Sunrisers to shine and advance to final
It is the final throw of the dice for either of these sides to book their place in the Dream11 Indian Premier League Final as the Sunrisers Hyderabad take on the Delhi Capitals. The winner will take on the Mumbai Indians in the final on Tuesday for a chance to be crowned IPL Champions 2020.
Nightmare start
If the Delhi Capitals were going to chase down the 200 runs needed to beat the Mumbai Indians in the first qualifier, they were going to need a fast start in the powerplay. But what happened was exactly the opposite, after eight balls the Capitals found themselves somehow 0-3 and out of the game already. The opening pair of Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan, who have been in indifferent form throughout the tournament so far, both fell for ducks as well as Ajinkya Rahane who was batting three.
Despite some resistance from Marcus Stoinis (65), they were always up against it and fell 57 runs short of the victory target. It will disappoint Ricky Ponting and the backroom staff at Delhi who would have been happy when they had Mumbai four wickets down, getting dangerman Kieron Pollard for a duck. But they allowed Hardik Pandya to get away and accelerate at the end of the innings, meaning they were chasing a score of 200+, which is always tricky.
In the two matches where the teams have met so far, the Sunrisers have beaten the Delhi Capitals on both occasions, with the second being a battering by 88 runs. Delhi will be desperate to buck the trend and get one over the men in orange in the meeting that matters the most.
Experience to save the day
They take on a Sunrisers Hyderabad side who come in too this match on the back of a hard fought victory against the Royal Challengers Bangalore on Friday. The Sunrisers controlled large parts of the game and it started when Jason Holder dismissed Virat Kohli in the second over. Holder went on to take three wickets as they kept RCB to just 131.
In response they lost wickets at regular intervals, but the contentious moment of the innings came when David Warner was given out caught behind after the on field decision was over-turned. It was a decision that looked at one point like it was going to haunt the Sunrisers, but the experience of Holder (24*) and fellow international captain Kane Williamson (50*) got them over the line in a six wicket win.
Match Tip
The Capitals only have one win from their last six matches, and the top of the order looks extremely shaky. The Sunrisers have hit form at the right time in the competition, and have the right mix of comprehensive wins and tight matches to give them the edge for me.
I am backing the Sunrisers Hyderabad to book their place in the final, beating the Delhi Capitals at 1.90 with 888sport.
Post bet chat Jack's Tips:
It wasn't to be for the Sunrisers, who bow out of the IPL at the final hurdle.