IPL 2019 | SRH will start eliminator as favourites, believes Krishnamachari Srikkanth
Krishnamachari Srikkanth has stated that Sunrisers Hyderabad know Vizag pitch better than Delhi Capitals and will thus start as the favourites. The former India selector has also added that the game will be a test of Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy and the result will depend on how he marshals his troop.
Delhi have played four play-off matches in their less-storied history and lost all of them to have a disastrous record next to their name. In front of them, are a team, founded in 2013, which has been able to upset the applecart and even became one of the prime contenders once a season of IPL starts. This will become an odd yet a riveting contest in what is the first eliminator of the tournament. Srikkanth believes the familiar conditions of Vizag coupled with the lack of pressure on them would help the Hyderabad-based team.
“If anyone had told SRH that they would qualify for the IPL playoffs with only 12 points, they would have thanked their good fortune. Having luckily made the cut, the former champions will be the one side that will play without any pressure. That's when a team is dangerous, especially in this format,” Srikkanth wrote in his column for the Times of India.
"There is no doubt Delhi Capitals are the most improved team in the tournament, yet I reckon SRH will start the eliminator as favourites. For starters, they know the Vizag wicket better than Delhi. They have played enough here in the past to know what to expect. Both teams have taken dissimilar routes to this game but this should be an exciting contest. This game will also test the captaincy skills of Shreyas Iyer. How he uses his resources could go a long way in deciding the outcome.”
While Hyderabad lost their opening duo of David Warner and Jonny Bairstow thanks to their respective countries’ World Cup preparations, Delhi also lost one of their important cogs in the wheel in the form of Kagiso Rabada. Srikkanth feels the absence of the South African quick would be a cause of concern for the Shreyas Iyer-led team.
"Delhi will be found wanting in the pace department, with Rabada not being a part of their setup anymore. The South African always struck at the right moments to ensure the pressure was always on the opposition," Srikanth wrote.