IPL 2018, Match 52, DD vs CSK - Delhi Daredevils Predicted XI

The Delhi Daredevils are down and out in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League. They are out of the race for the playoffs contention and hence, they have nothing but pride to play for in their last two games of the season. Having said that, it is worth noting that they can still be party spoilers for the other teams.

But in their next game, they will be up against the most popular side in the competition, the Chennai Super Kings. The match will be an inconsequential clash. The Super Kings have already qualified for the playoffs and hence, will not be affected much even they lose against the Delhi Daredevils. However, if they win, they will ensure that they finish among the top two in the tournament and have two cracks at the finals.

From the Delhi Daredevils point of view, the match serves a good opportunity for them to try their benched players. In all likelihood, every player in their squad is expected to get a game in the remaining two games. They will try and keep the Super Kings at bay and avenge their defeat against the same opposition in Pune a couple of weeks ago.

Here is the Delhi Daredevils Predicted XI for the match:

Openers (Jason Roy, Prithvi Shaw)

The opening pair for the Daredevils is likely to remain the same. Despite the fact that Jason Roy has been misfiring this season, he is still expected to get another go in the tournament. He would want to finish things on a high to head back to England with good memories of the season.

On the other hand, young Prithvi Shaw has been in a sensational run of form this season. Shaw deserves another go in the match and will retain his place in the side. He has been one of the very few positives for the DD camp this season.

Middle-Order (Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Manjot Kalra)

The middle-order for the Delhi Daredevils has been their strongest talking point in the tournament this year. Shreyas Iyer has failed to live up to the expectations as a captain but has been very impressive as a batsman. His form has been sublime.

Next in line is Rishabh Pant, the most successful player from the franchise in the tournament. Pant is a top contender to win the Orange Cap this season. He would want to score heavily in the final two games to get hold of the coveted achievement for himself.

Young Manjot Kalra is a top order batsman but he could get a chance in the match as a middle order player. Just like Shaw, even Kalra was a top performer for the India U19 in the U19 World Cup earlier this year. He deserves to get a go in the tournament.

All-rounders (Jayant Yadav, Abhishek Sharma)

Vijay Shankar has been the all-rounder in the Delhi Daredevils lineup throughout the tournament. For this game, though, Shankar could well be rested. Jayant Yadav, the Haryana all-rounder who has a Test ton to his name, could get his first game of the season.

Along with Yadav, Abhishek Sharma will be the second all-rounder in the side. The 17-year old has already proven his mettle with the bat in the previous game against the Royal Challengers Bangalore where he hit a brilliant 46 off just 19 deliveries.

Spinners (Sandeep Lamichhane)

Young Nepalese cricketer Sandeep Lamichhane created history by becoming the first player from his country to play in the IPL. He had a decent debut in the tournament and had bowled very efficiently against the batting heavy RCB in the previous game.

Fast bowlers (Junior Dala, Trent Boult, Harshal Patel)

Among the pace bowlers, Trent Boult has been the solitary consistent performer for the Delhi Daredevils. Boult has been the best bowler of the team and in all likelihood, he will play all the matches for the team in the season.

South Africa pacer Junior Dala made his IPL debut in the previous game. He did not have a merry time with the ball but it will be unfair on Dala to move him out of the playing eleven after havng been given just one crack at the tournament.

Harshal Patel has been quite impressive with his bowling for the Daredevils in the limited opportunities that he has got. Also, he has chipped in with a crucial contribution of 24 runs in the game against SRH, that proves he can be used as a pinch hitter in the batting lineup.

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