IPL 2018: 3 tactical changes Delhi Daredevils can do to get their first victory

Delhi Daredevils management has left no stone unturned over the course of a decade, but all of their efforts went in vain. Finally, they decided to call back their local lad Gautam Gambhir, who won two titles for Kolkata. From not picking Virat Kohli in the early days of letting go, David Warner, DD think tank made many horrendous mistakes in the past, but their 2018 lineup looked formidable.

That bubble burst when Gambhir’s team lost both of their opening games. Their formidable lineup is now looking meek, but they can change things around by making a few tactical changes ahead of the match against Mumbai Indians on April 14.

1. Using the opening pair of Pant and Gambhir

DD has opted to go with the opening combination of Colin Munro and Gautam Gambhir, but the former has failed to do anything worth talking about. Munro has played a total of 6 IPL games so far and hasn’t performed in any of them. His IPL average is lower than even 7, and hence DD’s top-order is lacking stability.

Rishabh Pant opened the innings alongside Gautam Gambhir in the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy, where Pant’s team Delhi won the title. Pant played a couple of blistering knocks in that tournament. He isn’t getting many opportunities to settle down as he is batting down the order, and promoting him up the order can solve the problem for the double D’s. This way, they can also use an overseas player in a different position.

2. Including Sandeep Lamichhane in the playing XI

DD has got the whole country of Nepal cheering for them after buying the Nepalese hero Sandeep Lamichhane, but it is about time they use him for a greater cause. Gambhir’s prime spin asset Amit Mishra was punished by the Punjab batters in the first game, and his alternative Shahbaz Nadeem was expensive in the second game.

With only Rahul Tewatia being an economical spinning option, DD can look up to the 17-year-old leggie from Syangja. Lamichhane has an incredible economy rate of just over 4 runs per over in 21 List A games, in which he took 42 wickets. Former Australian captain Michael Clarke has heaped praises on Lamichhane, and who knows that this wonder kid can’t become the next Rashid Khan?

3. Finding the 6th bowling option

With Glenn Maxwell replacing Dan Christian in the side, Gambhir had only 5 bowling options in the last game. He could have easily opted for Vijay Shankar as the 6th bowler, but he chose not to. Sticking with 5 bowlers can prove fatal as there will be no place to hide if one bowler receives some thrashing.

Shankar has bowled 17 overs in T20I cricket, but his economy rate is 9 runs per over. His batting performance too isn’t quite convincing. The best alternative Gambhir can try is Gurkeerat Mann Singh, the all-rounder from Punjab. Singh can come in handy with his right-arm off-break and has an impressive IPL career economy rate of just over 7 runs per over. Besides that, he is fairly dependable with the bat and is a great fielder.

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