On-song Delhi will battle the struggling Hyderabad in Match 11 of the 2020 Indian T20 League season at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in UAE on Tuesday, September 29.
Delhi are currently joint-top in the Indian T20 League points table with two wins in two matches while Hyderabad are at the foot of the table and remain the only winless side this season.
Here’s everything you need to know about the fixture:
Shreyas Iyer's terrific record against Hyderabad
Delhi skipper Shreyas Iyer is a dependable batsman in the middle order who possesses the ability to turn the game on its head as well as anchoring the innings, making him the perfect foil to have in the batting line-up. While the 25-year-old has a decent record against every team in the Indian T20 League, he particularly enjoys playing against Kolkata and tomorrow’s opponents, Hyderabad. Here's his record against every team in the Indian T20 League.
| Opposition | Matches | Innings | Runs | Avg. | SR |
| Kolkata | 10 | 10 | 290 | 32.22 | 148.72 |
| Hyderabad | 9 | 9 | 286 | 35.75 | 120.17 |
| Punjab | 10 | 10 | 284 | 31.56 | 121.89 |
| Bangalore | 8 | 8 | 255 | 31.88 | 123.79 |
| Chennai | 8 | 8 | 210 | 30 | 114.75 |
| Mumbai | 9 | 9 | 182 | 22.75 | 118.95 |
| Rajasthan | 6 | 6 | 118 | 23.6 | 129.67 |
Iyer will hope to continue his good run tomorrow and guide his side to their third win in as many matches this season.
The dwindling form of Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Make no mistake, Bhuvneshwar Kumar is still one of the most reliable bowlers in T20s, but his form since the start of the 2018 season suggests a decline in his impact. Here are his numbers till 2017 and since 2018:
| Till 2017 | Metrics | Since 2018 |
| 91 | Matches | 29 |
| 111 | Wickets | 22 |
| 7.08 | Economy | 7.75 |
| 21.07 | Average | 39.5 |
| 40 | Wkts in 1-6 overs | 6 |
| 6.08 | Econ in 1-6 overs | 6.02 |
| 26.58 | Ave in 1-6 overs | 60.17 |
| 18 | Wkts in 7-16 overs | 3 |
| 7.24 | Econ in 7-16 overs | 8.89 |
| 22.67 | Ave in 7-16 overs | 56.33 |
| 53 | Wkts in 17-20 overs | 13 |
| 8.77 | Econ in 17-20 overs | 10.22 |
| 16.38 | Ave in 17-20 overs | 26.08 |
Off those 29 matches, Kumar has gone wicketless in 14, the third-highest % of wicketless innings since 2018 among bowlers who have bowled in at least 20 matches. Kumar also has a career average of 43 against Delhi, his worst against any team in the Indian T20 League. The 30-year-old is wicketless so far this season and if history is an indicator, he is in for another tough outing against DEL.
Players to watch out:
Delhi – Kagiso Rabada
The South African pacer has been terrific this season, picking up five wickets in two matches at a brilliant economy rate of just 6.75. With 30 wickets in 14 matches since the start of the 2019 season, Rabada leads all bowlers in that category during that timeframe and is arguably the best bowler in the Indian T20 League. All eyes will be on Rabada when he goes up against David Warner and Jonny Bairstow with the new ball in his hand.
Hyderabad – Manish Pandey
Top-order batsman Manish Pandey has been a consistent performer for HYD. The 31-year-old has scored 375 runs since the start of last season at the #3 position at an average of 62.50 and strike rate of 135.87. Pandey is coming off of a solid half-century against Kolkata and will be hoping to continue his good form in the next contest.
Stats to watch out for:
3: Amit Mishra needs just three wickets to complete 100 wickets for Delhi in the Indian T20 League. The veteran is the second-highest wicket-taker in league history behind only Lasith Malinga.
4: Delhi all-rounder Axar Patel has an economy rate of just 4 in this year’s Indian T20 League, the best among all bowlers in the league.
12: Delhi opener Shikhar Dhawan averages just 12 runs against Hyderabad in the Indian T20 League, his worst record against any team in the Indian T20 League. The 34-year-old spent seven years with the team before leaving them in 2018.
35.75: Delhi skipper Shreyas Iyer has a career average of 35.75 against Hyderabad, the best he’s managed against any team in the Indian T20 League.
328: Batsman Rishabh Pant has scored 328 runs at an average 46.86 against HYD in the Indian T20 League, the most number of runs he’s managed against a single team in the Indian T20 League.
Writer’s pick:
SRH are in freefall while Delhi are flying high. In David Warner, Jonny Bairstow and Manish Pandey, HYD do have the batting prowess to hurt DEL, but given the incredible form DEL's bowling unit has been in and the reliability issues with HYD's middle order, we pick DEL to make it three wins in three.
Feature image courtesy: AFP / Noah Seelam
