3 player battles to watch out for in DC vs GT, Match 40 of IPL 2024 ft. Rishabh Pant vs Rashid Khan

The Delhi Capitals (DC) take on the Gujarat Titans at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in the 40th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 on April 24, Wednesday.

While DC were thrashed by the SunRisers Hyderabad in their previous game last Saturday, GT come into this encounter on the back of a rollicking victory over the Punjab Kings on Sunday.

DC have just six points inside their kitty at the moment and are languishing in the eighth position of the league table. GT, on the other hand, are in the sixth spot with eight points to their name.

This game between the two teams will see a flurry of mini-battles between players which will provide just the right amount of entertainment for spectators and pundits alike.

In this listicle, we bring to you the three key player battles to watch out for in this game.

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#1 Khaleel Ahmed vs Shubman Gill

One of the finest battles to watch out for in this game will be the one between DC seamer Khaleel Ahmed and GT skipper Shubman Gill.

Ahmed, who was not quite at his best in his side's previous game against SRH last Saturday, will be keen on getting back into form in this one. GT captain Gill opens the innings for them and is known to be a tad susceptible to balls coming back into him. Ahmed will try to get the new ball to move around and challenge Gill's defence.

The latter is known to play on the rise when his feet are not moving well, and this may work in Ahmed's favor. The India No.3, however, has an impressive average of 86 against left-arm seam in the IPL, and it will be interesting to see how Ahmed changes it.

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#2 David Warner vs R Sai Kishore

DC opener David Warner, who has a special liking for left-arm spinners, will be tested heavily by GT's R Sai Kishore.

The Tamil Nadu captain singlehandedly won his team their previous game against Punjab last Sunday and will be keen on testing himself against Warner, who is one of the finest openers in world cricket.

Warner is known to shape up early to try and dominate against left-arm spinners, and Kishore will try to challenge this notion of his. The southpaw is also known to play the reverse sweep and switch hit well, so that Kishore's lines on off, and middle get restricted.

The latter, nonetheless, has almost become an expert at hitting the right areas in the middle overs and restricting the shot-making options of opposition batters.

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#3 Rishabh Pant vs Rashid Khan

DC captain Rishabh Pant will come up against ace leg spinner Rashid Khan in this game and will hope to get the better of the latter.

Rashid, who made his comeback into competitive cricket in the IPL after a long injury lay-off, has been decent this season despite lacking game time under his belt. However, the wily Afghan has been at his imperious best whenever he has got going. His economy has not wavered with the ball in hand although he has not picked up a host of wickets every game.

Pant, on the other hand, has been consistently getting starts this IPL but is yet to convert them into a big score. This game against GT might just be the right opportunity for him to flex his arms.

However, playing against, and dominating Rashid in the middle overs will be a big challenge that the southpaw will have to overcome.