Struggling Delhi face disciplined Sunrisers Hyderabad
Delhi Daredevils desperately need a victory to infuse life into their campaign, which has been derailed by three consecutive defeats, but they face a tricky and disciplined opponent in Sunrisers Hyderabad in their next Pepsi IPL clash, here tomorrow.
A big relief for the beleaguered hosts is that opener Virender Sehwag is likely to play his first match this season, having missed all three clashes so far due to back spasm.
Missing key players such as Kevin Pietersen and Jesse Ryder has already hurt the Delhi team badly and injury to Sehwag had only compounded their problems.
A fit and in-form Sehwag is just what Delhi needs to spring back to life after a dull start as it was the dashing right-hander’s batting prowess which led Delhi to the knockout stage last season.
If Sehwag plays, struggling young batsman Unmukt Chand, who has twice dismissed for a first-ball duck, is likely to make way for the senior pro.
The non-performance of its foreign recruits, except for Australian David Warner, has also added to Delhi’s woes. Skipper Mahela Jayawardene began well with a fifty in the season-opener but his bat fell silent after that.
Andre Russell and Johan Botha’s combined tally reads a mere 20 runs in the first two matches which led to their axing from the match against Mumbai Indians.
But that did not solve Delhi’s problems as Morne Morkel was hammered around the park by Mumbai’s batsmen and Jeevan Mendis also failed to make an impact. The Sri Lankan neither got a wicket nor did he score runs.
Delhi badly needs its young guns to fire. Naman Ojha, Manprit Juneja and Irfan Pathan will have to contribute more for the side to shake off the disappointment of three consecutive losses.
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