IPL 2019: Delhi Capitals' probable XI against Sunrisers HyderabadÂ
After suffering a shocking collapse in their last match against KXIP, Delhi Capitals are all set to face off against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Feroz Shah Kotla on Thursday.
The side started IPL 2019 on an exceptional note, crushing Mumbai Indians at Wankhede in the first match. They registered one more win after that, against KKR in a thrilling Super Over finish, but their play has been hit-or-miss so far this season.
They now find themselves in the bottom half of the IPL points table, and would want to bring in more consistency as the tournament progresses.
The Delhi-based franchise made several changes before going into this season of the IPL. They renamed the side from Delhi Daredevils to Delhi Capitals, while also introducing a new jersey. They appointed legendary Australian cricketer Ricky Ponting as the head coach and gave former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly a role in the support staff.
Domestic star Shreyas Iyer, after being given the skipper's role mid-way through the last edition, was also inducted as the full-time captain of the team. All these changes seemed to have born fruit for the team in the very first match of IPL 2019, as they produced a scintillating performance to dismiss Mumbai Indians.
The batting failed against CSK in the second match though, and against both KKR and KXIP they choked from a position of strength in the death overs of the chase. They could recover in time against KKR, with Kagiso Rabada delivering an unreal Super Over to hand the team their second win in three matches.
However, the Shreyas Iyer-led side failed to finish with a positive result in the fourth match against KXIP that was theirs for the taking. They were in a dominant position till the 17th over of the match while chasing 167 runs, but a sudden collapse from 144-3 to 152-10 cost them the chance to make it three in four.
Having done reasonably well in all the four matches so far, the Capitals would be aiming to get back to winning ways as they take on Sunrisers Hyderabad at their home venue tonight. Here is a look at their expected playing XI for the match:
Openers: Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan
Prithvi Shaw was excellent against KKR as he fell just one short of his century, while Shikhar Dhawan has brought stability to the team with his composed batting. No change is expected here.
Middle order: Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, Colin Ingram and Hanuma Vihari
Rishabh Pant sparkled in the match against Mumbai Indians, and he along with captain Shreyas Iyer have been reliable hands in the middle order for a while now.
Colin Ingram couldn't finish the match against Punjab, but he is expected to be given a few more chances. Hanuma Vihari remains a talented player despite his failure in the last match.
All-rounder: Chris Morris
Chris Morris has made a stunning comeback to the team and lends firepower in both batting and bowling.
Bowlers: Amit Mishra, Sandeep Lamichhane, Kagiso Rabada and Avesh Khan
Rabada has been in good rhythm, while Avesh Khan bowled with pace against Punjab. Lamichhane was the pick of the bowlers in the last match, and could prove to be a handful against SRH too.
The last spot could see a change, with Harshal Patel making way for Amit Mishra. The pitch at Delhi is expected to see some turn, and the veteran Mishra could make good use of that.
Probable playing XI: Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant (w), Shreyas Iyer (c), Colin Ingram, Hanuma Vihari, Chris Morris, Amit Mishra, Sandeep Lamichhane, Kagiso Rabada, Avesh Khan