IPL 2018: 4 reasons why Delhi Daredevils might fancy their chances
Delhi Daredevils have been the perennial underachievers of IPL. Having started their maiden IPL season on an impressive note by ending up as semi-finalists, team Delhi lost their path in successive editions as they failed to live up to their fans' expectations and ended up with the wooden spoon more often than not.
Despite having had legends such as Jayawardene, Yuvraj Singh, Sehwag, Zaheer Khan etc. donning their jersey, DD never really took off and failed to create a mark. The despondency of their fans can be gauged from the fact that amongst the active IPL teams, DD is the only one to have never reached an IPL final, leave alone winning the coveted trophy.
However, this saga is set to change this time as DD currently possess a comprehensive and balanced squad with all their bases covered. Having made some smart choices in the auctions, team Delhi look extremely balanced this time around. Let us explore 4 reasons why Delhi might fancy their chances this time.
#1 Explosive overseas batsmen
Any team's success in T20 cricket mostly depends on explosive batting and power hitting. Delhi Daredevils can lay claim to the fact of possessing the most destructive and explosive overseas batting combination. With the likes of Colin Munro, Glenn Maxwell, and Jason Roy gracing their team sheet, DD seem to be sufficiently strong on paper.
Jason Roy has been in terrific form of late and has played a huge part in England's rejuvenation in limited overs Cricket ever since their disastrous 2015 WC campaign. He comes on the back of having scored the highest ODI individual score (180) for England recently and has the reputation of clearing the skies with ease with his impeccable power hitting.
Along with him is swashbuckling Kiwi opener Colin Munro whose reputation as a T20 power hitter is second to none. Munro was recently promoted as an opener and has been in red-hot form since then, which saw him earn the Player of the Series award against West Indies recently. His impact can be comprehended from the fact that he is the only player to score 3 T20I centuries. If Gambhir decides not to open, we might see Munro and Roy opening the batting and taking full advantage of the powerplay overs.
Along with the duo, DD also possesses the likes of Glenn Maxwell, whose exploits in the shortest format are well known, and Daniel Christian and Chris Morris. All these batsmen have the reputation of being power hitters and can singlehandedly win matches on their day.