In the first-half of the tournament, Delhi Capitals looked unstoppable. A well-balanced squad built around a core Indian group, which was ably complemented by overseas imports. They were not just posting wins, they did so in a commanding manner. But having played 11 matches, they are yet to confirm their play-off spot. While a win is enough for them to get there, Delhi suddenly don't look like they are the team to beat.
The first-half was smooth sailing for Delhi. But the injury to Rishabh Pant forced them to alter the winning combination and since then, they haven't brought out their A-game.
While they undoubtedly miss the services of Ishant Sharma, Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje have stepped up big time. But opposition have begun to take advantage of the lesser-known fifth bowler – Tushar Deshpande and Harshad Patel. With Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel also in good rhythm, Delhi will look to sort this issue by the time they enter play-offs. If not they will be left exposed.
While Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Marcus Stoinis remain in form, Delhi have a problem at the top. Prithvi Shaw's form is on the wane and even Ajinkya Rahane, who played in few matches has struggled on the slow UAE pitches. Though they dropped Shaw for the previous match, it remains to be seen if they will continue to bench him and back Rahane to come good.
For Hyderabad, this is a must-win situation. They have won only one of their last five matches and it has come at a time they were supposed to gain momentum.
Despite having a strong opening combination in David Warner and Jonny Bairstow, their middle-order continues to be a big issue. Apart from Manish Pandey and Vijay Shankar, others have not contributed much, forcing their top-order to play cautiously.
Their bowling has been amongst the best, but as the race for play-off berth heats up, Hyderabad desperately need their batsmen to step up.