Delhi Capitals will have to rebound when they play the reigning champions, Gujarat Titans, in their first home game of the season on Tuesday at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, just a few days after being completely destroyed by Lucknow Super Giants.
The availability of Anrich Nortje and Lungi Ngidi, in addition to Sarfaraz Khan’s wicketkeeping, the batters’ struggles, and the pace attack’s lack of efficiency, have been dismissed by DC’s director of cricket, Sourav Ganguly, who feels that these players’ performances will only improve.
Although they will be playing half of their league games at home, the rate at which Mark Wood tore through DC’s batting order shouldn’t be of worry. The matchup with the Hardik Pandya-led team will serve as an early gauge of how well-prepared the DC team is to handle the home environment where they will be playing half of their league games.
Aman Khan, a strong fielder, and the part-time medium pacer was kept out of action until the very last over in the first game instead of considerably less qualified fielders who had no bowling experience in the starting Eleven, which is quite noteworthy. It takes a very different strategy than what the other teams have done. It will be fascinating to watch if they stick with that strategy after Ricky Ponting, their head coach, pointed out that they did suffer with their fielding.
What time: 7:30 PM IST on Tuesday, April 4, 2023
Where: Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi, between the Delhi Capitals and the Gujarat Titans
What to anticipate: A little drizzle occurred on Monday, and a passing shower could occur even on the day of the game. Yet, the game is not expected to be seriously threatened. It should be a high-scoring contest on a new track with a tiny field.
Team Watch
Anrich Nortje and Lungi Ngidi of the Delhi Capitals are available for the match, and the former is likely to make the starting lineup.
Since the start of the IPL in 2019, Hardik Pandya, Vijay Shankar, and Rahul Tewatia have all had difficulty batting against slow left-farmers in T20 matches, striking out at rates of 116, 114, and 56, respectively. Axar Patel might be useful in regulating the scoring rate throughout the middle overs.
Aman Khan, Axar Patel, Prithvi Shaw, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Sarfaraz Khan, Rovman Powell, Kuldeep Yadav, Chetan Sakariya, Anrich Nortje, Khaleel Ahmed, and Manish Pandey make up the probable XI.
Gujarat Titans:
Kane Williamson has been disqualified from the tournament. David Miller should be a direct exchange, though, as he is available for the competition. After bowling a lengthy spell in the nets, Mohit Sharma might be given a chance to join the team.
Tactics & Matchups:
Prithvi Shaw and David Warner both have a good track record against Mohammad Shami in terms of strategies and matchups. Although Gujarat Titans may have two alternatives for left-arm pacers in Josh Little and Yash Dayal, they haven’t been able to score as frequently against them.
Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha, Vijay Shankar, Hardik Pandya, David Miller, Rashid Khan, Alzarri Joseph, Josh Little, Mohammed Shami, and Yash Dayal/Sai Sudarshan comprise the probable starting lineup.
Did you realise?
Axar Patel never dismissed Shubman Gill in 51 deliveries during the IPL, and the spinner gave up 72 runs in the process.
In the IPL, Khaleel Ahmed dismissed Hardik Pandya twice in 8 balls while only giving up 8 runs.
What they said:
Everyone needs to develop their rapid bowling skills. They’re great. Just that they left is all. Shaw has historically scored runs against true pace. Only one ball actually passed through him. Even Mitch Marsh, who has always bowled quickly, was dismissed early by Wood. Mark Wood deserves praise for the manner in which he bowled, says Sourav Ganguly of the DC batsmen’s performance against LSG.
He has performed superbly. He was batting so well for the squad even before he arrived here, therefore I believe he is one of the best players in the nation. It’s very special for me to share a dressing room with him because I traveled with the team on their first Indian tour as well as the India A tours. Everyone recognizes his talent, but anyone can overcome difficult circumstances if they have the correct morals. He might serve as an example for upcoming players, says Vijay Shankar of Shubman Gill.