Can Delhi Capitals defeat Gujarat Titans to mark first IPL 2023 victory?

After losing their first match against Lucknow Super Giants by 50 runs, David Warner's Delhi Capitals (DC) would look to score two points on the table in the second match today, at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.

But DC is facing Gujarat Titans (GT), the defending champions and the ones who even outsmarted four-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in their opening match of IPL 2023.

And David Warner's DC has its own share of worries before the match.

Batting lacks fire power

Apart from David Warner, who scored a fifty in the last match against LSG, the batting line-up of Capitals lacks fire. 

Delhi’s slow batting against LSG chasing a target of 193 was heavily criticised, and even David Warner’s 50 didn’t do anything for the team.

Rishabh Pant is out of action for a considerable period of time because of the injuries he suffered in an accident a few months ago. Sarafaraz Khan, the domestic player who has been in a very good form, will take some time to adjust to the IPL format, since he hasn’t played many games for DC since 2022.

The responsibility now falls on South Africa’s Rilee Rossouw and Australia’s Mitchell Marsh. Both of these players were acquired by DC at huge prices so that they add depth to the batting line-up.

While Rossouw was acquired by DC at Rs 4.6 crore, Marsh was roped in at Rs 6.5 crore. Roman Powell, the West Indian all-rounder is also a player to watch out for.  

While chasing, it's imperative for both of them in the lower middle order to provide the back-up, else chasing big targets would become a struggle for DC.

Gujarat’s strong batting line-up

Compared to Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Titans have a deep batting line-up. The team’s opener Shubman Gill is in a very good form. The right-handed batter smashed 63 off 36 balls in the first match against CSK.

Not just Gill alone; nearly all the batters have been in form since last season. Be it Wriddhiman Saha, Rahul Tewatia, Hardik Pandya, Sai Sudharshan; and even Rashid Khan, with his unusual flicks in the death overs, has the capability to pull some exhilarating knocks.

In bowling, while Delhi has Khaleel Ahmed, Lungi Ngidi, Axar Patel as their key bowlers, Gujarat has Mohammad Shami, Rashid Khan, Joshua Little, Alzari Joseph and skipper Hardik Pandya.

On paper, GT’s bowling looks strong compared to Delhi Capitals. GT has a healthy mix of talent, skill and experience on their side, which makes them such a formidable side in the IPL.

Pitch report

The pitch of Arun Jaitley stadium was earlier a slow one but since 2021, teams have been getting good scores. The average score in IPL 2021 for the team batting first was 195.

• But the team chasing here has the upper hand, as 42 out of 76 times, the team chasing has won.
• Teams batting first have won 34 games.
• So, whoever wins the toss would opt to bowl first at Arun Jaitley stadium.

Probable Playing XI 

Delhi Capitals: David Warner (c), Prithvi Shaw, Mitchell Marsh, Lalit Yadav, Sarfaraz Khan, Rovman Powel, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Chetan Sakaria, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar

Gujarat Titans: Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Shubman Gill, Mathew Wade, Hardik Pandya, Vijay Shankar, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Mohammad Shami, Joshua Litlle, Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal