IPL-7 on it’s way, taking a look at Delhi Daredevils

When the huge GMR group bought the Delhi franchise in the first edition of the Indian Premier League in 2008 for an amount of 84 million US dollars, everyone had their eyes on this team,just because of the presence of extremely talented local players. With swashbuckler Sehwag and his,then opening partner in the Indian cricket team, Gautam Gambhir likely in the team, this team had one of the strongest batting units. But as the years went by and it underwent several changes with no silverware so far, DD’s fan base has decreased significantly. With Kevin Pietersen to lead the team and Gary Kirsten being the coach,this team has surely bolstered it’s chances. Cricket Trackers brings you a detailed preview of this team for the upcoming IPL season-7:

Performances so far in the IPL:

They had a star-studded batting line-up when the team was formed at the first IPL auction. Sehwag,Gambhir,Tillakaratne Dilshan and Ab de Villiers formed the core of this team. Aussie legend Glenn Mcgrath and Pakistani pacer Mohammad Asif were the two new-ball bowlers for the team as Amit Mishra being the main spinner. After a mixed first season where they lost in the semi-finals, they bolstered their bowling with Dirk Nannes and Ashish Nehra in the 2009 edition held in South Africa. They played so well under Gautam Gambhir(due to a mid-season injury to Sehwag) that they topped the league table and met the now defunct Deccan Chargers in the semis. Symonds and Gilchrist performed the seemingly inevitable as Delhi crashed out. The next 2 seasons were inconsequential for the team as they failed to go through to the knock-out stage and also lost Gautam Gambhir to Kolkata Knight Riders in the next auction. After topping the table again in the 2012 season though with Jayawardene and Kevin Pietersen playing exceptionally well,they lost in the knock-outs yet again. The 2013 season of the IPL was their worst ever as they could win just 3 out of the 16 games finishing last in the league.(also read DD new logo launch)

Season|Place

2008 – Semifinals

2009 – Semifinals

2010 – Group stage

2011 – Group stage

2012 – 3rd place

2013 – Group stage

Strengths: A well-balanced batting line-up and a star-studded coaching staff are the strengths of this Delhi-based franchisee for IPL-7. World Cup winning coach Gary Kirsten and spin legend Mushtaq Ahmed are among the coaching staff of the Daredevils. They have a great pool of Indian players like former CSK opener and current Indian test opener Murali Vijay, Manoj Tiwary,Saurabh Tiwary and wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik forming the core of the batting. With game chagers Kevin Pieterson,Ross Taylor and JP Duminy too in the squad,this team sure looks batting heavy! Kiwi All-Rounder Jimmy Neesham and Bengal captain LR Shukla are the main all-rounders for the daredevils. Kedar Jadhav,who topped the batting charts in Ranji this season,will be a player to watch out for.

Weaknesses: An inexperienced and young bowling attack. They probably possess the weakest bowling line-up in IPL-7. Although Mohd Shami,Jaydev Unadkat and Rahul Sharma have enough matches under their belt,their credibility in the shortest format is still a big question mark. Wayne Parnell is the only big name in the Delhi bowling but his recent form for South Africa will worry,even the optimists. Rahul Shukla and HS Sharath are yet to be properly tested under such pressure.Kevin Pietersen managing such meagre bowling resources would be an interesting thing to watch out for.

X Factors:

Kevin Pietersen: The swashbucking batsman will look to prove a point or two to the English Cricket Board which that forced his premature international exile due to a certain internal controversy with captain Cook. His form and captaincy will decide the fate of the daredevils,this season.

Kedar Jadhav: A relatively unseen middle-order aggresor who can take the game away from the opposition quite easily. A consistent batsman in the Indian domestic circuit and his recent form make him a dangerous prospect!

Jimmy Neesham: This Kiwi all-rounder will be someone to watch out for,this IPL. His batting exploits down the order and his variations in bowling are ideal for any t20 player and his excellence on the field adds to his overall value.

Shahbaz Nadeem: This young spin bowler has been excellent in the domestic championships with his deceptive spin bowling. His recent form in the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy too,has been good and how Delhi use him on UAE’s pitches will be important to the team’s fortunes.

Team Squad:

Batsmen: Kevin Pietersen,Kedar Jadhav, Manoj Tiwary, Saurabh Tiwary, Ross Taylor, Jean Paul Duminy, Murali Vijay, Millind Kumar and Mayank Agarwal

Wicket-keepers: Dinesh Karthik and Quinton de Cock

All-Rounders: Jimmy Neesham,Laxmi Ratan Shukla, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Jayant Yadav

Bowlers: Siddhart Kaul, Mohammad Shami, Rahul Shukla,Wayne Parnell, Rahul Sharma,Shahbaz Nadeem,H.S. Sharath and Jaydev Unadkat.

Cricket Tracker SAYs: Delhi Daredevils doesn’t seem like a well-balanced side this season with the batting looking strong and the bowling looking meagre. This team’s composition,somehow looks similar to the Indian team that won the ODI World Cup in 2011. Co-incidentally, Gary Kirsten was the coach of team India at the time. This team’s chances in IPL 2014 doesnt look too bright to be brutally honest though, primarily because of the bowling. The team looks extremely dependent upon its batting and if it has to make it big, the bowling will have to restrict the opposition to a score that would be good enough for it’s star studded batting to get. Whether Gary can do a 2011 here in 2014, is something we all would be eager to see.