Hyderabad look to go top of the table

Match facts

Nov 1, 2008
Start time 7.30pm (1400 GMT)

Big Picture

Delhi's chances of making the semi-finals were dealt a crushing blow after a 58-run defeat against Mumbai Champs in their last match. With their two big-name foreign players, captain Marvan Atapattu and pace spearhead Shane Bond, not at the top of their games, Delhi's hopes of progress are almost non-existent. They need to win their remaining games and hope for several other results to go their way to stay in contention for the semi-finals.

On the other hand, Hyderabad, their opponents on Saturday, further strengthened their place in the top half of the table with a narrow win against the Ahmedabad Rockets. With a relatively easy game against Mumbai, whom they take on after Delhi, and home advantage against Bengal in their last league game, Hyderabad are poised for a spot in the final four.

Where they rank

Delhi are second-last in the league with two victories. They need to win their remaining two games to keep their improbable chances of qualifying alive.

Currently in second place, Hyderabad will look to climb to the top of the rankings with a win, at least for a brief period, with table-toppers Chennai Superstars playing Mumbai the next day.

Form guide (most recent match first)

Delhi: LWLLL
Mumbai: WWLW

Stats

• Delhi have been on the receiving end of three of the four largest defeats (in terms of runs) in the tournament - 62 against Dhaka, 58 against Mumbai and 35 against Bengal.

Players to watch

S Abbas Ali has been enjoying a rich vein of form for Delhi . His brave performance (31 off 19 balls) against Mumbai followed a match-winning 52 against Lahore. He also shared the best fourth-wicket partnership with Abhinav Bali in the tournament, putting on 80 runs against Lahore.

Nicky Boje is having a great time with both bat and ball for Hyderabad. He has seven wickets from five matches, with a best of 3-20 against Dhaka, and scored a crucial 30-ball 47 against Ahmedabad.

Quotes

"If we have to chase a target against the Delhi team, seeing off Shane Bond would be the priority. If we succeed in it, we have the potential and the confidence to chase any target."
Nicky Boje outlines the team strategy for this game