Delhi Daredevils looked potentially the most dangerous side during the auctions, as they had the perfect blend of youth and experience. But after injuries to Quinton De Kock and JP Duminy, their batting just hasn’t looked potent enough.
They were languishing at the bottom of the table but after yesterday’s emphatic win against SRH, they are now at the sixth place with six points from nine games. Zaheer Khan is likely to miss the remaining fixtures and Karun Nair is leading the side in his absence.
Their bowling has never been an issue. The likes of Rabada, Morris, Cummins, Shami and Mishra have been doing a pretty decent job in restricting the opposition. It is their batting which has faltered more often than not.
Sanju Samson, apart from that wonderful century, has never actually got going. Karun Nair has had a terrible season. Shreyas Iyer also hasn’t been at his brilliant best with the bat. Their decision to bat Mathews higher than Morris has perplexed one and all.
Rishabh Pant, though, has looked in good touch and has played some gutsy innings thus far. Corey Anderson scored an unbeaten 41 off 24 and took his side home against SRH.
Having won the last match against the defending champions, when all the batsman came to the party and chipped in with some valuable contributions, DD will look to cash in on the momentum, take one match at a time and try and finish in the top 4 by the end of the league stage.
Also Read: IPL 2017, SRH vs DD: Player ratings
Though Delhi have never won the IPL, some of their players over the years have impressed a lot and here are some lesser known facts about the team:
10 - The number of players who have led DD team in the IPL - joint most for any team with KXIP.
67 - The joint lowest total by a team batting 1st in the IPL, KKR also had made 67 in IPL 2008 against the Mumbai Indians.
15 - The number of times DD have been bowled out in the IPL so far - most for any side.
59 - The number of runs conceded by Kagiso Rabada in a match – only Malinga and Ishant have gone for more this season (58 runs).
39 - Karun Nair’s highest score in any form of the game since the triple century against England in Chennai.
189 – Their 3rd highest chase, and the highest ever at the home ground, in the IPL.
5 - The number of consecutive defeats after which they finally won against SRH.
1 - The number of successful chases DD have had this season – they have won one out of four while chasing.
(All Stats: iplt20.com)
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