Having taken off on the wrong foot, Delhi Capitals will be hoping for a change in fortunes against Gujarat Titans as it prepares to kick off its home campaign on Tuesday.
Though there is no distinct ‘home advantage’ to talk about, the crowd at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi is the only factor David Warner and his men will be drawing from. After a forgettable opener against Lucknow Super Giants, Capitals will be keen to make a difference and not simply pray for a miracle.
Capitals need the services of the South African pace duo of Anrich Nortje and Lungi Ngidi in their campaign. But it remains to be seen whether coach Ricky Ponting would rush the inclusion of one of the two bowlers on their arrival from Johannesburg for Tuesday’s encounter.
Further, besides fielding, Capitals faces wicketkeeping issues. Abishek Porel, the youngster who replaced Rishabh Pant, could get a match if the team decides to look beyond Sarfaraz Khan as a gloveman. The absence of a second, experienced wicket-keeping option could hurt the Capitals this season.
Despite losing Kane Williamson for the season, Titans appear keen to build on a sound start. After a satisfying outing against Super Kings, they could consider the option of including David Miller.
With Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha, impact-man Sai Sudharsan, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan and Mohammad Shami riding on a good campaign opener, Titans have reasons to be optimistic against a worried opposition.
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