IPL 2022, GT vs DC: 3 player battles to watch out for
Gujarat Titans (GT) will take on Delhi Capitals (DC) at the MCA Stadium in Pune on Saturday, April 2. Both teams are unbeaten in the tournament, having won their opening round of fixtures earlier this week.
The newly-formed GT, led by Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya, beat the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) by five wickets on Monday. It was an all-rounded effort from the Titans.
DC, ont he other hand, scripted a strong comeback from a losing position against the mighty Mumbai Indians (MI) in their opener. Rishabh Pant's men chased down 177, courtesy of some handy contributions from the lower order.
DC are still waiting for the availability of David Warner and Mitchell Marsh. GT on the other hand, have their strongest XI ready to play.
Ahead of Saturday night's clash between the two sides in the IPL 2022, let's take a look at the player battles to watch out for.
#3 GT's man-in-form Mohammed Shami vs Prithvi Shaw
In his opening game of the season, Mohammed Shami ripped through LSG's batting lineup comprehensively. He clean bowled all three of their frontline batters, including LSG captain KL Rahul. The right-armer looked in great rhythm and would be oozing to continue from where he left off at the Wankhede Stadium.
Prithvi Shaw, meanwhile, looked composed and played some cheeky shots against the MI bowlers. He hit a 24-ball 38 and looked bright during his stay on the crease. While Shami will look to hit the right areas consistently, Shaw is not someone who will back down from the contest.
#2 GT captain Hardik Pandya vs Kuldeep Yadav
Two players whose much-anticipated comebacks show good signs for Indian cricket, Hardik Pandya and Kuldeep Yadav, will be hoping for redemption in IPL 2022.
Where Yadav bagged player of the match with his economical 3-fer, Hardik played some exquisite glances and was the second-highest run-getter for his side in the previous game.
Yadav would love to bowl to someone like Hardik, who prefers to showcase his dominance against slower bowlers. The all-rounder even lost his wicket against his older brother in the process of hoicking him on the leg-side. The battle between the two injury-plagued players will surely be one to watch out for.
#1 DC captain Rishabh Pant vs Rashid Khan
While it will be Hardik vs Kuldeep during one innings, it will be Rishabh vs Rashid during the other one. Both Rishabh Pant and Rashid Khan have continued to command their authority in the IPL over the last few years.
The duo have come up against each other nine times in the past in the IPL. While Rashid has twice been successful against the left-hander, Pant has operated at a rate of 113.23 and has amassed 77 runs in 69 balls against the leg-spinner. The numbers suggest that Pant looks to play out Rashid. However, given the unpredictable nature of Pant, one should not be surprised to see him up the ante this time.
Both Pant and Rashid like to own the middle overs. Hence, it would be interesting to see who comes out on top on Saturday.