IPL 2018: Gautam Gambhir hopeful of Delhi Daredevils making it to the playoffs

The Delhi Daredevils underwent a major change in their setup for the 11th edition of the Indian Premier League. Ricky Ponting was bagged as the coach while the local boy Gautam Gambhir was made the skipper of the side. Gambhir had led the Kolkata Knight Riders to the title on a couple of occasions and the Daredevils’ management was expecting him to do the same at Delhi.

However, Gambhir did not have the luxury of having someone like a Sunil Narine or Robin Uthappa at Delhi and needed something extraordinary to turn the fortunes of Delhi. While a lot has changed for Delhi Daredevils, the results have remained the same. Similar to previous seasons, the franchise has failed to get going and has already recorded five losses in six games. The team sits on the bottom of the points table and skipper Gautam Gambhir has been the cynosure of criticism.

The team failed to chase a modest target of 144 against the Kings XI Punjab due to the last of consistency in their batting. They lost the game by 4-runs and Gambhir believes that the first six overs changed the game.

Now or never

I thought in the first six overs when you lose three wickets, you let the opposition back in the game. We did score runs but also lost too many wickets. Our bowlers did really well to restrict them but we lost too many wickets in the first six and it’s always difficult when that happens. (On the positives, especially Iyer) Yes, he was brilliant and also Avesh did really well. Shaw is someone who is also for the future.” said the Southpaw during the post-match presentation.

Gambhir believes that his side has time to catch up with the other franchises and they are not out of the race for playoffs. The team needs to win at least seven out of their remaining eight games to stake a claim for the playoffs berth. For this to happen, all the individuals must step up and contribute to the team. The skippers form too has been an area of concern as he has failed to take his team to good starts. The margin for error is minimal and it is now or never for Delhi Daredevils.

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