Centurion, April 27 (Inditop) Riding high on the back of a three-match winning streak, Delhi Daredevils will be looking for an easy prey in title-holders Rajasthan Royals when they meet in the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Centurion Park here Tuesday.
A week into the IPL and the Daredevils have emerged as one of the favourites while defending champions Rajasthan Royals are still struggling to find the winning touch that made them a formidable team last year.
The Shane Warne-led Rajasthan Royals have managed one win in three matches and that came against Kolkata Knight Riders through a Super Over. The absence of talented all-rounders Shane Watson of Australia and Pakistani Sohail Tanveer has hurt them badly.
Going by their last match’s performance where they lost to Kings XI Punjab, Rajasthan Royals will have to be on the top of their game against the formidable Daredevils.
The Daredevils, who made it to the semi-finals last year, are in a sparkling form, as all their wins have been convincing. A star-studded batting line-up and a balanced bowling attack, have been the key to success for Virender Sehwag’s team.
In Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, Daredevils have two formidable openers who can crush the spirit of any bowling attack. But even if they fail, Daredevils can fall back on their strong middle-order which boast of players like Tillekaratne Dilshan and AB de Villiers. In the last two matches, Dilshan and De Villiers were the cornerstone of the Daredevils batting.
Dilshan has hit two consecutive half-centuries, seeing Daredevils through a difficult situation against Royal Challengers in the last match. De Villiers has scored the first century of the IPL, a whirlwind knock that flattened runners-up Chennai Super Kings in the second match.
Moreover, the bowling attack too seems to be in perfect shape. Left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori has been one of the top bowlers and has got enough support from leggie Amit Mishra to restrict the opposition.
Rajasthan Royals top-order has not fired. Graeme Smith is not among runs and last year’s star performer Swapnil Asnodkar is struggling to cope with the moving ball. They are losing wickets in heaps and it falls on Yousuf Pathan to shore up the batting.
rounak