The first game of Sunday's double-header will see the Delhi Capitals (DC) square off against the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Visakhapatnam. DC began their campaign with a cracking win over the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), while the SunRisers went down in their previous encounter after winning their first match.
The Capitals went through a major revamp during the off-season. It yielded results in their first match, as DC gunned down 210 runs against LSG. Despite losing two wickets in the first over, Ashutosh Sharma's unbeaten 66 off 31 balls helped the team pull off a cracking win.
Delhi will be high on confidence after that victory, which will be boosted further by the return of KL Rahul, who missed the first game due to the birth of his child. DC will look to continue the momentum as they pursue their dream of lifting the first IPL trophy.
The SunRisers Hyderabad, on the other hand, began from where they left off last year, with a win over the Rajasthan Royals. However, they were soon humbled by the Super Giants, as SRH failed to defend 190 runs. Pat Cummins and company have a short turnaround time from their last defeat and will look to put their campaign back on track.
With both teams aiming to take home the two points, a cracking contest beckons fans in Vizag today. They are likely to turn up in huge numbers to support their favorite players.
The conditions will be hot and humid, considering this is an afternoon game. According to AccuWeather, the temperature will hover around 31-32 degrees Celsius. However, the actual feeling will be around 35-36 degrees Celsius because of high humidity levels.
Moreover, there is no chance of precipitation during the match hours, meaning fans can enjoy an uninterrupted contest, comprising the full 40 overs.
"His lessons on life, mindset, and approach to the game have changed my life" - DC's Ashutosh Sharma on Shikhar Dhawan's role
Delhi batter Ashutosh Sharma was signed by the franchise for ₹3.8 crore after Punjab parted ways with the cricketer following IPL 2024.
He immediately paid off with a cracking innings to beat Lucknow. Ashutosh credited former India opener Shikhar Dhawan for the transformation. He said (via India TV):
"He always tells me to stay down to earth and humble. He hasn’t taught me much about skills, but his lessons on life, mindset, and approach to the game have changed my life a lot."
“He’s kind of a mentor. Ever since our first camp in Punjab, he’s been a mentor to me. And that’s when my journey started. After that, I worked on mentally. Not on my skills, because everyone’s skills are different. But he asked me to work on my mindset, how to deal with yourself, how you manifest yourself, all this has helped me a lot," he added.
Ashutosh Sharma will look to continue the good form with the bat and break some more records during the tournament.
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