Titans in need of batting boost against hot-and-cold Capitals

Delhi Capitals (eighth) vs Gujarat Titans (sixth)
New Delhi, 1930 IST (1400 GMT)

There's only so much wriggle room in the mid-table, with Delhi Capitals and Gujarat Titans desperately needing winning momentum in the second half of the league phase.

The Capitals have swung from sublime to ridiculous. They have four of the best powerplay performances by a bowling team this season, but they also have the second highest economy rate in the first six overs, after conceding 125 and 88 against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders.

The Capitals had nearly taken their net run rate positive after dismissing Gujarat Titans for the season's lowest total last week in Ahmedabad, but that high was short lived as Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma fired Sunrisers to 266 for 7 at the Kotla.

While they lost that chase against SRH, the Capitals provided a peek into what their future could look like, with Jake Fraser-McGurk, Tristan Stubbs and Abishek Porel batting like daredevils. But the youngsters are likely to be tested by the Titans, who have a spin attack comprising Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad and R Sai Kishore.

Capitals also have the spinners to match the Titans. Axar Patel had dream figures of 4-0-29-1 in a game where over 450 runs were scored, while Kuldeep Yadav bounced back after a first-over shellacking from Abhishek to take four wickets. They could capitalise against one of the slowest top orders this season and a middle order that has lacked the role-clarity that was so crucial to their success in the previous two years. The spinners on both sides, however, will have to contend with a venue that has traditionally been a nightmare to bowl on with its short square boundaries.

Capitals LWWLL (last five matches, most recent first)
Titans WLWLL

Previous meeting

Titans were bowled out for 89, a total that the Capitals chased down in 8.5 overs. The fast bowlers Mukesh Kumar, Ishant Kumar and Khaleel Ahmed made the difference for DC that evening in Ahmedabad.

Delhi Capitals
Mitchell Marsh is unavailable for the remainder of their campaign due to a hamstring strain. Ishant is also a doubtful starter as he continues to manage back spasms.

Prithvi Shaw is likely to be subbed in or out for one of Khaleel Ahmed or Mukesh Kumar depending on whether Capitals bat or bowl first. If they are in trouble batting first and need an extra batter as an impact player, they could consider bringing in Jharkhand's Kumar Kushagra.

Probable XII: 1 David Warner, 2 Prithvi Shaw, 3 Jake Fraser-McGurk, 4 Rishabh Pant (capt & wk), 5 Tristan Stubbs, 6 Abishek Porel, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Sumit Kumar, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Anrich Nortje, 11 Mukesh Kumar, 12 Khaleel Ahmed

Titans are likely to swap Sai Sudharsan and Mohit Sharma as the Impact Player, depending on whether they bat or bowl first. While Sudharsan's performances have been middling, Mohit has the fifth-best economy rate in the death overs among those who have bowled at least 10 overs since IPL 2023.

Probable XII: 1 Shubman Gill (capt), 2 Wriddhiman Saha, 3 B Sai Sudharsan, 4 Azmatullah Omarzai, 5 David Miller, 6 Shahrukh Khan, 7 Rahul Tewatia, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 R Sai Kishore, 10 Umesh Yadav, 11 Noor Ahmad, 12 Mohit Sharma

David Warner has scores of 1, 8, 10 and 18 in his last four innings. He has played the last two games with a finger injury he picked up while attempting a lap sweep on April 12. Jake Fraser-McGurk is making heads turn with his powerplay hitting - a strike rate of 236 off his first 10 deliveries - and presenting a case to be considered for the opening slot. While there's no imminent threat to Warner's place, another low score could give Capitals something to think about.

Shubman Gill was outstanding in IPL 2023, where he had a strike rate of more than 160 in six of his seven fifty-plus scores. This season, he has managed only one half-century in eight games, with his total tally at 289 runs. His form has somewhat mirrored his team's batting fortunes and a big second half for Gill could be the boost Titans need to make a pitch for the playoffs for the third successive season.

Last year, the re-laid pitches at the Kotla offered lateral movement and bounce for the seamers. This season, the Capitals played their first few home games in Vishakapatnam to give the pitches in Delhi time to recover after hosting the WPL. On their return to Delhi last week, records tumbled when Sunrisers smashed 266, and the curator expects another run-fest. There was a thunderstorm that forced both teams to abort their training sessions on match-eve.

"There are still a lot of things to learn for Jake Fraser-McGurk. He isn't a finished product and there is no better place to learn than the IPL. He needs to make it big like [Yashasvi] Jaiswal last night. He is a terrific kid; I like the way he is learning. We aren't stopping him from doing the things he wants to do but we are also trying to make him learn a few things on the run."
Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting