IPL 10, Match 40, DD v SRH Preview: Do or die for Delhi Daredevils as they take on mighty Sunrisers

The Sunrisers Hyderabad steamrolled the table toppers Kolkata Knight Riders in their previous game at Hyderabad. They are bound to be on cloud nine after having ensured such a clinical win. Their next hop is to the Feroze Shah Kotla, Delhi, where they will face the Delhi Daredevils. While the Sunrisers had a merry time in their previous game, the DD camp had a nightmare in their last outing.

The Daredevils were not just defeated but humiliated in the match against Kings XI Punjab. They were shot out on a paltry 67 with only three batsmen getting to the double digits in the match. Later, they were thrashed by 10 wickets in the run chase. Certainly, Delhi will be very much dented with the defeat. The inexperience of the batting lineup has been coming to the fore in every game. Unless a youngster steps up to the occasion, things look grim for the Delhi Daredevils.

The last time these two sides met in the tournament this year at Hyderabad, it was the Sunrisers Hyderabad who had won the game by 15 runs. Considering the momentum that the two sides have, it is very much expected that the defending champions will call the shots in the match. However, if that happens, Delhi will be out of the race for the playoffs. They need to win all their remaining fixtures to qualify for the playoffs.

Toss: Delhi Daredevils  won the toss and opted to field

David Warner: We’d have batted first as well. Looks like a nice wicket. A typical Delhi wicket and I reckon it’s a bit dry. A nice, slow wicket. We got to score runs early and that can be a defining factor in this game. For us, it’s about doing the basics right and gaining momentum. That relates with winning back to back.

Karun Nair: We are bowling first. Looks like a good wicket. We have 2 changes. Mathews comes in for Billings and Jayant Yadav replaces Nadeem. We can’t do much about it (talking about the heavy loss against Punjab). We need to forget that and move on. All the boys are looking forward to this game.

Playing XI:

Delhi Daredevils: Sanju Samson, Karun Nair(c), Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant(w), Corey Anderson, Angelo Mathews, Chris Morris, Jayant Yadav, Kagiso Rabada, Amit Mishra, Mohammed Shami

Sunrisers Hyderabad: David Warner(c), Shikhar Dhawan, Kane Williamson, Moises Henriques, Yuvraj Singh, Deepak Hooda, Naman Ojha(w), Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul, Mohammed Siraj

Focus will be on

Yuvraj Singh

Veteran Indian batsman Yuvraj Singh had started off his campaign this year on a high. However, he has failed to continue his good run since then. In the previous game against the Kolkata Knight Riders, he came in to bat in the 17th over and had the license to go for the kill. But, he found it tough hitting the big shots straightaway. The SRH camp would want their star batsman to get back to his prime best in order to aid stability to the middle order.

Rishabh Pant

Young Delhi batsman Rishabh Pant has been a top performer this season. He came in to the tournament riding on a big reputation. The hard-hitting batsman had a promising start to the season as well with a fifty to his name. He then took India’s premier bowler Umesh Yadav to the cleaners in another fixture by hitting 26 runs off his over. Surely, the young lad is capable of putting up a great show on his day. But his willow has failed to fire in the last four matches in the season.

Shikhar Dhawan

SRH opener Shikhar Dhawan was in an unusual position in the last game. He saw his partner David Warner hit a century at the other end while he managed a 20-odd score to his name. He did a great job to let his partner do the hitting and did not get intimidated by his fireworks. In this tournament, he already has 2 fifties to his name and has amassed 341 runs in 9 matches thus far. However, the inconsistency at the top order remains to be addressed. Dhawan would want to make up with a big score in the game against Delhi.

Team Combinations:

Sunrisers Hyderabad

The Sunrisers Hyderabad are likely to field the same playing eleven for this game that played against the Kolkata Knight Riders. The top three batsmen have been scoring heavily and that is no longer a concern for the team management. The middle order continues to be fragile with Moises Henriques and Yuvraj Singh not being the most consistent players in the recent few matches.

The bowling looks in sublime form with Rashid Khan being supported by Bipul Sharma in the lineup. At best, Bipul could be replaced by Deepak Hooda in the lineup. Hooda can add batting depth to the lineup. In the pace department, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammad Siraj and Siddharth Kaul have all been amongst the wickets in the previous fixtures that ensure them of a place in the playing eleven in this particular game.

Delhi Daredevils

The problem for the Daredevils camp has been a perennial one this season. The inexperienced batting lineup has caused them a string of defeats thus far. Barring Sanju Samson, no other batsman has looked good in the top order. Shreyas Iyer has had a couple of cameo contributions but none good enough to win games for the side. The team might bring in Angelo Mathews or Marlon Samuels at the expense of Sam Billings in this game.

Zaheer Khan is not expected to be back for the game and Karun Nair will lead in his absence. Mohammad Shami could be playing for the veteran left arm pacer. Considering the track at Kotla, it would be prudent to retain two spinners in the lineup in the form of Amit Mishra and Shahbaz Nadeem. Kagiso Rabada and Chris Morris look solid with their overall contributions.

StatAttack

1 – Zaheer needs 1 more wicket to complete 100 IPL wickets.

41 – Number of runs needed by David Warner to complete 500 runs in IPL 10.

166 – Chris Morris bats with a strike rate of 166.79 in the IPL – the third highest in the list of highest strike rates.