IPL 2016, DD vs MI Playing 11: List of today's Probable XI for Delhi Daredevils
Defending champions Mumbai Indians will face off with the Delhi Daredevils in the 17th match of the VIVO IPL 2016 at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in New Delhi on Saturday. Both teams have had slightly contrasting campaigns in this IPL so far. MI have lost 3 out of their 5 matches this season whereas Delhi have been on the resurgence as they won 2 successive games after losing their 1st match comprehensively. The stakes are high for both Mumbai and Delhi in this match as they have their own objectives to fulfill. While the Indians will be seeking consistency, the Daredevils will want to carry on with their new-found form.
Here's a look at how the Delhi Daredevils may possibly line up against the 2015 IPL champions:
Batsmen
The Delhi Daredevils batting has been quite a mixed bag in this year's IPL. Quinton de Kock has easily been their batsman so far with 184 runs at an average of 92 and a century to his name. In fact, de Kock is the only centurion in the current edition of the IPL. Apart from the South African, young Karun Nair has been the only other noteworthy contributor for the Daredevils with the bat.
Some of the key players in the DD batting line-up such as Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson and Mayank Agarwal are yet to fire. Also, star batsman JP Duminy has got just one opportunity to bat so far where he was unbeaten on 7 off 5 balls. Although the Kotla pitch is not ideal for batting freely, skipper Zaheer Khan will be banking on his batsmen to come good for the team's benefit.
All-rounders
Delhi Daredevils have a decent bunch of all-rounders in their team but they have not been delivering the goods as much as expected. Pawan Negi was bought for a whopping Rs 8.5 crore at the auction this year; however, he has contributed just 19 runs with the bat and has not picked up a single wicket.
West Indies' T20 World Cup final hero Carlos Brathwaite has also struggled with both bat and ball as he has just 6 runs and 1 wicket to show for his efforts. South African Chris Morris has bowled well but has scored only 11 runs. If the DD all-rounders can get their act right, the team will have a stronger look to it.
Bowlers
There have been a few remarkable performances from the Delhi bowlers so far in this IPL, but they have struggled to some extent. Leg-spinner Amit Mishra has been the standout performer with the ball in hand as he has picked up 5 wickets in 3 games with best figures of 4 for 11 and an economy rate of just 6.
Medium pacer Chris Morris may have just 1 wicket to his name but he has bowled quite superbly giving away his runs at an economy of under 6. Delhi Daredevils captain Zaheer Khan was brilliant in the match against KXIP; however, he was taken to the cleaners by the KKR and RCB batsmen.
The returning Mohammad Shami bowled pretty well against RCB and finished with figures of 2 for 34. The DD bowlers will need to step up even more if they want to maintain their winning form.
Probable Playing XI – Quinton de Kock (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson, Karun Nair, JP Duminy, Carlos Brathwaite, Pawan Negi, Chris Morris, Zaheer Khan (c), Amit Mishra, Mohammed Shami