IPL 2020 qualifier 2: Resurgent SRH or struggling DC, who will take on Mumbai Indians in the final
Delhi Capitals will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Qualifier 2 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 edition at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
The two teams had a contrasting journey. While DC, once a table topper, continued its losing streak after making important gains early on in the series, SRH’s resurgence in the tournament ensured that no team makes to the final four easily. As IPL 2020 trophy is only two matches away, now only one of the two teams has their chance of winning the title. The winner of this match will meet title favourites Mumbai Indians to have any shot at IPL 2020 trophy.
Delhi Capitals' journey
Delhi Capitals won seven out of their first nine matches. However, they lost four games in a row before beating Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the last league stage match to seal a place in the Qualifier 1. They lost to at the hands of Mumbai Indians (MI) again, however, the top two finish after the conclusion of the playoffs guaranteed them one more shot to reach the final and they will be looking to make the most of it. Source: PTI
SRH resurgence
Sunrisers Hyderabad, on the other hand, could manage only three wins from the first nine matches. But induction of Jason Holder, who was not given a place in the West Indies T20I squad for the upcoming New Zealand tour, and Wriddhiman Saha turned crucial for David Warner-led team. Sunrisers Hyderabad has turned the tide and are now made it to the Qualifier 2 registering four wins on the bounce - RCB in the Eliminator and against MI, RCB and DC (in the league stage). Source: PTI
Batting units
The openers will play important role in both teams. Both sides have openers—David Warner (546 runs) and Shikhar Dhawan (525 runs) — in the list of the leading run-getters of the IPL 2020. The two openers have often set the tone for their teams and they will be the ones that their respective teams will look to in this crunch game. DC captain Shreyas Iyer (C) and Prithvi Shaw will also have their task cut out if DC want any shot to make it to the final. While DC has failed to click as a unit, SRH have seen Wriddhiman Saha, Kane Williamson, Jason Holder rise to the occasion and take the team home. Source: PTI
Pace factors
For DC, Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje have dominated the tournament with the South African duo sharing 45 wickets between them this season. They will be very crucial as far as chances of DC making it to the final is concerned. However, after suffering the loss of Bhuvneshwar Kumar to an injury early on in the season, the SRH have mostly worked as a unit and that has worked out for them so far. For Sunrisers, While T Natarajan has 16 wickets to his name, Sandeep Sharma and Jason Holder have scalped 13 wickets each. Source: PTI
DC vs SRH squads
Sunrisers Hyderabad: David Warner (C), Wriddhiman Saha/Shreevats Goswami, Manish Pandey, Kane Williamson, Priyam Garg, Abdul Samad, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Shahbaz Nadeem, Sandeep Sharma and T Natarajan.
Delhi Capitals: Shreyas Iyer (C), Prithvi Shaw, Ajinkya Rahane, Shikhar Dhawan, Anrich Nortje, Ishant Sharma, Pravin Dubey, Avesh Khan, Sandeep Lamichhane, Kagiso Rabada, Keemo Paul, Mohit Sharma, Lalit Yadav, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, Ravi Ashwin, Marcus Stoinis, Daniel Sams, Rishabh Pant, Alex Carey, Shimron Hetmyer and Tushar Deshpande. Source: PTI