Delhi Capitals go into Wednesday’s home clash against Gujarat Titans with momentum, a settled lineup, and the most in-form Impact Sub in the tournament. Gujarat Titans arrive needing their first win of the season or risk falling too far behind too early.
The contrast could not be sharper.
Delhi have won their first two games, beating Lucknow in the opener and then limiting Mumbai Indians to 162 for 6 before chasing it down with six wickets. They sit second on the table and are doing most things right. Sameer Rizvi has been the story of their season so far, scoring 58 not out, 70 not out, and 90 in successive innings across formats, without being dismissed once. His 160 runs this IPL have come at a strike rate of 176.47 and he has not yet batted in the first eleven, operating purely as an Impact Sub off the bench.
Image Source: Crictracker
KL Rahul has been quiet, but Delhi have enough depth in Pathum Nissanka, Nitish Rana, Tristan Stubbs, and David Miller to absorb that. Their bowling has been equally reliable, with T Natarajan, Lungi Ngidi, and Mukesh Kumar sharing 10 wickets between them, and captain Axar Patel conceding just 5.57 an over.
Gujarat, meanwhile, have lost two close games and both times the same fault line has been exposed. Their top order starts well and then the middle collapses. Sai Sudharsan has been excellent, finishing with 73 off 44 against Rajasthan, and averages 94.33 against Delhi specifically, which makes him the most dangerous batter on the field on Wednesday. Shubman Gill missed the last game with back spasms but is expected to return, which matters enormously for their structure.
Jos Buttler has been off the pace. Washington Sundar and Glenn Phillips will need to do more in the middle overs. Kagiso Rabada leads the bowling attack and his matchup against KL Rahul will be worth watching, with three dismissals in 12 IPL meetings between them.
Conditions in Delhi should be hot and dry with little rain threat. Dew will likely make chasing the easier option and ten of eleven IPL 2026 tosses have been won and used to field first. Expect both captains to follow the same logic.
Delhi look the more complete side right now. But a Sudharsan in this form, on any surface, keeps Gujarat alive.
