The stage is set for a thrilling Sunday doubleheader in the IPL. First up, the Delhi Capitals will face off against the Sunrisers Hyderabad at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam. Delhi’s playing 11 is expected to feature the return of KL Rahul, who joined the team a day before the match. Let’s break down the possible lineups for both teams and examine the pitch conditions.
Delhi Capitals kicked off their IPL 2025 campaign with a nail-biting win over the Lucknow Super Giants at this very ground. Ashutosh Sharma’s 66-run knock stole the show, helping his team snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Meanwhile, the Sunrisers Hyderabad started strong with a 44-run win over the Rajasthan Royals but stumbled in their previous match against the Lucknow Super Giants.
The Delhi Capitals’ squad is expected to undergo a significant change with the arrival of KL Rahul. The wicketkeeper-batsman, purchased for 14 crores, is likely to replace Abhishek Porel in the playing 11. Rahul’s return will undoubtedly bolster Delhi’s batting lineup.
Historically, the Sunrisers Hyderabad have held the upper hand in head-to-head encounters, winning 13 out of 24 matches against the Delhi Capitals. The latter has managed 11 victories. The highest score posted by Delhi against Hyderabad is 207 runs, while the Sunrisers have achieved a whopping 266 runs against the Capitals.
Here are the anticipated lineups for both teams:
Possible Lineups
- Delhi Capitals: Jack Fraser-McGurk, Faf du Plessis, KL Rahul (Wicketkeeper), Sameer Rizvi, Axar Patel (Captain), Tristan Stubbs, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohit Sharma
- Sunrisers Hyderabad: Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen (Wicketkeeper), Aniket Verma, Abhinav Manohar, Pat Cummins (Captain), Harshal Patel, Mohammed Shami, Simarjeet Singh
This stadium has hosted 16 IPL matches, with the team batting first winning 8 times and the team bowling first emerging victorious on 8 occasions as well. The toss winner has won 9 times, while the loser has triumphed 7 times. The highest total achieved at this ground is 272 runs, courtesy of the Kolkata Knight Riders against the Delhi Capitals.
Pitch Conditions
The pitch at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium is conducive to batting, allowing for aggressive scoring early on. However, as the innings progresses, the pitch is expected to assist spinners, and some turn can be anticipated. Given that the match will be played in the afternoon, dew is unlikely to play a significant role. The winning captain at the toss may opt to bat first.
