Sunrisers start favourites against Daredevils (Preview)

Hyderabad, May 3 (IANS):

Looking for their fifth consecutive win on home turf, Sunrisers Hyderabad start favourites when they take on Delhi Daredevils in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here Saturday.

After a convincing win against the mighty Mumbai Indians, the mood in the Sunrisers camp is upbeat. With 12 points from 10 matches, they feel closer to reach their primary objective of reaching the semi-finals.

“We are very close. We have six more matches to go, including tomorrow’s game and we are confident,” said Sunrisers chief mentor Krishnamachari Srikkanth.

“This is as good as knock-out kind of stage. Every match is going to be important for everybody. We take it match by match. Delhi is a good side. They have some big names in the side. We are aware of it and we are working towards it. God willing we should do well,” said Srikkanth.

He believes the win against Delhi at their home ground had given them psychological advantage.

“But I always believe the best way is to go out and play without expectations, then you don’t put pressure on yourselves,” Srikkanth said.

“The big win against Mumbai was a big morale booster for the team. Mumbai are one of the best sides in IPL and beating them very convincingly was very important aspect for us. That has given us extra tonic,” he said.

Srikkanth was all praise for opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan.

“One good thing is how people like Shikhar Dhawan is shaping up. After coming back after an injury, the way he started is simply amazing,” he said.

With unbeaten 74, Dhawan had played a key role in Sunrisers’ seven-wicket win against Mumbai. The former Indian opener believes Dhawan would be a crucial member not only for Sunrisers to reach semi-finals and the win the tournament but also for India to win the Champions Trophy.

Srikkanth is also impressed with the fighting spirit of Amit Mishra, Ishant Sharma and others.

Delhi, who beat Kolkata Knight Riders in their last match, are looking to maintain the momentum but face a tough task of winning every match from here onwards. They have only six points from 10 matches.

“We are taking it match by match. We have set small goals for ourselves not big goals of reaching semi-finals,” said pacer Umesh Yadav.

“Already we have played 10 matches. We lost seven. It is too difficult to think that we will win every game. We are just trying our best. We are trying to win those games but we don’t want to put too much pressure on ourselves. We trying our best. That is it,” he said.