Eighth placed Delhi Daredevils clash with the Royal Challengers Bangalore in Match 57 of Pepsi IPL 2013.
Table-toppers in IPL 2012, things have not quite clicked for the Delhi Daredevils as they have managed to win only three of their twelve matches so far. After a poor start to the season, DD back got into contention for a place in the Pepsi IPL 2013 Play-Offs by winning two matches at Raipur.
However, they have failed to carry that momentum forward and have finished second best in their two most recent matches against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals. While a victory in this match will not only bring joy to their supporters, it will also hurt their opponent’s chances of progressing to the Play-Offs.
Royal Challengers Bangalore have 14 points from 12 matches, though they have won only one of their six away matches. With several teams tightly packed at the top of the table, RCB need to win at least two more of their remaining four matches to remain in contention for a place in the Pepsi IPL 2013 Play-Offs. In their previous outing, RCB were blown away by Kings XI Punjab – thanks to David Miller’s 38-ball century.
When
Friday, May 10, 2013, 8 p.m
Where
Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium, Delhi
The Protagonists
Given the kind of reputations they carry, Virender Sehwag, Mahela Jayawardene and David Warner are the most important batsmen in the Delhi Daredevils’ ranks. While Sehwag and Jayawardene powered DD to a convincing win over KXIP, the team has had little else in terms of match-winning knocks from them. Warner played an influential part in the team’s wins over PWI and KKR and is the team’s top run-getter too. With little or no pressure riding on their shoulders, we could yet see the best from these players.
Cheteshwar Pujara, Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Saurabh Tiwary have all scored half-centuries for RCB this season. In these circumstances, it would not be wrong to call batting as RCB’s strength. Numbers agree too; RCB have lost the fewest wickets of all the teams this season, have the best overall scoring rate (8.55) and have the highest runs-per-wicket too (34.36). For the third season running, Gayle has scored more than 500 runs in a season and is in a close fight with CSK’s Michael Hussey for the Orange Cap. Though Kohli has not scored a half-century in the last six innings, the lack of runs from him has been made up by spectacular finishes from AB de Villiers who has scored his runs at a strike-rate of 165 this season.
Previous Meetings
Although the head-to-head record between the Delhi Daredevils and Royal Challengers Bangalore reads five wins apiece, it is RCB who have dominated matches between the two teams in recent times. Not only did RCB defeat the Delhi Daredevils in the Super Over when the two teams met at Bengaluru earlier this season, they also beat DD in the three matches prior to that.
Trivia
Royal Challengers Bangalore is one of the two teams who have not been bowled
out this season. Sunrisers Hyderabad is the other team.
Spinners have been very effective at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium; the overall economy rate of spinners this season at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium is 6.02 (as opposed to the economy rate of 7.54 for quick bowlers).
What Next
Delhi Daredevils head to Chennai for their match against Chennai Super Kings on May 14 while the Royal Challengers Bangalore head to Ranchi for their away fixture against the Kolkata Knight Riders on May 12.
