Warner, SRH eye fresh start after tumultuous first leg

The Overview:

Will David Warner be welcomed back into the SRH set up? Stripped off captaincy midway through the season and then axed from the XI for the game against Rajasthan Royals has meant this has been his worst IPL season, by some distance. But the pandemic-induced break has led to a few changes in dynamics thereafter. SRH are no longer with the services of this season's most successful batsman - Jonny Bairstow - from that first half. That leaves an opening for SRH's most successful batsman (all-time) a shot at redemption.

But with six losses from seven games so far, his team might not have a similar shot this season. So tumultuous has their season been that they constantly changed around with their playing elevens, making as many as 15 changes and never playing with successive elevens. But individuals stand to gain a lot with performances in this half of the tournament, particularly with the T20 World Cup nearing and good performances here are likely to get them further ahead in the rat race.

That race will find some echo in their opposition ranks as well. For the likes of Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan - who set the first half alight with 512 partnership runs as openers - will consider themselves unfortunate to miss out on a spot in the World Cup squad. But they'd recognise that this part of the tournament could cement their place as frontrunners in case a back up is sought.

The return of Shreyas Iyer also provides the team with additional balance, alluded head coach Ricky Ponting. This means that there is a chance that Delhi could plug their leak in the death overs by getting the successful pair of Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada back together. In Iyer's absence, Nortje didn't feature in the first half with Delhi looking towards Steve Smith's batting for the balance of their side. And Iyer himself will be keen to get his way back up in the pecking order for India.

The subtexts thus could mean that Delhi, who are already in the second spot in the points table, feel further strengthened and closer to their first eleven of choice. And as a young captain, Rishabh Pant could not possibly ask for more leading in to the business end of the tournament.

When:Wednesday, September 22, 2021 at 19:30 IST

Where:Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai

What to expect: The Dubai surface has shown some assistance for the seamers early on. If this continues, pace could play a decisive role with both sides possessing world-class personnel.

Team News:

Delhi Capitals:There maybe a toss-up between Axar Patel and Amit Mishra later in the season but the left-arm spinner is likely to be first choice for now and gives the Delhi batting extra bolstering.

Tactics & Matchups:

Prithvi Shaw's penchant for driving is well-known, and against two men - Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Sandeep Sharma - that are likely to pitch the ball up for movement, he could quickly go boom or bust. This could be a play that will have high stakes for high reward very early in the game and potentially setting the tone for the innings. Additionally, the swing duo hold the wood over another important member of DC - Shreyas Iyer having dismissed him 6 times already.

Probable XI: Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (c&wk), Marcus Stoinis, Shimron Hetmyer, Axar Patel/Amit Mishra, R Ashwin, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Avesh Khan

Sunrisers Hyderabad

Hours before the game, T Natarajan tested positive for Covid-19 and went into isolation. Vijay Shankar, identified as one of the close contact, was also placed in isolation along with the team's new bowler and four supporting staff. Both the players should be unavailable for tonight's game.

The big Warner question aside, SRH will be eager to plug in the void in the lower middle order. Both Jason Holder and Mohammad Nabi offer enough promise in that role. SRH could have been bolstered by the return to a near full strength bowling attack after injuries severely hampered their first half of the season, but Natarajan's RT-PCR test put paid to that.

Tactics & Matchups:

Warner vs R Ashwin and Kagiso Rabada offers a battle that promises to be engaging across formats. In T20s it's no different. While Ashwin has managed to keep Warner quieter for longer (Economy Rate of 6.63 over 86 balls and 3 dismissals), Rabada has a contrasting record having dismissed him thrice in just 39 balls but also conceding at a rate of 9.38. Given the importance of stifling Warner, DC wouldn't mind either method going in their favour.

Probable XI: David Warner, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Kane Williamson (c), Manish Pandey, Abhishek Sharma/Kedar Jadhav, Abdul Samad, Jason Holder/Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed

Did you know?

- If selected, Amit Mishra will become the first player to feature in 100 matches for Delhi franchise in IPL. He is four wickets behind Lasith Malinga tally of 170 wickets - the most by a bowler in IPL history.

- Rashid Khan has a tremendous T20 record in Dubai, having picked 17 wickets in 12 matches at an economy rate of 4.55.

-Delhi Capitals have hit the fewest sixes in IPL 2021 (32) but the most fours (142).

What they said

"I am absolutely delighted to have Shreyas back in our lineup. It was devastating for him and the team that he dislocated his shoulder just before the start of the IPL earlier in the year. He's a world class player, been an exceptional player for the Delhi Capitals for a long time now, our previous skipper as well. Him sliding into our line-up makes our make-up of our team look a little bit more complete. I think the first part of the tournament, as well as we played -- think we won 6 from our 8 games -- but our overall balance just didn't feel like it was right." Ricky Ponting on the return of Shreyas Iyer