IPL 2018: Match 42, Delhi Daredevils vs Sunrisers Hyderabad – Expectation vs Reality

The playoffs stage of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 is just 15 matches away and the competition is at its peak. Thursday’s encounter will be a clash between the two opposite ends of the points table. On one side, it’s the trophy front-runner, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) while on the other, it’s the team that’s down and out, the Delhi Daredevils (DD).

SRH have been an unstoppable juggernaut from the very beginning of this year’s IPL. With 8 wins out of 10 matches played, they’re in possession of a formidable bowling unit and their batting has begun to come together nicely, led by Kane Williamson’s heroics. On the other hand, DD is at the bottom of the points table and owing to a high, negative net run rate (NRR), they’re practically out of the race.

Before the real action starts, let’s take a sneak peek at our expectations from the match.

Glenn Maxwell to join the party

Explosive Australian player, Glenn Maxwell had made a name for himself in the past owing to his blistering IPL innings. However, this season has seen him blow hot and cold. Maxwell’s highest score in this edition of the tournament has been 47 against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The majority of his scores have hovered around the 10s and 20s.

With elimination imminent for his side, Maxwell can be expected to put his best foot forward in order to salvage some of their pride. The constant shuffling up and down the batting order has also hurt the otherwise-prolific batsman. In the previous encounter against the SRH, Maxwell was unceremoniously run out for a paltry single-digit score. Hence, Thursday’s encounter can be expected to bear witness to the carnage this man is capable of.

Rashid Khan to reclaim the Purple Cap

The youngest Afghanistan skipper, Rashid Khan has been a treat to watch in the IPL this year. Leaving batsmen bewildered with the magic spin web he weaves around them, scalping wickets at regular intervals, winning matches for his team single-handedly, the 19-year-old has done it all. The encounter against DD might as well see the youngster churn out another stunning performance.

Khan currently has 13 wickets in 10 matches and Thursday’s encounter can see him reclaim the Purple Cap. The previous encounter with the Shreyas Iyer-led side had seen Khan emerge as the ‘Player of the Match’, with figures of 4-0-23-2, which speaks volumes of his prowess against the particular side. Thus, DD is sure to be wary of Rashid Khan’s performances which have every possibility of emerging as match-winning.

Here’s the reality right after the match..

Pant storm hits Orange Army

SRH had a rare off day at the office as they were hit by Rishabh Pant brutally all over the park. None of the bowlers were spared today by him and single-handedly carried the batting of his team when others struggled to even middle the ball. He shattered the records on the day and became the first Indian to score a century this season. His knock of 128* runs off just 63 balls included a whopping 15 fours and 7 sixes. Delhi, on the back of a sensational inning, scored 187 runs out of which 135 had come off the last 10 overs.

Kane-Dhawan stand kicks Delhi out

The visitors needed their top order to stand up in order to chase the huge total even as they lost Alex Hales early. But the duo of Kane Williamson and Shikhar Dhawan were surreal then who got hold of the pace of the pitch and then just kicked Delhi out of the tournament. Especially the latter was superb in his execution as he regained his form much to the disappointment of Delhi fans and won the game for his team. Both shared an unbeaten stand of 176 runs in just 17 overs as SRH qualified for the playoffs.

Stay updated on ‘today’s cricket news‘ with CricTracker.com.