HYDERABAD: Delhi Capitals and Sunrisers Hyderabad have had contrasting seasons so far. Delhi began with a thumping win against Mumbai Indians, only to lose momentum with two defeats in their last three games. Sunrisers, on the other hand, were done in by Andre Russell’s heroics for Kolkata Knight Riders in their opener. But David Warner’s and Jonny Bairstow’s stupendous form has overshadowed their vaunted bowling department’s errors at the death, handing them two wins in their next two.
As the two clash at Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium on Thursday, there are concerns on both sides. Their 118-run rout of Royal Challengers Bangalore may make it seem as if Hyderabad have sorted out their bowling woes, but the Virat Kohli-led side was expected to make mistakes while chasing a mammoth 231. Bhuvneshwar Kumar has remained wicket-less, giving away 117. That, and the Sunrisers middle-order — which has always been a concern for them — has not been put to the test.
Asked whether that lack of exposure could put the team in a spot of bother, head coach Tom Moody said on the eve of the match, “I hope not. It is inevitable that there will be times when the middle-order will have to carry a substantial amount of workload in our batting. We have been fortunate to have three consecutive 100-run opening partnerships. At the same time, we have full confidence in our middle-order, which has been bolstered by the addition of Vijay Shankar. I am sure the batsmen will welcome the opportunity.”
Delhi’s issue, on the other hand, lies in their lower-order. Their Indian top-four of Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant have built momentum. But the lower-order batsmen have found it tough to carry that on. In the defeat against Kings XI Punjab in their last match, Delhi lost seven wickets for just eight — the worst collapse in IPL history — to fall short by 14. The experiment to slot Hanuma Vihari in the lower-order has had no success, as he has managed only four runs in two matches.
Going by assistant coach Mohammad Kaif’s words, it looks as if Delhi are struggling to find the right combination. “It’s not easy to just get going from the word go. The top four get ample time to construct their innings. It’s a different case when it comes to the lower-order. Vihari would prefer to bat higher up, but there is no slot.”
With the wicket at Kotla expected to be on the slower side, Hyderabad might have to change their strategy with the bat a bit. Coming out all guns blazing from the start might not be that easy this time.
“Adjustments will have to be done in these conditions to be effective. Our focus is on that,” concluded Moody.