Delhi Capitals, who started their IPL 2023 campaign with an embarrassing 50-run defeat to Lucknow Super Giants, will look to find their form when they take on Gujarat Titans in their first home match of the season on Tuesday, 4 April.
It was Delhi Capitals' bowling unit that allowed Lucknow to score 193 on a track helping both pace and spin bowling, which put the batters under pressure and they could manage only 143/9 in 20 overs.
DC's Director of Cricket, Sourav Ganguly is hopeful of his team's bowlers finding form when they step out for the clash against Gujarat Titans at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. The team will be playing at their home ground for the first time in four years.
Speaking ahead of the game, Ganguly said, "Anrich Nortje is here, but we haven't picked the team yet. Khaleel and Mukesh bowled well against Lucknow. Sakariya bowled well in his first two overs but went for a few runs in his last two, which can happen in T20 cricket. We have the required attack, hopefully, we'll be fine against Gujarat."
IPL 2023: South African pacer Anrich Nortje has joined the Delhi Capitals' camp.
(Photo: BCCI)
When asked if Delhi Capitals' Vice-Captain Axar Patel will be sent up the order in the next match, Ganguly said, "We have discussed about Axar's batting position and hopefully, he will bat higher in the order. He has batted exceptionally well for India in the recent past. He got a lot of runs against Australia in the Test series on difficult wickets and hopefully, he can score runs for us."
Batters Have Scored Runs Against Pacers Previously: Sourav Ganguly
The Delhi Capitals' batters found it difficult to play against Mark Wood's pace in their last match, but Ganguly expressed that sometimes batters can have an off day.
"Our batters have scored against fast bowling in the past. It's just that they got out against Lucknow Super Giants and sometimes that happens in sports. You have to give credit to Mark Wood for the way he bowled in the last game," the former India captain said.
Gujarat started their campaign with a win against Chennai Super Kings at Ahmedabad on March 31. The defending champions will be hoping to ride the momentum in their second match.
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