In-form SRH takes on Delhi Capitals

NEW DELHI: An emotional homecoming awaits Rishabh Pant when he leads Delhi Capitals out at the Arun Jaitley Stadium here, hoping to halt the marauding run of Pat Cummins’ Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday and continue the resurgence which has come to define his life both on and off the field.

The last time Pant was seen at the refurbished stadium, he needed crutches to walk but that now seems a distant memory given how remarkably well he has managed to come back both as a wicket- keeper and batter after enduring a life-threatening car accident in 2022.

Capitals has had a mixed season so far, but a couple of impressive wins against Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans have put it back in the mix. In all, it has three wins and four defeats in seven outings so far.

Placed fourth in the IPL points table, Sunrisers Hyderabad has set a different template altogether with two of the highest-ever totals of 277/3 and 287/3, which will require a lot of heart and skill to counter. Hence, ‘Captain Pant’ will have to use his resources with extreme caution and guile on a track which will have good bounce and carry for a change.

Travis Head (235 runs) -- IPL’s foreign flavour of the season -- will be keen to build on his 39-ball century and his partner Abhishek Sharma (211 runs) is no pushover ei- ther. Both have a penchant for taking the aerial route during powerplay.

Head and Abhishek’s intimidating strike rates of 199 and 197 respectively will pose a serious challenge for the pace trio of Ishant Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed and Mukesh Kumar.

Adding to the threat is Heinrich Klaasen, who is also striking at 199, who is one of the best finishers in international cricket with propensity to hit balls out of the stadium, which gives SRH’s batting a scary look.

But Kuldeep Yadav’s (economy of 6.06) left-arm wrist spin could well prove to be a game-changer and in Tristan Stubbs, Pant has got an ideal third spin option alongside Axar Patel (6.75).

Pant, who is himself getting back to the top of his game, wouldn’t mind if he can win the toss and opt to bat. But David Warner’s knuckle injury is a cause for concern for Pant and head coach Ricky Ponting although Jake Fraser-McGurk has impressed one and all in his first two matches.

While SRH’s batting has been top-notch on belters, its bowlers have suffered a lot on those tracks with only skipper Cummins (7.87) having an economy rate of less than eight runs per over, which is considered good in T20.