New Delhi, April 11 (IANS) Delhi Daredevils will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad here at the Ferozeshah Kotla on Friday, looking for a win that has eluded them so far in the sixth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The Daredevils, who topped the league stage last year, have lost their opening three matches while the new kids on the block, Sunrisers, have been the surprise package winning two of their three matches.
Without the services of Kevin Pietersen and Virender Sehwag, the Daredevils have looked a shadow of the team that only last season were pipped to lift the title.
Pietersen has been ruled out for the season. However, Sehwag, who is suffering from a back spasm, is expected to return soon. If he returns for the next match, it will be a much-needed boost for the hosts.
Unmukt Chand in Sehwag’s opening slot has had a torrid start to the season with two first ball ducks. This has been one of the reasons for Delhi’s poor performance, their failure to get off to a good start.
The return of Morne Morkel will strengthen the bowling department, even though he failed to impress in his first match against the Mumbai Indians. A lot will be expected from Umesh Yadav as well while a lack of a quality spinner has not helped the Delhi cause.
On the other hand, the Sunrisers have already punched above their weight. The team from Hyderabad doesn’t boast the galaxy of stars that some of the other teams have but wins against Pune Warriors and Royal Challengers Bangalore have put them in a strong position.
However, they would like to look past their last match and get back to winning ways after Virat Kohli inflicted a crushing defeat in Bangalore.
Sri Lankan all-rounder Thisara Perera and Cameron White have been stars with the bat for the Hyderabad team. However, the likes of Akshath Reddy, Parthiv Patel and Kumar Sangakkara have failed to fire and that will be a cause to worry for the team.
But the true strength of the Sunrisers lies in their bowling attack. Dale Steyn, Ishant Sharma, Perera and Amit Mishra will cause any team a problem and all of them have played a key role in the two wins that the team have recorded.
The game will truly be a match-up between Delhi’s batting and Sunrisers bowling. The hosts though look favourites to register their first win in the tournament.
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