Delhi Capitals and Gujarat Titans meet at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Wednesday with both sides carrying batting concerns, but only one of them has found a way to win through them. Delhi have taken their first two matches despite top-order problems, while Gujarat arrive after two straight defeats and a middle order that has not finished the job.
Delhi's wins came against Lucknow Super Giants and Mumbai Indians, and both were rescued from awkward starts. Sameer Rizvi entered as the Impact Player in both matches, scoring 70 against Lucknow and then 90 against Mumbai as Delhi recovered from positions of 26/4 and 7/2 to stay unbeaten. Mumbai were limited to 162/6 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, a return that showed how Delhi have leaned on their bowlers when the batting has wobbled.
That matters on Wednesday because Gujarat's batting has unravelled late in both of their losses. Against Punjab Kings, they slid from 86/1 to 162 runs, with Glenn Phillips, Rahul Tewatia and Washington Sundar unable to close the innings before Cooper Connolly's 72 off 44 balls pushed Punjab over the line. In their next match, Gujarat failed to chase 211 against Rajasthan Royals. The pattern is simple enough: they are getting starts, then losing control when the innings should be moving into its final phase.
Tuesday's weather added another layer. Rain lashed the National Capital and the pitch was under covers, leaving conditions likely to assist the seamers early on and possibly forcing a few changes in both bowling line-ups. Kagiso Rabada has taken three wickets so far but has also gone for runs at 10.85 an over, a record that will be watched closely if the new-ball movement is there at the start. For Delhi, that kind of opening burst has been enough to keep them ahead of the game even when their top order has not clicked.
Gujarat's biggest decision may be whether captain Shubman Gill is ready to return after sitting out the last match because of a spasm. He is likely to lead the side against Delhi, and his timing could hardly be more important. Against a Delhi attack that has already kept Lucknow and Mumbai to sub-par scores, Gill may need to steady the innings before the same middle-order questions surface again. Delhi, for their part, have not been fluent, but they have been hard to beat. Gujarat have been the opposite: competitive early, undone late, and now facing a side that has made a habit of surviving worse starts than this.
