IPL match preview: Sunrisers Hyderabad v Delhi Capitals

It took them six matches, but Delhi eventually found a win. They did so against the Kolkata Knight Riders recently in a low-scoring affair. They will want to capitalise on that and make it two in two against fellow strugglers Hyderabad.

Spinners Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav were outstanding in combination in that win over KKR - and it's probable Delhi will look to this combination again, especially if seamer Ishant Sharma can do as well as he did in his first match of the IPL season.

The Sunrisers will go into this match after losing to the Mumbai Indians. They played without Umar Malik and it'll be interesting to see if he returns for this fixture. Conditions in Hyderabad could really suit his extra pace and carry.

Hyderabad, too, need more from their overseas batsmen. England's Harry Brook at the top of the order and South Africa's Aiden Markram can lead by example. Brook has scored a ton this IPL season, but won't rest on his laurels.

The Capitals have beaten the Sunrisers in four of their last five meetings. The last time Hyderabad outdid Delhi was in 2020.

Heinrich Klaasen has been drafted into the Sunrisers XI recently and is proving a good middle-order option, especially if the batsmen before him don't fire. Bowling-wise, they have the experience of seamer Bhuvneshwar to carry the new-ball pursuits.

Captain David Warner has faced criticism for batting too slowly during the 2023 IPL, but put some of that behind him with a brisk 57 against KKR. The Australian left-hander has hit four half-centuries in six innings this IPL season.

That win over Kolkata should be just what Delhi needed. They could collect another here. The Sunrisers are not gelling as well as they'd like to. If the Capitals can exploit that imbalance, they will come up trumps.