Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Pat Cummins won the toss Monday and elected to bowl first against Delhi Capitals in their Indian Premier League match. The contest takes place at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
This match holds playoff implications for Delhi Capitals, currently fifth in the standings with 12 points from 10 games. They aim to improve their position as the race for the playoffs intensifies. Sunrisers Hyderabad sit lower in the table, at number nine, with three wins from 10 matches.
Sunrisers Hyderabad made several changes from their last game. Mohammed Shami was benched and Nitish Kumar Reddy missed out due to illness. Sachin Baby came into the playing eleven for the first time this season. Abhinav Manohar returned to the middle order. Eshan Malinga replaced fellow Sri Lankan Kamindu Mendis. Travis Head was listed as an Impact Subs bench option.
Delhi Capitals also made a change, with T Natarajan making his first appearance for the team, replacing Mukesh Kumar. The team went with a bowling lineup that included three spinners.
Early in the match, Delhi Capitals faced difficulty. Pat Cummins led the bowling attack effectively, taking three wickets in his initial overs. Jaydev Unadkat also claimed a wicket, dismissing KL Rahul.
By the eighth over, Delhi Capitals had lost half their side for under 30 runs, putting them in a difficult position against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Vipraj Nigam and Tristan Stubbs were at the crease attempting to rebuild the innings.
Delhi Capitals captain Axar Patel acknowledged the pressure of the latter phase of the tournament. "The last phase is here and these are must-win games," Patel said at the toss. "We've tried to keep the environment light, we weren't thinking about these things at the start of the tournament and we played well, want to go into these games with the same mindset and not let the situation pressure us."
