Focus on Warner’s partner in Delhi-Chennai match

MUMBAI: Delhi Capitals would want its openers to fire in unison when the Rishabh Pant-led team takes on a lacklustre Chennai Super Kings in an IPL 2022 contest at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Sunday.

While Delhi (10 points from 10 matches) is fighting for a play-off spot, defending champion Chennai (6 points from 10 matches) is on the brink of elimination. As for DC, veteran David Warner, with 356 runs in eight innings, has been reliable as ever at the top of the order.

Prithvi Shaw has scored at a healthy pace (strike-rate of 159.9) but has been inconsistent, garnering 259 runs in nine games at an average of 28.8. Shaw was replaced by Mandeep Singh in the win over Sunrisers Hyderabad, with the latter getting dismissed for a duck.

It remains to be seen if Shaw makes his way back into the eleven for Delhi, which is chasing its sixth win of the season. Pant and Mitchell Marsh would hope to convert their starts while Rovman Powell has been at his devastating best.

Left-arm chinaman Kuldeep Yadav (18 wickets in 10 matches) has been the best of the bowling lot for DC and would be keen to weave his magic again.

Meanwhile, the MS Dhoni-led Chennai, which went down to Royal Challengers Bangalore in its last fixture, would hope to return to winning ways. Devon Conway has turned out to be a shining light with successive fifties, but his opening partner Ruturaj Gaikwad has been a disappointment in IPL 2022.

The middle-order batters have failed to fire as a unit on most occasions, so they would be eager to get their act together. In the bowling department, spinners Maheesh Theekshana and Moeen Ali were among the wickets against Bangalore.