Is the game on Tuesday night a matchup of the top and bottom clubs so far this season? Not merely the points table makes that suggestion.
Gujarat Titans top the charts in important parameters, while Delhi Capitals finish last. Their middle-order batting averages (37.8 vs. 16.6), chasing records (100% vs. 20%), and scoring rates in the final four overs (12.3 vs. 7.9) all support this.
In addition, David Warner’s team has lost the most wickets to spin, has the lowest run rate against pacers, and is the only team without a batsman with a strike rate of 140 or above.
However, Capitals have played better over the past two weeks; only a narrow loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad prevented them from completing a hat-trick of victories. Their spinners have been a lone bright spot, and their batting has started to click frequently.
Titans appear to be a solid XI, with Shubman Gill being supported by a strong middle order. In Kolkata, they demonstrated that Rashid Khan is not their only bowling strength, and they demonstrated that Indian batters Abhinav Manohar and Vijay Shankar are reliable performers, just like they were last year.
Wriddhiman Saha’s performance and their 1 in 3 record when batting first are their only current vulnerabilities. It will be up to the Capitals, who are finally in a decent place, to seize any opportunities that present themselves.
Their best opportunity will come from more players banding together around Axar Patel and Mitchell Marsh, as well as a better batting surface than Delhi that will work for their top order that is heavily composed of foreign players.
During the Kolkata Knight Riders game, Mohit Sharma had his fingers tangled under the ball. While it initially appeared serious, the Titans had encouraging news when he returned later in the game to take a catch. No other injuries have been reported by either side.
Saha’s performance worries the Titans. His average, 18.9, is the lowest of any IPL 2023 batsman. If Titans decide to chase, they might bat second and replace Saha after the fielding innings with a top-order hitter like B Sai Sudharsan.
In the second innings, they are limited to substituting a pure hitter for an additional bowler, thus if they choose to bat first, they might be obliged to stick with Saha. They are more likely to continue using the same combination.
Depending on how the pitch feels to the Capitals, they might make a few adjustments. However, they wouldn’t want to remove Phil Salt from his position as the opener in favor of taking a chance with Prithvi Shaw. He could take Priyam Garg or Ripal Patel’s place, along with/without Abishek Porel.
Gujrat Titans XII: 1 Shubman Gill, 2 Wriddhiman Saha (wk) / Sai Sudharsan, 3 Abhinav Manohar, 4 Hardik Pandya (capt), 5 Vijay Shankar, 6 David Miller, 7 Rahul Tewatia, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Josh Little, 10 Mohit Sharma, 11 Mohammed Shami, 12 Noor Ahmed.
Delhi Capitals XII: 1 David Warner (capt), 2 Phil Salt (wk), 3 Mitchell Marsh, 4 Manish Pandey, 5 Sarfaraz Khan / Prithvi Shaw, 6 Priyam Garg, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Ripal Patel, 9 Anrich Nortje, 10 Kuldeep Yadav, 11 Ishant Sharma, 12 Mukesh Kumar