Published: Apr 15, 2013, 03:36 PM (IST)
Edited: Apr 15, 2013, 03:36 PM (IST)
David Warner(left), Mahela Jayawardene and Virender Sehwag need to fire at the top © PTI
By Nishad Pai Vaidya
Bangalore: Apr 15, 2013
Eying their first win at the Indian Premier League (IPL), 2013, the Delhi Daredevils move to the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium to face the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Both teams are at the opposite ends of the points table and Delhi are are under more pressure. It would be a tough ask for the visitors to trump Bangalore on their home ground, but T20 is an unpredictable format.
Bangalore have had a few close finishes in their campaign so far and would want to be clinical in their approach to close games. Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers are in good form and it augurs well for a side that is said to be dependent on the big-hitting Chris Gayle. The West Indian is undoubtedly their ace, but with others doing well it helps Bangalore immensely. In the last game they replaced Moises Henriques with Dan Christian and there may be a recall for the former. Henriques has bowled well and would add value with his medium pace.
Since Bangalore’s last game was in Chennai, Muttiah Muralitharan wasn’t available. They brought in Ravi Rampaul, whose medium pace was effective against the Chennai Super Kings. Would Bangalore replace Rampaul, who has done well, with a Muralitharan? If they want to accommodate both in the line-up, they might drop Christian and bring in an Indian player. There certainly are a few selection headaches for Bangalore.
Through all that, Saurabh Tiwary’s exclusion has surprised many. In previous editions of the IPL, the southpaw has impressed with his aggressive batting, but Bangalore seems content to give the other youngsters such as Karun Nair and Lokesh Rahul a chance. J Syed Mohammad did well with the ball at Chennai and he might hold on to his place.
Delhi have had a tough season in every sense and are yet to find their winning touch. The return of Virender Sehwag is good news, but it might take him time to settle into the line-up. Along with David Warner and skipper Mahela Jayawardene, he holds the key in the batting. With Kevin Pietersen and Jesse Ryder unavailable, the trio has to ensure that they post good totals. Kedar Jadhav and Manpreet Juneja are the youngsters in the side who have been impressive so far.
Delhi’s bowling has been strengthened by Morne Morkel’s arrival. The tall seamer is the spearhead and is a dangerous customer with his toe-crushers. At the same time, Delhi’s Indian pacers have to play a crucial role. Umesh Yadav adds a new dimension with his pace and is a wicket-taking bowler. In the previous game, Delhi introduced Siddharth Kaul, who had a good domestic season. Shahbaz Nadeem will continue with his spinning duties.
Bangalore are undoubtedly the favourites in this contest and they are backed by enthusiastic support at their home ground. Delhi faces an uphill task and need to get their act together as they have lost four games at the start of the season. There is a long road ahead, but it is imperative that Delhi make up for the lost paces soon.
Teams:
Royal Challengers Bangalore (probable): Virat Kohli (c), Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, AB de Villers, Saurabh Tiwary, Lokesh Rahul, J Syed Mohammad, Arun Karthik (wk), Ravi Rampaul, Muttiah Muralitharan, RP Singh, R Vinay Kumar.
Delhi Daredevils (probable): Mahela Jayawardene (c), David Warner, Virender Sehwag, Manpreet Juneja, Kedar Jadhav (wk), Johan Botha, Irfan Pathan, Umesh Yadav, Siddharth Kaul, Morne Morkel, Shahbaz Nadeem.
Match time: 20.00 IST | 14:30 GMT
(Nishad Pai Vaidya is a Correspondent with CricketCountry and an analyst, anchor and voice-over artist for the site’s YouTube Channel. He shot to fame by spotting a wrong replay during IPL4 which resulted in Sachin Tendulkar’s dismissal. His insights on the game have come in for high praise from cerebral former cricketers. He has also participated on live TV talk-shows on cricket. Nishad can be followed on Twitter athttp://twitter.com/nishad_44
