Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis’ hamstring injury has been a blow for Delhi Capitals. He sat out of the Rajasthan Royals match and is doubtful for the match against Kolkata Knight Riders on Tuesday at Sharjah. Rishabh Pant-led side is expected to go with the same XI with Lalit Yadav retaining his place, meaning there will be no place for Steve Smith.
Although Marcus Stoinis’ injury is a blow, Delhi Capitals are not affected. Lalit Yadav didn’t impress in the last match and didn’t bowl, he is a spin-bowling option that DC would like to keep. The other option is to go with Steve Smith but he will come in as a pure batsman without any bowling credentials.
Furthermore, at Sharjah, a pitch that has offered an average score of just 140 and has been a difficult one to bat on, Rishabh Pant will need slower bowlers like Lalit Yadav to bowl 2-3 overs and restrict the scoring rate against an aggressive-looking KKR.
Who will DC pick – Lalit Yadav or Steve Smith?
- Despite coming with excellent batting credentials, Steve Smith lacks the bowling ability.
- With Marcus Stoinis doubtful, DC would like to have an extra bowler in Lalit Yadav.
- Since Sharjah pitches offer help for spinners and slow bowlers, Lalit Yadav could be a useful option that Steve Smith won’t offer.
- DC otherwise have an unchanged XI barring any last-minute change due to Marcus Stoinis.
- The Australian all-rounder has suffered a hamstring injury and is expected to be out of the KKR clash as well, robbing DC off a bowling option.
As for the other places, Delhi Capitals have been consistent in their selection and the performance has been excellent. Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw have given DC flying starts while Shreyas Iyer has anchored from No 3. Shimron Hetmyer has given stability while Rishabh Pant has played quickfire knocks.
As for the bowling options, both Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin have been excellent while Anrich Nortje has impressed and so has Kagiso Rabada and Avesh Khan.
Openers: Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, No 3: Shreyas Iyer, No 4: Rishabh Pant (C & WK), No 5: Shimron Hetmyer, No 6: Lalit Yadav, No 7: Axar Patel, No 8: Ravichandran Ashwin, No 9: Kagiso Rabada, No 10: Anrich Nortje, No 11: Avesh Khan
