Venue: Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Hyderabad | Date & Time: 12 May at 1830 (GST)
BIG PICTURE
Not even the one-man battering ram that was the six-wicket-grabbing Adam Zampa could stop the Sunrisers’ march to the top of the points table. With fourteen points from their ten games, they are level on points with the Gujarat Lions (who do not play again until Saturday) but have a superior net run rate and have played a game less.
The seamers were again superb as the Sunrisers squeezed home by four runs. It was the first of two games in three days, the second being this one at home to the Daredevils. It is a game the visitors need to win far more than the hosts – barring a huge swing to the Kolkata Knight Riders’ net run rate, only the Gujarat Lions, scheduled to play in Bangalore on Saturday afternoon, can overtake them.
By contrast, it is no more than an opportunity for the Daredevils. A crucial opportunity that they would do well to seize, no doubt, but still no more than an opportunity. With ten points from their nine games, the Daredevils have a game over both their opponents on Thursday evening and the Kolkata Knigh Riders.
A side that has seen the deck heavily reshuffled in their past few games, the Daredevils will climb above the Knight Riders and into third place with a win. Should they win their game in hand over the rest as well, a second place finish is still not out of the question.
KEY BATTLES
Delhi top order vs Hyderabad seamers: All that needs to be said about the Sunrisers’ pace attack has already been said, and so the Daredevils’ batsmen know exactly what they are up against. Their batting line-up was heavily reordered in the previous game against the Kings XI Punjab, and but their middle order still looks a little light. Should Delhi’s top three get some confidence by scoring off Hyderabad’s pace quartet, it also reduces the pressure on the middle order. Delhi’s hopes of a good total rest on them.
Yuvraj Singh vs Amit Mishra: Against the Kings XI Punjab, Amit Mishra bowled out just before the death overs but was a little expensive (4-0-37-0). Mishra is guaranteed to bowl four overs, and given that the final eight to ten overs are prime Yuvraj Singh territory – who will definitely be hungry for a big score – the Delhi-born spinner has the responsibility of curbing Yuraj’s natural instincts. It should be engaging.
WATCH OUT FOR
There’s nothing to be surprised about Nehra’s performances this year
Ashish Nehra: Amidst excellent all-round performances by the Sunrisers to record two splendid victories, the fact that Ashish Nehra has collected six wickets in the previous two games seems to have strangely slipped under the radar. His dot-ball percentage in this time has also been good (50% against the Supergiants and 66.67% against the Mumbai Indians), and suddenly, the veteran of the Sunrisers’ pace attack looks fifteen years younger.
EXPECTED XIs
Sunrisers Hyderabad would not look to tamper too much with a side that has taken them to the top of the table. Any doubts over the inclusion of Deepak Hooda were dispelled with his handy cameo against the Rising Pune Supergiants
David Warner, Shikhar Dhawan, Kane Williamson, Moises Henriques, Yuvraj Singh, Naman Ojha (wk), Deepak Hooda, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Barinder Sran, Mustafizur Rahman, Ashish Nehra
After consecutive defeats in the past two games, Delhi’s penchant for shuffling the deck might rear its head again. Possible reintroductions could come in the form of Imran Tahir and JP Duminy, while Pawan Negi or Jayant Yadav could also see the light of day, although Shahbaz Nadeem has done enough to justify his retention.
Quinton de Kock (wk), Karun Nair, Sanju Samson, Rishabh Pant, Sam Billings, Carlos Braithwaite/Jean-Paul Duminy, Chris Morris/Imran Tahir, Amit Mishra, Mohammed Shami, Zaheer Khan, Shahbaz Nadeem
STRAIGHT FROM TWITTER
#DilliBoy @Im_SanjuSamson enjoying his time surfing in Mangalore! #DilDilli pic.twitter.com/RtGeHEi14Z
— Delhi Daredevils (@DelhiDaredevils) May 10, 2016
