Overview
When Gujarat Titans (W6, D2) take on Delhi Capitals (W2, L6) at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium on Tuesday in the Indian Premier League (IPL), it will be a contest between high-flying table-toppers and basement strugglers. Earlier in the season, when these teams met in Delhi, Gujarat emerged victorious, chasing down 163 with six wickets in hand and 11 balls to spare. Mohammed Shami and Rashid Khan took three wickets each, but it was Sai Sudharsan’s unbeaten 62 that led Gujarat to victory.
Gujarat’s position at the top of the table is no coincidence, as they are currently on a three-match winning streak and have found ways to navigate challenging situations. They defended 135 in Lucknow, and scored 207 batting first before trouncing Mumbai by 55 runs. Their batting performances have been impressive, with six batters accumulating 150+ runs for the season, and three of them scoring at 8.54 runs an over or better.
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Even when their batters have struggled, the bowlers have stepped up, taking an average of 7.50 wickets per innings. However, the team needs to improve in defending against the slog, having conceded 9.63 sixes per match in the competition, the most of any team.
Delhi, on the other hand, have won only two matches this season and are struggling to find someone to get them out of their rut. David Warner, the captain, is the only standout performer with 306 runs at an average of 38.25. Ironically, his strike rate of 7.12 runs per over may be part of the problem. The Capitals have also struggled with the ball, with no bowler taking more than seven wickets for the season. Mitchell Marsh’s four wickets in his last innings have bloated his numbers, but he has otherwise been a disappointment. Moreover, Delhi’s tally of 3.13 sixes scored per match is the lowest of all franchises, which may not help them take advantage of Gujarat’s weakness in the same area.
Venue and time
Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. 7:30 PM IST
Head-to-head
Gujarat have prevailed in both the previous games between these two sides.
Expected conditions and toss
It is going to be another hot evening in Ahmedabad, with the temperature expected to be around 35C. The pitch is expected to produce another high-scoring encounter. The team winning the toss could opt to chase.
Likely XI and Impact Player
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Abhinav Manohar can once again come in as an impact player for Gujarat Titans given his impressive cameos with the bat. For Delhi, Priyam Garg could be used as an Impact player.
Gujarat Titans: Wriddhiman Saha (WK), Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya (C), Vijay Shankar, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Alzarri Joseph, Noor Ahmad, Mohit Sharma and Mohammed Shami.
Delhi Capitals: David Warner (C), Phil Salt (WK), Mitchell Marsh, Manish Pandey, Sarfaraz Khan, Ripal Patel, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Anrich Nortje and Mukesh Kumar.