SRH Playing XI vs DC: T Natarajan out after testing COVID-19 positive

SRH Playing XI vs DC IPL 2021: T Natarajan has been ruled out of the opening clash against Delhi Capitals. He tested positive for COVID-19 hours before the fixture. He has entered isolation after his RT-PCR report. He is currently asymptomatic and there are six close contacts of the player who have been isolated. But the match between SRH and Delhi Capitals is on as the other players have tested negative.

As per the IPL release, the medical team has identified Vijay Shankar, Vijay Kumar (Team Manager), Shyam Sundar J (Physiotherapist), Anjana Vannan (Doctor), Tushar Khedkar (Logistics Manager) and Periyasamy Ganesan (Net Bowler) as the close contacts.

Sunrisers Hyderabad (Playing XI): David Warner, Wriddhiman Saha(w), Kane Williamson(c), Manish Pandey, Jason Holder, Abdul Samad, Kedar Jadhav, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed

DC vs SRH live in IPL 2021

SRH captain Kane Williamson won the toss and elected to bat against Delhi Capitals (DC) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) encounter here at the Dubai International Stadium on Wednesday.

Speaking at the toss, Kane Williamson said: “We will bat. Looks like a good surface, important for us to assess conditions first up and get some runs on the board. It’s a chance to regroup and want to put up a much better performance. Holder, Rashid, Warner and myself are the four foreign players.”

SRH Playing XI vs DC IPL 2021: After an abysmal start to IPL 2021, Sunrisers Hyderabad made some tough choices without any explanations. David Warner was removed from captaincy in favour of Kane Williamson but results remained elusive. Before the tournament was suspended midway, SRH hit rock bottom with just one win in seven games. But with no Jonny Bairstow, Warner returns to the opening slot but the question mark remains over Manish Pandey.

David Warner struggled with his strike rate even though he slammed two half-centuries. In six games, he scored 193 runs with an average of 32.16 but it was his uncharacteristic slow strike rate of 110.28 that irked the management. What went on behind the scenes is difficult to say but Kane Williamson was made the captain while Warner was dropped to the bench.

Also Read: IPL 2021 DC vs SRH: Rishabh Pant’s DC or Kane Williamson’s SRH, who’s ahead? Check head to head stats, squads

SRH Playing XI vs DC IPL 2021: With a weak middle-order and injury-plagued bowlers, Sunrisers Hyderabad lost the edge. While Jason Roy is another top-order option, the return of Warner is all but set as the two have managed to put aside their differences. While Warner hasn’t played any cricket since the IPL 2021 Phase 1, he has done well in practice and is set to get his place back albeit as a batsman and not as the captain.

SRH Playing XI vs DC IPL 2021: Why David Warner’s return is good news?

Dropping David Warner was a bizarre decision especially when the team was struggling.
Warner has been IPL’s best and most consistent batsman while he is a great batsman of pace bowling something that will come in handy in Dubai considering the CSK vs MI match.
With Wriddhiman Saha and David Warner opening, Kane Williamson can anchor the innings from No 3.
A lot will also depend on David Warner’s batting. He struggled on slow pitches in India but the wicket in Dubai is two-paced and he will have to be on his top while also keeping a healthy strike rate.

Also read: IPL 2021: SRH’s mentor VVS Laxman confident of teams’ turnaround, says ‘Boys are shaping well for first game’

(with ANI inputs)

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