The first knockout match of the tournament is here! There will be nerves & plenty of them as Delhi & Hyderabad face off at Vishakapatnam tonight. The winner will take on Chennai in Qualifier 2 for a spot in the final and the loser will well, go home early. No other way to put it. So pick your side, ready your couch & get set for an entertaining climax of what has been a very entertaining tournament.
Delhi
The Capitals have qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2012. And they have a chance to reach the IPL finals for the first in their history. But there are two roadblocks on the way, Hyderabad & a wounded Chennai team who just lost yesterday to Mumbai. They have been one of the most consistent sides in the business end of the tournament. But all that would mean nothing if they cannot win tonight. A thing to note, Delhi have never won a knockout game ever. Will it change tonight?
Prithvi Shaw’s form is a cause of concern as is the lack of runs from the middle order. Rabada’s injury came at a wrong time & the team management would have been worried as to who would fill the boots of the tournament’s highest wicket-taker. But Ishant Sharma & Amit Mishra did well and it will be expected they will shoulder the responsibility again. Axar Patel & Chris Morris will also play a crucial role.
Predicted Lineup – Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer (C), Rishabh Pant (W), Colin Ingram, Sherfane Rutherford, Keemo Paul, Axar Patel, Amit Mishra, Ishant Sharma, Trent Boult
Hyderabad
Kane Williamson led team has sneaked through to the playoffs with just 12 points & became the first team in history to do so. The massive wins they registered at the start of the tournament came to their rescue with the best net run rate amongst all teams. But one thing to note is Hyderabad has been one of the worst away teams this season. Although Vishakapatnam is not far away from their home, they will be playing here for the first time this season.
The departures of Warner & Bairstow left the team in a vulnerable situation. But Manish Pandey has given them a ray of hope. Kane Williamson will also be expected to contribute more with the bat. Wriddhiman Saha showed some promise against Mumbai. Mohammed Nabi & Rashid Khan continue to impress and both need to perform well if Hyderabad is to progress. Basil Thampi is expected to retain his place.
Predicted Lineup – Wriddhiman Saha (W), Martin Guptill, Manish Pandey, Kane Williamson (C), Vijay Shankar, Yusuf Pathan, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, K Khaleel Ahmed, Basil Thampi
Playerzpot XI
Match Prediction
Although Hyderabad has a good bowling attack with the Afghani all-rounders to support them, in the absence of Warner-Bairstow their batting continues to be their Achilles heel. And we expect this is where Delhi will overpower them.
Match Details
Wednesday 8th May (7:30pm IST) at ACA-VDCA Stadium, Visakhapatnam
High humidity is expected & there are very fewer chances of rain.
