Hat-trick of wins or a maiden loss? First win or third defeat? Either way, something’s got to give as Delhi Capitals come up against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 11th match of the Dream11 Indian Premier League 2020 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium on September 29.
Along with Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Capitals is yet to taste defeat in the tournament. Under the leadership of Shreyas Iyer, young players at Delhi Capitals have flourished in the first two games. After successfully prevailing in the Super Over against Kings XI Punjab, they have secured a convincing victory against the Chennai Super Kings, thereby leading the charts with a healthy net run-rate.
DC has managed to strike a good balance in the lineup. In the series opener, the middle-order took the onus after a poor start from the top order. Whereas in the next clash, the openers provided the momentum and very less was left for the lower order.
A similar synergy has been found in the bowling unit. Pace bowlers have been taking regular wickets in their spells, while spinners chipping in with economical spells in the middle overs.
While the table-toppers look elegantly strong, their opponents – the Sunrisers, have been reeling down with zero wins so far. After losing their opening match to Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), they failed to make a comeback in their next face-off against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
Despite having a pack of dynamic players, SRH has been struggling to put together a clinical show. Skipper David Warner struggled against RCB, while his partner Jonny Bairstow was castled too soon by the KKR attack. The middle-order remains unsettled. Despite making a couple of changes for the second game, the result was not altered.
The only positive across both games was positive form of Manish Pandey. He was the top scorer against KKR with a well-compiled half-century. SRH should look to provide more support to Pandey in the middle order. In such a situation, the SRH think tank needs to solidify the line-up by bringing Kane Williamson back into the lineup.
However, when it comes to their head to head record, the Sunrisers have the edge with nine wins in 15 matches while DC has won 5. DC are favourites as of now, but SRH has the knack of arresting the slump as soon as possible.