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Big Picture
Delhi Daredevils are fast earning themselves a reputation of being the
underachievers of the IPL. Almost every year they start among the
favourites, and despite a line-up that includes the likes of Virender
Sehwag and David Warner, the title, and a place in the final, has eluded
them so far. They've finished as semi-finalists in 2008 and 2009, and
were in the play-offs in 2012. They were also semi-finalists in the
Champions League Twenty20 in 2012.
This year may be their toughest in the IPL. Kevin Pietersen has been ruled out for the entire tournament due to injury, while Jesse Ryder is recovering after being assaulted in New Zealand. Captain Mahela Jayawardene is coming off injury, while Virender Sehwag is going through a lean patch.
On a positive note, it's a good opportunity for the Indian youngsters
in the squad to make an impression. Unmukt Chand, Siddarth Kaul, Manprit
Juneja and Kedar Jadhav have all shown glimpses of good form in the
recent domestic matches.
The bowling department relies heavily on pace, but some of their key
bowlers head into the tournament with little match practice. Ashish
Nehra played his last game in January this year, and played just three
Ranji matches prior to that for Delhi this season. Umesh Yadav and Irfan
Pathan are making their way back after injury lay-offs. While
Daredevils can take heart from Yadav's five-for on his return to
competitive cricket, the pair's fitness and workload will be a concern
for them, even as the franchise seek a replacement for Varun Aaron.
With some of their major players missing, Daredevils may get a chance to
make the most of the allrounders in the squad. Jeevan Mendis and Johan
Botha will join a squad that has Andre Russell, Roelef van der Merwe,
Irfan, Sujit Nayak and Yogesh Nagar.
Key players
Morne Morkel
has regained his fitness after a hamstring injury, and will once again
spearhead the Daredevils pace attack. He was the leading wicket-taker in
the IPL last season, taking 25 wickets at an average of 18.20. He
played an influential role in a side that finished at the top of the
league stage. Daredevils will again look to him to lead the bowling as
they seek an elusive title.
David Warner's
importance to Daredevils has increased considerably with the absence of
Pietersen and Taylor. With Sehwag's form patchy, and Jayawardene out of
match practice, Warner will be the player Daredevils will look to for
high-octane starts. He was all at sea during the recent Test series but
has a well-earned reputation as one of the premier Twenty20 batsmen in
the world.
Big players in
Daredevils have strengthened their spin department with Johan Botha
and Jeevan Mendis, both of whom were picked at the IPL auction. Botha
has captained South Africa and Rajasthan Royals, and will be expected to
bring his experience to a fairly young spin attack - left-arm spinners
Shahbaz Nadeem and Pawan Negi have only 25 matches between them.
Ashish Nehra
returns to the Daredevils squad after two years, after Pune Warriors
traded him for New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor. The team would be
worried about Nehra's match-fitness. The fast bowler played his last
match in January 2013 and has faced injury issues over the last year. He
suffered a hamstring injury in November last year and played just four
domestic matches for Delhi this season. Nehra will be hoping to
replicate his 2009 form for Daredevils, when he picked up 19 wickets
from 13 matches at an average of 18.21 to emerge as the third-highest
wicket-taker in the tournament.
Big players out
Daredevils will miss Kevin Pietersen's
big-hitting ability in the batting order. He scored 305 runs at an
average of 61 in eight matches, including an unbeaten 103 against Deccan
Chargers. With Sehwag and Warner in scratchy form, and Jayawardene
short of match practice, Pietersen's absence becomes even more of a
blow.
By his own standards, Ross Taylor
had an indifferent IPL 2012, scoring 197 runs at an average of 19.70.
The trade-off to Pune will mean that this will be Taylor's fourth
franchise in six IPL editions.
Under the radar
After hitting the headlines as captain of India's World Cup-winning U-19 team, Unmukt Chand
has landed himself a high-profile contract with Pepsi, which has him
featuring in ads with the heavyweights of Indian cricket, including MS
Dhoni and Virat Kohli. The buzz has only increased after his consecutive
hundreds in the domestic T20 competition and the century in the final
to lead Delhi to the Vijay Hazare title. The next two months will reveal
whether he can translate that form to the high-pressure environment of
the IPL, and use that as a ladder to the national team.
Availability
None of Daredevils' players have international commitments during the IPL.
Rachna Shetty is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo
© ESPN EMEA Ltd.
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