers Hyderabad will look to find the best approach to bat on this pitch while setting up a target or chasing down one.
Team news
Hyderabad started the tournament with three straight defeats, their worst start in IPL history. They kept losing their way while chasing on the sluggish pitches in Chennai. Finally, they delivered a successful chase in their fourth match against Punjab Kings as Jonny Bairstow continued his great form in this format.
The Capitals played their first three matches of IPL 2021 at the Wankhede Stadium before travelling south. Their successful chase in the last match against defending champions Mumbai Indians was a very good example of how to play risk-free cricket to get the required runs. Rishabh Pant, who is maturing quickly as a captain, will look for more of the same from his team.
Match ahead
Sunrisers Hyderabad have an ongoing debate regarding the best combination for their four overseas picks. David Warner and on, current form, Bairstow, are sure starters along with Rashid Khan.
This has left them with only one spot to be filled by key players like Kane Williamson, Jason Holder, Mohammad Nabi, and Mujeeb Ur Rahman. The presence of Williamson provides them stability in the middle order and makes a very strong top three; but in that case they have to depend on the all-rounders like Vijay Shankar and Abhishek Sharma to support the bowlers as well as batsmen. Even after that they will have to call upon Kedar Jadhav, Virat Singh, Priyam Garg, Abdul Samad for middle-order support.
The bowling, while inexperienced, is more sorted. Rashid will lead the bowling attack along with Bhuvneshwar Kumar. T Natarajan’s injury will be a blow for them, but they have a like-for-like replacement in Khaleel Ahmed who showcased good wicket-picking skill at the death.
Delhi Capitals will be comfortable with their batting lineup. Shikhar Dhawan holds the Orange Cap, while scoring his runs at brisk pace. Prithvi Shaw started the season with a brilliant knock, and has followed that with a couple of cameos. Pant, Steven Smith, Shimron Hetmyer, Marcus Stoinis, and the uncapped Lalit Yadav make a solid middle-order, though they would ideally have wanted more power hitters.
Playing three middle-order overseas cricketers means Delhi can opt for only one of their overseas fast bowlers, and how long they want to continue with that strategy will be interesting to see. Currently, they have Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Chris Woakes, and Tom Curran to choose from. They will be pleased with the performance of Amit Mishra who enjoyed the Chennai pitch and picked up four wickets in the last match. Even Axar Patel has recovered from Covid and joined his team’s bubble recently.
Head to head
Sunrisers Hyderabad hold an 11-7 advantage over Delhi Capitals.
Key Players
David Warner (SRH): Warner, nothing less than an IPL legend, has been the key reason for Hyderabad’s strong performance over the years. He needs 41 runs to reach 10,000 runs in all T20. With 49 fifties and 199 sixes, he is eyeing two IPL landmarks as well. He has been happy to take a backseat, allowing Bairstow to take charge; but on his day, he can punish any bowling attack in the world.
Rishabh Pant (DC): Pant has been batting as a floater in number four or five. He even sent the inexperienced Lalit at No. 4 during the chase in last match, which worked for them. Pant is also handling a dual role, either providing stability in case of early wickets or playing the finisher’s role according to the situation. His captaincy looks stable too.
Predicted XIs
Sunrisers Hyderabad: David Warner (c), Jonny Bairstow (wk), Kane Williamson, Kedar Jadhav, Vijay Shankar, Virat Singh, Abhishek Sharma, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, Siddarth Kaul.
Delhi Capitals: Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Steve Smith, Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Marcus Stoinis, Shimron Hetmyer, Lalit Yadav, Ravichandran Ashwin, Amit Mishra, Kagiso Rabada, Avesh Khan.
Prediction
Delhi Capitals have a more all-around team to get another victory.