IPL 8: Upbeat Delhi face stern Kolkata test
Win over KKR could see Daredevils join CSK at the second place in the points table
By : ajeyo basu
Update: 2015-04-20 01:50 GMT
New Delhi: Having brought their Indian Premier League Season 8 campaign back on track with consecutive wins, Delhi Daredevils will aim to continue the momentum when they take on defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders at the Ferozshah Kotla here on Monday.The Daredevils, who finished with the wooden spoon in the last two seasons, appear a well-rounded unit this year. They were unlucky to concede narrow defeats to Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals in their first two matches despite spirited displays.
Fortunes turned in their third game against King XI Punjab when they chased down a 166-run target. Opener Mayank Agarwal and star batsman Yuvraj Singh played starring roles in that match with strokeful half-centuries. South African leg-spinner Imran Tahir also did well to pick up three wickets, including the dangerous Glenn Maxwell. Their four-run victory over Hyderabad on Saturday was another thriller. Australia pacer Nathan Coulter-Nile scripted the victory with a brilliant last over, giving away only five runs when 10 were needed by the Sunrisers.
While the Delhi batsmen have done well, their bowling led by the in-form Tahir has also been effective. Tahir — currently the leading wicket-taker with nine scalps — has received good support from leg-spinner Amit Mishra.Delhi have garnered four points from as many games and another win could see them join CSK at the second place in the points table. However, that could prove to be an uphill task and the hosts will have to be at the top of their game in order to get the better of the Knight Riders on Monday.
KKR, who started off with a crushing seven-wicket victory over Mumbai Indians, are currently third on the table, just a spot above the Daredevils.They have been ably led by Gautam Gambhir who has already notched up two half-centuries in three games. Surya Kumar Yadav and Manish Pandey are also in good touch. But the batsman that the Delhi bowlers should fear the most is Andre Russell. The West Indies all-rounder devastated the Hyderabad bowlers on Saturday, smashing 66 runs from 36 balls to rescue KKR from a difficult situation.