The Sunrisers Hyderabad are all set to take on the Delhi Capitals at the Dubai International Cricket as playoffs scenarios get more interesting as the tournament progresses. Both sides have had contrasting forms in this season as Sunrisers Hyderabad haven’t been at their best whereas Delhi Capitals have looked in fantastic form this season.
Delhi Capitals are on the verge of qualifying for the playoffs as they are just one win short for a guaranteed place in the IPL 2020 playoffs. Though they lost their previous match against Kolkata Knight Riders couple of days back at Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi, the side will be looking to get this win under their belt and seal a place in the playoffs.
Whereas on the other hand, Sunrisers Hyderabad had a shocking end to a dismal performance in the match against Kings XI Punjab on Saturday. What looked like Sunrisers Hyderabad were racing to victory they flopped under pressure as they lost 10 wickets under 53 runs in the chase of merely 127 against Kings XI Punjab.
With the match expected to be a stiff competition between the two sides, let’s take a look at the five key players to watch out for.
Let’s take a look at 5 key players to watch out for when Sunrisers Hyderabad take on Delhi Capitals:
1. Anrich Nortje
The Proteas pace bowler who made an impact in the test arena for the South African national side has been another unsung hero for the Delhi Capitals franchise. He along with Kagiso Rabada has been instrumental in Delhi Capitals proven success this year as both have been opening the bowling for the side upfront.
Also, Anrich Nortje has been bowling at the death saving those crucial runs for Delhi at the back end of the innings. In the recent game against Rajasthan Royals, Nortje clocked the fastest delivery in the history of the Indian Premier League.
2. Rashid Khan
The leg spinner from Afghanistan is always one of those players who have constantly performed for Sunrisers Hyderabad. Ever since he made his debut for the side in 2017 he has consistently put up good shows for the Orange Army.
This year too Rashid Khan has been the pick of the wickets as in the 9 matches he has played for Sunrisers Hyderabad this season he has managed to pick 11 wickets. He is one of the leading wicket-takers of his side in the tournament and will be key player against Rajasthan Royals.
3. Axar Patel
The Gujarat born left-arm spinner has been the unsung hero for Delhi Capitals franchise this season. He hasnt been the bowler who has been picking a lot of wickets but he has been able to control and contain the opposition batsmen with economical spells.
It is all because of Axar Patel, the like of Kagiso Rabada, Ravichandran Ashwin are able to pick wicket from the other end as attacking Axar Patel is slightly difficult with the line he’s been bowling this year.
4. Vijay Shankar
The 3D player who was part of India’s 2019 World Cup squad has come up the ranks since last few matches. He had been contributing the ball since match one but wasn’t able to do so with the bat. But ever since the match against Rajasthan Royals where Shankar and Pandey notched up a hundred run stand, Shankar has looked like a player who wants to take the batting responsibility in the middle order.
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Even Harsha Bhogle spoke the other day how Vijay Shankar who is an India player should be batting at number 4 for the Sunrisers Hyderabad and should take the responsibility in the middle order.
5. T Natarajan
In the absence of Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, it is T Natarajan who has stepped up for the Sunrisers Hyderabad bowling unit taking the prime responsibility of bowling at the death overs. He holds the record for bowling the most number of yorkers in this season as his yorkers have been in tremendous display this season
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It won’t be wrong to say that Natarajan has been of the best fast bowlers of the season if the accuracy of variations is used as a criterion for measuring performance.