Match. No 42 in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2017 will see two similarly-matched sides take on each other. Delhi Daredevils (DD) will go up against Gujarat Lions (GL) at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in Delhi. Both these sides have had a poor campaign this year, but still have an outside chance of making it to the playoffs if they win all their respective games. This will be the first time that these sides clash in this edition of IPL 10. Delhi Daredevils are coming off a victory over the in-form Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), while Gujarat Lions had a tough loss to swallow against the Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS).
The head-to-head tally stands at 1 win apiece out of 2 games. This includes a one-run win over Delhi Daredevils for Gujarat Lions at Feroz Shah Kotla in IPL 9. That match will be remembered for Chris Morris’ 82 off 32 and Dwayne Bravo’s final over where he defended 14 off 6 balls. Morris this season has been in red-hot form with both the bat and ball. Delhi Daredevils will continue to be without their regular skipper Zaheer Khan who is nursing an injury. Karun Nair in the last match against Sunrisers Hyderabad showed good acumen in the field. Nair’s form with the bat was also encouraging, as he hammered 39 off 20 balls. Sanju Samson, Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer’s smashing form in the last match is a sign of things to come.
With the domestic talent performing at their peak, Delhi Daredevils’ batting looks in safe hands. With Corey Anderson returning to his blistering best in the last game and Angelo Mathews in the wings, Delhi Daredevils have found their finishers.
Their bowling on the other hand has been suffering in the last few games. Kagiso Rabada in particular struggled with his line and length. Mohammed Shami’s show in the last game was heart-warming for Delhi Daredevils fans. Add Morris to the mix and they have a potent attack. Amit Mishra and Jayant Yadav were economical and formed an effective duo with their spinning prowess.
With a win under their belt, it would not be advisable for Delhi Daredevils to tinker much with their playing XI.
Likely XI: Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson, Karun Nair (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Angelo Mathews, Corey Anderson, Chris Morris, Jayant Yadav, Kagiso Rabada, Amit Mishra, Mohammed Shami
Gujarat Lions, meanwhile, have plenty to worry about with their team composition. Their batting though has clicked in parts, yet they remain to hit form in unison. Ishan Kishan’s form of late has been quite pleasing. His stands with Brendon McCullum have been important for their side. The middle order remains their second most problematic area after bowling. Suresh Raina, Aaron Finch and Dinesh Karthik have not been able to end Gujarat Lions’ innings on a high in last few games.
Chirag Suri can be included in the in place of Smith, who has not been scoring runs at all.
All-rounders in Ravindra Jadeja and James Faulker have just not hit the ball running for them. Failures with the bat are really hurting their batting as a unit.
With no Andrew Tye in their ranks now, Gujarat Lions’ bowling relies heavily on Indian recruits. Apart from Basil Thampi, hardly anyone has shown urge or desire to do well constantly. Pradeep Sangwan did have a good outing against Rising Pune Supergiant. Ankit Soni stood out in the match against Pune where almost every other bowler became Ben Stokes’ fodder.
Gujarat Lions might be tempted to rope in Irfan Pathan for his all-round skills but his form is a big concern.
Praveen Kumar, who was Gujarat Lions’ most preferred bowler in IPL 9, finds no place in the side due to inconsistency. Munaf Patel and Nathu Singh too are warming the benches after their not so impressive outings.
Likely XI: Ishan Kishan, Brendon McCullum, Suresh Raina (c), Aaron Finch, Dwayne Smith/ Chirag Suri, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, James Faulkner, Ankit Soni, Pradeep Sangwan, Basil Thampi
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