In the second double-header of this season’s IPL, the second match will be played between Gujarat Titans (GT) and Delhi Capitals (DC).
Both teams have started their campaign with narrow wins as things got too close for comfort but they dug deep and came out on top. The Capitals (DC) defeated the Mumbai Indians by four wickets, while the GT won by five wickets against the other new newcomers, the Lucknow Super Giants.
GT were excellent with both the bat and the ball, putting the brakes on LSG’s momentum from the start. With the new ball in hand, senior pacer Mohammed Shami shook the top-order, and Lucknow would have battled to even achieve a respectable score if it hadn’t been for the middle-order trio of Ayush Badoni, Deepak Hooda, and Krunal Pandya’s vital knocks. Gujarat also demonstrated that they have a strong batting line-up capable of taking the game away from any opponent.
Meanwhile, the Capitals had made mistakes with the ball, and now it’s time to make amends. Lungi Ngidi and Mustafizur Rahman have returned to the squad, boosting the camp’s morale even further. The fact that DC has a solid lower-order that can be relied on in critical situations is encouraging, as Lalit Yadav and Axar Patel led them home with an unbeaten 75-run seventh-wicket stand.
GT vs DC – Match Details
Match #10
Venue: Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune
Date &Time: April 2nd at 7:30 PM IST and local time
Live Streaming: Star Sports Network and Disney+Hotstar
Pitch Report
On this flat surface, the Pune wicket provides a lot of help to the batsmen, and a run-fest is likely. The pacers are unlikely to get much traction on the surface, but the spinners can take advantage of it because it is rough.
On this surface, though, chasing is rather simple if the team has all of its wickets intact. As a result, the captain who wins the toss chooses to bowl first.
Top Performers
Gujarat Titans
When the going gets tough, Rahul Tewatia has proven time and time again that he has the ability to play match-defining knocks in the middle order. Tewatia may start slowly, but he has excellent knowledge and situational awareness, and it’ll only be a matter of time until he starts scoring at a rapid pace once he’s settled in, allowing him to contribute some crucial runs in the middle and death overs.
With a magnificent undefeated 40 off 24 deliveries, the southpaw pulled the match away from LSG. When he meets Delhi’s bowling attack, he’ll be expected to produce another furious inning.
Delhi Capitals
Kuldeep Yadav bowled exceptionally well in the first game for his new franchise. The spinner was the only bowler in the Delhi camp who was able to put a full stop to MI’s scoring rate. The 27-year-old took 3 crucial wickets and gave away just 18 runs in his 4-over spell. He will be defiantly the one to watch out for in today’s match.
Predicted XI
Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill, Matthew Wade (wk), Vijay Shankar, Abhinav Manohar, Hardik Pandya (c), David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Lockie Ferguson, Varun Aaron, Mohammed Shami.
Delhi Capitals: Prithvi Shaw, Tim Seifert, KS Bharat, Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Rovman Powell, Lalit Yadav, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Khaleel Ahmed, Kuldeep Yadav, Mustafizur Rahman/Lungi Ngidi.
