AHMEDABAD: Delhi Capitals' ordinary campaign faces another stern examination in the form of defending champions Gujarat Titans on Tuesday.
The two teams have had contrasting fortunes, with Capitals being defined by a muddled, timid approach while the ever-improving Titans are playing boldly. The Capitals, it seems, will need a miracle to improve from last-season's fifth-place finish.
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IPL 2023 SCHEDULEIPL 2023 POINTS TABLE
Titans' come-from-behind triumph over LSG was followed by commanding victories over MI and KKR. The Capitals started with five defeats but bounced back to notch up two victories before suffering a narrow nine-run loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Captain David Warner has been Capitals' top scorer but his runs have come at a not-so-encouraging strike rate of 118.6 . The inclusion of Englishman Phil Salt might have solved the opening conundrum but lack of contribution from their middle-order batters continues to hurt.
That their second-highest run-getter this season has been Axar Patel, with 211 runs at a strike rate of 142.56, shows how fragile their middle order has been. Luckily, Mitchell Marsh seems to have hit form.
1/10:IPL 2023: DC mull Axar Patel's batting number ahead of must-win game against GT
2/10:DC face mighty GT in Ahmedabad
<p>Delhi Capitals will need their under-performing Indian batters to deliver when they take on the mighty and versatile Gujarat Titans in the IPL in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.<br /></p>
3/10:Prithvi-Sarfaraz fail to deliver for DC
<p>The abject failure of Prithvi Shaw and Sarfaraz Khan has contributed significantly to Delhi Capitals' travails this season as they find themselves in a do-or-die situation with six losses from eight games.<br /></p>
4/10:DC need to win all the remaining six games
<p>DC will probably need to win all of their remaining six games to make the IPL play-offs but considering the resources at their disposal, it looks highly unlikely.<br /></p>
5/10:Salt to open with Warner
<p>Shaw's dismal run has given an opportunity to Phil Salt to open alongside David Warner. He was at his destructive best in the last game and the team would need him to be consistent alongside Warner and number three Mitchell Marsh.<br /></p>
6/10:Warner could push up Axar's batting order
<p>Keeping the in-form Axar Patel for the death overs is understandable but considering his dream run with the bat over the past 12 months in international cricket, DC skipper Warner could push him to number five if not higher.<br /></p>
7/10:Mukesh needs to improve his economy rate
<p>The Indian bowlers in the side are not faring as badly as the batters but Mukesh Kumar can definitely improve his economy rate, having conceded close to 11 runs per over in seven games.<br /></p>
8/10:GT on a roll
<p>Delhi are in deep trouble and they are up against an opponent in Gujarat Titans who have built a reputation of winning a game from any situation. Chasing 180 against KKR on Saturday, they were in a spot of bother but eventually got home with 13 balls to spare.<br /></p>
9/10:Shankar shines for GT
<p>Batting alongside David Miller, Vijay Shankar played one of his best IPL innings to take the team to its sixth win in eight games. The defending champions remain the team to beat this season.<br /><br /></p>
10/10:Noor delivers for GT
<p>In the spin department, they could always bank on Rashid Khan but now they have another Afghanistan gem in Noor Ahmad, who has bagged eight wickets in four games with an impressive economy rate of 7.33.<br /></p>Axar, left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav and Marsh with seven wickets each are their top wicket-takers but they are not even in the top 20 this season.
