IPL 2019: Match 30, SRH v DC, Preview: Orange Army look to snap their losing streak

Come Sunday, Shikhar Dhawan will return to his home (technically speaking as he spent a major part of his IPL career in Hyderabad) and will his homecoming prevail and end in a success for the DC, or will the Orange Army snap their losing streak of 2 matches? This is the big question heading into the final match of this weekend, in Hyderabad.

The last time these two sides faced off was at the Kotla and the Sunrisers Hyderabad found their way to a hard-fought victory, chasing 130 on a slow track and winning by 5 wickets with 7 balls to spare. On the other hand, Delhi registered a comprehensive 7 wicket-win over the Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens, completing a double over them.

Delhi capitals will vary of the fact that the Sunrisers know the Uppal ground in and out and not forget, their explosive opening duo. Shikhar Dhawan is the only player who is accustomed to the conditions at the Uppal and the Sunrisers will vary of that fact. For the Sunrisers, it has been a hot-cold season so far, registering 3 wins and as many losses, leaving nothing much to separate from DC. A win for the Hyderabad-based franchise will lift them to the second position, only behind CSK who have got 6 wins from 7 wins.

Team combinations

Sunrisers Hyderabad

While the orange Army did well to drag the low scoring game at Mohali against the KXIP to the last ball, concerns raised over their middle-order. While Shankar and Manish got runs, they didn’t help the cause of a struggling Warner and once again, the fans could sense the absence of Kane Williamson. Siddharth Kaul did deliver an exceptional penultimate over against the KXIP but he was one of the main reasons for the downfall of the Risers. One can expect him to sit this one time out to make way for Basil Thampi, who has been bowling well in the nets. If Kane does return, he’s most likely going to replace Nabi and will take over the reigns from Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
One can also expect Yusuf Pathan make way for Abhishek Sharma, owing to his lacklustre and inconstant performances.

Probable XI: David Warner, Johnny Bairstow (WK), Vijay Shankar, Kane Williamson/Mohammad Nabi, Manish Pandey, Deepak Hooda, Yusuf Pathan/Abhishek Sharma, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddharth Kaul/Basil Thampi, Sandeep Sharma.

Delhi Capitals

Delhi ensured a famous win at the Eden Gardens but registering 7 wicket-win against a dominant and mighty Kolkata side. The major positive for them was that their most trusted player, Shikhar Dhawan returned to form with an unbeaten 97 off 63 but it the inability of Rishabh Pant to finish off games for his side came to the forefront again. Pant has been in good form and his recent knocks have shown signs of confidence.

Their bowling did deliver on a batting-friendly Eden track but they are likely to bring in Sandeep Lamichane against SRH as it rained quite heavily in Hyderabad on Friday and the pitch has been saggy in recent times. For instance, the last encounter saw a total of only 226 runs in 37.4 overs and evidently, it has been on the slower side. Except for that one change regarding Lamichane, Delhi are unlikely to tinker with their winning combination which has now registered 2 wins on the trot.

Probable XI: Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Collin Ingram, Chris Morris, Axar Patel, Rahul Tewatia, Keemo Paul/Sandeep Lamichane, Kagiso Rabada, Ishant Sharma

Focus will be on

SRH: David Warner
The left-handed stalwart has looked scratchy in his last couple of innings and the limelight will be on him to provide the home side with yet another blistering start. While Warner did regain some of his touch in the latter part of his innings in his 62-ball 72 not out, it’ll be interesting to see if he can continue from where he left off. Warner currently holds the orange Cap with 349 runs to his credit at a healthy strike rate of 146.

DC: Shikhar Dhawan
The Delhi-born Left-handed explosive batsman recently found his touch with a fluent 97 not out against a strong KKR side and his confidence levels would be unmatched at the moment which would possess a potent threat to the home side, early on in the innings. With the World Cup fast approaching, it’d be interesting to see if Dhawan can maintain his form with a good level of consistency in all aspects, including his strike rate. Having narrowly missed out on a century, the 33-year-old would be eager to continue from where he left off, against a dominant yet familiar bowling side.

Head-to-head

Matches: 13, SRH: 9, DC: 4.

Stat Attack

3: The Sunrisers have won their last 3 outings against the Delhi-based outfit with their latest win coming at Kotla. They currently lead 3-0.

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