Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], April 22 : Delhi Capitals captain Axar Patel won the toss and opted to bowl against Lucknow Super Giants on Tuesday in the 18th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Ekana Cricket Stadium.
Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants are tied on points, but Axar Patel's side occupies the second spot, courtesy of their far superior net run rate. If DC emerges victorious, they will tie with Gujarat Titans, who currently sit at the top with 12 points.
DC kicked off their campaign with four consecutive victories, but then lost two out of their three fixtures. For Lucknow, their top three batters have accounted for the bulk of the scoring, which has been a key factor in their success.
The last time they squared off against each other was a humdinger. While chasing a 211-run target, DC were reduced to 65/5, but Ashutosh Sharma's 66* got Delhi out of the jail and secured a narrow one-wicket triumph.
After winning the toss, Delhi Capitals skipper Axar Patel revealed the reason behind his decision and said, "We'll bowl. Red soil wicket, and there was dew in the last game as well. We focused on what we did right and improved areas where we erred. We aren't thinking too much. Impact Player - we decide based on the situation. Mohit Sharma is out, Chameera is playing."
Lucknow Super Giants captain Rishabh Pant said during the time of the toss, "Definitely (would have bowled first). It stops a bit in the first innings, but gets better as the game progresses. The hand is okay. Not losing too many early wickets is the key. We don't think about what's happening around us. We are playing with the same team."
Delhi Capitals (Playing XI): Abishek Porel, Karun Nair, KL Rahul(w), Axar Patel(c), Tristan Stubbs, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Dushmantha Chameera, Mukesh Kumar
Delhi Capitals Impact Subs: Delhi Capitals Impact Subs: Jake Fraser McGurk, Sameer Rizvi, Donovan Ferreira, Madhav Tiwari, Tripurana Vijay
Lucknow Super Giants (Playing XI): Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant(w/c), Abdul Samad, David Miller, Shardul Thakur, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Prince Yadav.
Lucknow Super Giants Impact Subs: Ayush Badoni, Mayank Yadav, Shahbaz Ahmed, Matthew Breetzke, Himmat Singh.