Delhi continue push for semi-final berth

May 13, 2009
Start time 16.30 (14.30 GMT, 20.00 IST)

Delhi Daredevils are sitting pretty, relatively speaking, on top of the league. They have 14 points with a match in hand over the teams at No. 2 and 3, and two games in hand over the rest. Barring an astonishing change in form for the worse, they are virtually assured of a semi-final berth. A victory against Deccan Chargers at Kingsmead today will all but ensure it.

Delhi's success is a result of them being the most settled side in the competition. Unlike most teams, they are strong in both batting and bowling departments and found their winning combination early in the tournament. Even when Delhi were forced to make changes - Manoj Tiwary broke his hand and Virender Sehwag missed their last four games due to injury - their bench strength has slotted seamlessly into the game plan and maintained the winning momentum.

The odds are against Deccan but if they manage to pull off an upset, they will share the top spot with Delhi. Deccan started the tournament on the hottest streak - four straight wins - but then suffered three consecutive defeats, the first one against Delhi. However, they've put in strong performances in their last three games, of which they've won two, leaving them with 12 points from ten games. The addition of overseas players Andrew Symonds and Chaminda Vaas has helped keep them in contention for the semi-finals.

Delhi Daredevils - WWWLW
Delhi have rarely suffered a top-order collapse in the tournament because one of their overseas players in the top-order has always come good. AB de Villiers averages 67.75 with 271 runs in seven innings while Tillakaratne Dilshan averages just under 50. David Warner's form at the top has ensured that Sehwag hasn't been missed too much. In order to play Warner, Delhi have benched Daniel Vettori and credit must go to the others who have stepped up in the absence of the world's best spinner. Ashish Nehra is among the top wicket-takers in the tournament with 14 at 16.14 apiece while legspinner Amit Mishra has conceded less than six runs per over on average and taken eight wickets.

Deccan Chargers - WLWLL
Symonds has been a welcome addition to Deccan's middle-order and he has scored 90 runs in two innings at a strike-rate of 163. Deccan have not had one substantial contributor through the tournament and have relied on useful innings from T Suman, Dwayne Smith and Rohit Sharma for their scores. Adam Gilchrist's form, however, is a worry. He started the tournament superbly but now averages only 26.50 after ten innings.

Deccan's bowling has been more consistent. Their leading wicket-takers, RP Singh and Pragyan Ojha, have received unexpected support from Sharma, who has managed ten wickets at 8.80 apiece and an economy-rate of 5.86.

If Sehwag should return from injury in today's game, Delhi will have to tweak their batting line-up. Sehwag, if he should come back, is likely to replace Mithun Manhas while Warner drops down the order. It's unlikely that Daniel Vettori will return given that Delhi's bowlers have performed even in his absence. If Sehwag isn't fit then Delhi will play the same side with Manhas in the middle order.

Delhi Daredevils (possible): 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Gautam Gambhir, 3 David Warner, 4 AB de Villiers, 5 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 6 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 7 Rajat Bhatia, 8 Dirk Nannes, 9 Amit Mishra, 10 Ashish Nehra, 11 Pradeep Sangwan.

Deccan are also unlikely to make changes to the team that swept aside Rajasthan Royals by 53 runs.

Deccan Chargers (possible): 1 Adam Gilchrist (capt & wk), 2 T Suman, 3 Rohit Sharma, 4 Andrew Symonds, 5 Dwayne Smith, 6 Chaminda Vaas, 7 Venugopal Rao, 8 D Ravi Teja, 9 RP Singh, 10 Pragyan Ojha, 11 Shoaib Ahmed.

Stats and trivia

• Delhi is the only team in the IPL to average more than 30 runs per wicket. They have lost only 35 wickets in nine matches, at an average of 35.28 and a run rate of 7.82 runs per over. Deccan have lost 63 in ten at an average of 23.69 and a run rate of 7.96.

Delhi won the first match against Deccan this season by six wickets, thanks to Nannes' opening spell, during which he removed both Gilchrist and Herschelle Gibbs cheaply, and Dilshan's steady half-century during the chase.

Delhi also won both their matches against Deccan last season. They won their home game by 12 runs and the away game by a nine-wicket margin.