IPL 10, Match 50, GL v DD Preview: Lost sides battle for pride

Pretty much until the Sunrisers Hyderabad beat the Mumbai Indians at Hyderabad in the recent fixture of IPL 10, the Delhi Daredevils had their hopes saved for making it to the playoffs. However, with SRH registering a key win over MI in the game, DD are now officially out of contention from the race for the playoffs. Having said that, they still have two matches to play and it will be nothing but pride at stake for them.

In their next game, they will visit Rajkot to face the Gujarat Lions. The Lions, much like the DD camp, are already out of the race for the final four. Hence, it will be a case of both teams fighting it out for pride and to give some their fans something to cheer about. Talking about the current form, the Lions beat the Kings XI Punjan in their previous game and will be confident getting into the game.

On the other hand, the DD team suffered a defeat against the Mumbai Indians and will be low on morale. The last time these two sides met in the tournament, it was a stunning display of batting by Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson that had helped Delhi topple the Lions in a herculean runchase. With only pride to play for, expect both teams going all guns blazing in the match.

Toss: Delhi Daredevils won the toss and elected to field first

Suresh Raina: It is pretty hot in Kanpur. We will want to bowl in good areas. We were also looking to bowl first. Everybody has looked good. We have played some good cricket. We just need to enjoy next two games. We have got the same team.

Zaheer Khan: We are going to bowl first. Looks a decent wicket, hopefully, will get better later on as the weather cools down. Hope we capitalise on batting first. Basically, it is a game of cricket to play and win. Just play good cricket, have your plan in action. Have a specific plan and keep working on it. You have to have the character of pride in your cricket and the way you carry yourself on the field. Rabada has gone back so Carlos Brathwaite comes in.

Playing XI:

Gujarat Lions: Dwayne Smith, Ishan Kishan, Suresh Raina(c), Dinesh Karthik(w), Aaron Finch, Ravindra Jadeja, James Faulkner, Dhawal Kulkarni, Pradeep Sangwan, Basil Thampi, Ankit Soni

Delhi Daredevils: Sanju Samson, Karun Nair, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant(w), Corey Anderson, Marlon Samuels, Carlos Brathwaite, Pat Cummins, Amit Mishra, Mohammed Shami, Zaheer Khan(c)

Focus will be on

Rishabh Pant

DD star Rishabh Pant made all the headlines when he hit a superlative 97 off mere 43 balls when these two sides last clashed in Delhi. However, he has failed to deliver since then. With two meek outings after that game, Pant would want to reestablish his claim at the top order with the bat. He needs to live up to the brouhaha that he has created in the season thus far. He will have a lot of eyes glued to him in the coming fixture.

Ravindra Jadeja

The Gujarat Lions coach Brad Hodge had tipped Ravindra Jadeja to be their main bowler in the tournament. But the all-rounder has largely been unsuccessful in giving the breakthroughs to the team this season. Neither has Jadeja been a key wicket taking option for the Gujarat Lions this season nor has he clicked with the bat. He has shown brief spells of excellence in both departments but is due to come up with a complete performance.

Karun Nair

Delhi Daredevils batsman Karun Nair has failed to impress in this season. The management have tried doing everything with him in the lineup. He has been tested in the middle-order and has been promoted to the opening slot in the recent fixtures. However, all of this has largely been in vain since Nair has failed to get runs on a consistent basis. Barring a couple of starts, he has been ineffective with the bat. The kind of reputation he has in the domestic front, he needs to live up to the name.

Team Combinations:

Gujarat Lions

The Gujarat Lions finally got off to winning ways in the previous game of the season. The Lions managed to beat the Kings XI Punjab with only three overseas players on their roster. They had the choice of fielding UAE batsman Chirag Suri but opted not to. Instead, they beefed up their bowling lineup by giving Dhawal Kulkarni another go. Coming into the game against DD, they are likely to field the same playing eleven.

Ishan Kishan and Dwayne Smith have done a good job in the opening slot in the last game. The middle order has seen Suresh Raina and Dinesh Karthik firing on a consistent basis. Aaron Finch is due for a big score and would like to end the season on a high. The bowling department is an out and out Indian contingent with a lot of options for the skipper Suresh Raina.

Delhi Daredevils

The DD camp will suddenly feel depleted as they have lost some of their key overseas players. Their two stars of the season, the South African duo of Kagiso Rabada and Chris Morris, have left the squad to join the national side for the tour to England. Sri Lankan all-rounder Angelo Mathews has also left the squad for his preparations for the Champions Trophy.

Hence, the overseas contingent looks depleted for the Daredevils. The four overseas players likely to play in the game are Marlon Samuels, Carlos Brathwaite, Corey Anderson and Pat Cummins. Among the bowlers, Zaheer Khan and Mohammad Shami will aid support to Cummins in the bowling. The batting unit is predominantly Indian heavy as has been the case for them this season.

StatAttack

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

3 – Number of times both teams have faced each other. DD has won twice and Lions have one win to their name.

26 – Number of runs needed by Sanju Samson to complete 400 runs this season.

66  – Number of runs needed by Suresh Raina to complete 500 runs this season.