IPL 2016, RPS vs DD Match 49 Preview: Can the Daredevils hold their nerves to reach the top 4?
The Delhi Daredevils have opened up the competition for playoff places by losing 2 of their last 3 matches. The Mumbai Indians and the Royal Challengers Bangalore are hot on their heels in pursuit of a top 4 position. Skipper Zaheer Khan has a lot of experience and with the expertise of Rahul Dravid, the Daredevils will be hopeful of working out their strategies well and make this season of the IPL campaign a successful one.
The Rising Pune Supergiants are the bottom of the table with their players look down and dejected. The Supergiants season has been riddled with injuries to their key players. Yet the Supergiants cannot deny that they let go of games which they should have won comfortably.
The Match 49 of VIVO IPL 2016 will feature the Rising Pune Supergiants taking on the Delhi Daredevils at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam.
Match Date and Time: 16 May 2016, 8 pm (IST)
Match Venue: Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam.
Weather:
Temperature: Max 31°C, Min 29°C
Humidity: Max 81%
Wind: 7 km per hour
Pitch Report: Par-score 140. Seamers will get some bounce and movement on this wicket.
In-Depth Analysis:
Though Ajinkya Rahane has been in a brilliant form in this season, he failed to reach double figures in the previous 2 games and that has resulted in the failure for the Supergiants to cross the 150 run mark. The Supergiants have been completely reliant on Rahane who has scored 419 runs in 12 innings with 6 fifties to his name in this season. Players like Usman Khawaja and George Bailey will have to come good for the Supergiants and take some pressure off Rahane.
The revised position of Saurabh Tiwary in the middle order is not helping the Supergiants. Tiwary was doing a good job at the top order before the arrival of Usman Khawaja, scoring 153 runs in 8 innings including 2 fifties. The number 3 position will suit his batting style as he is capable of batting steadily and accelerating when needed.
Thisara Perera and MS Dhoni have batted together on a number of occasions in this season and they have been entertaining the spectators with their explosive shots. But it has to be noted that they have not had many overs to make a huge difference to the final total and the team management should consider promoting them up the order.
All-rounder Irfan Pathan was finally given an opportunity to play in the previous match against the Kolkata Knight Riders. Ashoke Dinda has been bowling with the new ball and has been leaking too many runs in the powerplay. The Supergiants could consider opening the bowling attack with Pathan, giving him a chance to swing the ball like he used to back in his hay days.
The Delhi Daredevils lost their previous match by a huge margin against the Mumbai Indians and letting their Net Run Rate take a huge beating. Only time will tell if this massive defeat will be the reason for the Daredevils losing out on a spot in the playoffs, but the only thing they can do now is to win their remaining matches.
The Daredevils batting has been fragile at times and their middle order failing miserably in their previous match just proves that they are lacking a match winner in the team. Only Quinton de Kock, Rishabh Pant, and Chris Morris could reach the double figures and that is not good news for the Daredevils.
South African J P Duminy has not exactly hit the ground running in this campaign, failing to register a single fifty this season. The omission of Carlos Brathwaite is puzzling, to say the least as the West Indian all-rounder is a player any team would love to have in their starting line-up.
The bowling department of the Delhi Daredevils had a bad night against the Mumbai Indians and it would be in their best interests to start fresh, focus on the next game and perform to the best of their abilities.
The Daredevils will be favorites to win as nothing seems to be going in the Supergiants way. A win here for the Daredevils will certainly be a confidence booster and help them in their quest to reach the top 4.