Gujarat Titans and Delhi Capitals will try to outmuscle each other when they face off in a top-of-the-table clash in Ahmedabad on Saturday.
Delhi have had an incredible start to their IPL season, losing just one game in six outings. The Titans haven’t been much far behind, losing two from the same number of matches as Delhi.
The two teams are also quite evenly matched in terms of their bowling attacks. While Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Rashid Khan and Sai Kishore headline the Titans’ bowling attack, Delhi’s unit is spearheaded by Mitchell Starc and Kuldeep Yadav, with Mohit Sharma and skipper Axar Patel himself providing able assistance.
On paper, it might look like there’s little to choose between them, but Delhi might be going into the match with a slender advantage. And it’s the batting that perhaps gives them that edge.
KL Rahul has been the leader of Delhi’s batting unit so far. With 238 runs at an average of 59.50 and a strike rate of 154.54, the keeper-batter has been their driving force with the bat, especially in the middle and death overs.
Delhi can also boast of an in-form Karun Nair, who set the IPL on fire with his array of strokes in the match against Mumbai Indians. If Nair can toy with Jasprit Bumrah’s bowling, he can do so with any bowler.
If Faf du Plessis is fit and back in the XI, Delhi will have an even more powerful batting unit. There was no confirmed update on the South African’s fitness though. “I genuinely cannot give you anything with regards to team mix-up, whether he (Du Plessis) is ready or not, we will have to wait and see,” Delhi coach Hemang Badani said.
If Du Plessis plays, he will come into the side in place of the misfiring Jake Fraser-McGurk.
Delhi also have muscle power lower down the order with Ashutosh Sharma and Vipraj Nigam already proving their destructive skills with the bat.
In contrast, the Titans’ batting unit looks top-heavy. The team’s impressive results so far has mainly been because of the run-scoring form of their top three — Shubman Gill, B. Sai Sudharsan and Jos Buttler. Their middle and lower middle order haven’t faced tough tests yet. So in case there’s a top-order collapse, the likes of Sherfane Rutherford, Shahrukh Khan and Rahul Tewatia may find it difficult to stand up on their own.
A lot will, however, depend on the nature of the pitch which will be in use on Saturday. Ahmedabad has two kinds of pitches — the black soil one and the other made of red soil. The black-soil turf is ideal for the spinners, the red-soil wicket aids the seamers with its bounce.
If it is black, there’s the Kuldeep threat, if red is the choice then Starc will pose a big danger. Which one will the Titans opt for?
