Big picture – GT need middle order to fire
Delhi Capitals (DC) and Gujarat Titans (GT) are in the first act of their IPL 2026 campaigns. And both teams have come to realise how much the middle matters: not only as the points table begins to take shape, but also because they have won and lost on the backs of their middle orders.
DC had no business winning their first match from 26 for 4 in a chase of 142 against Lucknow Super Giants. Sameer Rizvi, slotting in as Impact Player, put his hand up with a stunning 70* off 47, while Tristan Stubbs made 39* off 32. In their next match, Rizvi rescued DC from 7 for 2 and larruped his way to 90 off 51 as DC chased down 163 against Mumbai Indians.
GT made much better starts with the bat in their first two matches. They were 83 for 1 in the tenth over against Punjab Kings. Then Glenn Phillips, Washington Sundar, Shahrukh Khan and Rahul Tewatia all failed to cross either 25 or a strike rate of 150, and GT posted a below-par total that PBKS chased with ease. Then, against Rajasthan Royals, GT fell away from 107 for 1 in the 11th over while pursuing 211. None of their middle-order batters crossed 25 once again.
Since IPL 2025, GT’s middle-order batters (Nos. 4-7) have averaged 20.1 – the lowest in the competition by a significant margin. Their failures have shifted the focus from their top order – Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, and Jos Buttler – who led the way in successful chases of 204 and 200 against DC last year. Now, GT’s middle order might need to come good if they are to pick up their first points and halt DC’s unbeaten run.
Team news – Gill set to return
While Sameer Rizvi has held the DC batting line-up together so far, they will be expecting more from a few other players. DC could give the likes of Nitish Rana and Vipraj Nigam one more chance before ringing in any changes.
Delhi Capitals (probable): 1 KL Rahul (wk), 2 Pathum Nissanka, 3 Nitish Rana, 4 Sameer Rizvi, 5 David Miller, 6 Tristan Stubbs, 7 Axar Patel (capt), 8 Vipraj Nigam, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Lungi Ngidi, 11 T Natarajan, 12 Mukesh Kumar.
GT captain Gill did not play their previous game, and wore bandages around his shoulder and the neck area. He has been plagued by neck spasms since the 2025-26 home Test season. On Tuesday, Sai Sudharsan confirmed that Gill has recovered and is fit to play. He will likely swap in for Kumar Kushagra up top. GT might be tempted to bring in Jason Holder to strengthen the middle order.
Gujarat Titans (probable): 1 Shubman Gill (capt), 2 B Sai Sudharsan, 3 Jos Buttler (wk), 4 Washington Sundar, 5 Glenn Phillips, 6 Rahul Tewatia, 7 Rashid Khan, 8 Kagiso Rabada/Jason Holder, 9 Prasidh Krishna, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Ashok Sharma, 12 Prasidh Krishna.
In the spotlight – Nitish Rana and Kagiso Rabada
The No. 3 spot allows a batter access to the powerplay’s fielding restrictions, while also offering a leading role through the middle overs. So far, Nitish Rana hasn’t done much there for DC: he scored a laboured 15 off 17 against PBKS, then was run-out for a three-ball duck against MI. Karun Nair has been warming the bench, and Rana knows he might be swapped out of the side if he doesn’t score – and score quickly – up top.
Kagiso Rabada looks a long way away from his IPL glory days of 2020, when he picked up the Purple Cap at an economy rate of 8.34. He has picked up three wickets in two games for GT, but more vitally, gone at 10.85. This is in keeping with his last three years’ economy rates in the IPL: 10.08, 8.85, 11.57. His cross-seam deliveries at the death haven’t been the most effective, while the yorker has slowly disappeared from his arsenal. Whether he rediscovers his wicket-taking touch will be an ongoing storyline this season, especially on Wednesday evening.
The Delhi surface is expected to serve up a high-scoring contest. Rain has been sporadic leading up to match day, and the forecasts predict thunderstorms and light rain around 4pm. While the weather is likely to clear up before the match begins, the pitch – under covers – might hold extra moisture and assist seamers in the initial phase of the match.
Delhi Capitals
Apr 11: vs Chennai Super Kings, Chennai
Apr 18: vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Bengaluru
Apr 21: vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, Hyderabad
Gujarat Titans
Apr 12: vs Lucknow Super Giants, Lucknow
Apr 17: vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Ahmedabad
Apr 20: vs Mumbai Indians, Ahmedabad
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