Can a depleted Delhi Daredevils go the distance?

Our national capital has been in the news lately for all the wrong reasons. Hence, a commendable performance from its IPL team would certainly enable people to cheer up. If one looks at the Daredevils squad, it would seem a more potent bowling unit. The Daredevils’ batting suffered even before the first match (which was played yesterday against the Knight Riders). Kevin Pietersen was ruled out due to an old knee injury, while the assault on Jesse Ryder had only compounded the side’s woes. Add to this the opposition from political parties in Tamil Nadu over allowing Lankan players to play in Chennai, and the pressure seemed to be only adding up without even a ball being bowled.

On the other hand, the bowling unit looks settled, with Morne Morkel leading the pace battery, which also comprises of the likes of Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron. Let’s roll our clocks back to 2008 to see how they have performed in the previous five editions and where they could have improved.

History:

The Daredevils started their IPL journey decently by qualifying for the semis in the first season, but eventually lost to the Rajasthan Royals in the semis. In 2009, an almost identical story was repeated. They stormed into the semi-finals, but were outplayed by Gilchrist’s heroic effort in the final four stage. One got a feeling that the Daredevils might have missed a trick by keeping McGrath on the bench. Clearly, McGrath would have handled Gilchrist’s antics in a more efficient manner.

Just when it looked like the norm in th IPL to have Daredevils as one of the semi-finalists, the tide of fortunes changed its direction. The IPL season of 2010 started on a positive note, with Gambhir and Sehwag getting MoM awards in 1st and 2nd match, respectively. But losing 3 successive games cost them dearly. Although they managed 5 wins out of the remaining 10 games, they missed out on a semi-final berth due to net run rate. The 2011 IPL season was the worst for them, as they ended up at the bottom of the table. In fact, their performances were reminiscent to those of the Indian cricket team of the 90s, with Sehwag portraying the role of Tendulkar. The 2012 IPL season turned out to be a replica of the 2009 season, as they bowed out after dominating the group stages.

Salary Table:

Trump cards:

If one goes by the past performances of the Daredevils, then they would get the feeling that this team will again be dependent on their top 3 batsmen. Most probably Sehwag, Warner and Jayawardene would be the trio. But with Sehwag not in the best of form, responsibility would have to be shared between Jayawardene and Warner. One of them is known for his power hitting and the other for executing shots to perfection. In fact if these two manage to find their feet in any of the matches then it would be an uphill task to beat Daredevils. Bowling looks quite settled with Morkel coming off from a successful tour against Pakistan and Umesh Yadav being the pick of the bowlers in Indian conditions. Therefore players to watch out for: Jayawardene, Warner, Morkel, Umesh Yadav.

Last Season:

The 2012 IPL season was a reflection of the dominating team of 2009. Even if they lost a match in between, they always seemed to come back strongly. Virender Sehwag getting 3 MOM awards only goes on to show how much their batting has depended on him. Umesh Yadav’s performance was also pleasing, since he was able to bag an MOM award on the slow and low Kotla pitch as well as in swinging conditions at Dharamshala.

Team Statistics:

Pie’s Conclusion:

All in all, DD doesn’t look as formidable, at least on paper, as they did last season. The bowling is adequately robust, with players like Pathan and Botha, who can also be potential contributors with the bat. It is, however, the batting form which holds the keys to the way ahead in the tournament. If their batting clicks, this team would be a difficult one to counter. The absence of some batting stalwarts might also be a blessing in disguise for players like Unmukt Chand to assert themselves and prove their worth. The bulk of the responsibility though will have to be borne by Sehwag, Jayawardene and Warner if DD are to have any aspirations of lifting the IPL trophy this year.