Daredevils look to build on hat-trick of wins

Wednesday, April 27, 2016
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)

Many feared another gruelling season was in store for Delhi Daredevils after they suffered a demoralising loss against Kolkata Knight Riders in their tournament opener. Daredevils have bounced back with three consecutive wins, though, to intensify the race for the playoffs. Led by Zaheer Khan's wiles, Daredevils defended 164 in their last game against Mumbai Indians.

Quinton de Kock has carried in his confidence from the World T20, and Sanju Samson hit form with a steady 60 against Mumbai. With the ball, Amit Mishra and Zaheer have used their experience to limit the damage towards the end. Can Daredevils continue their form through the middle part of the tournament?

Gujarat Lions have had one bad day, but four wins have left them comfortably placed in the points table. An in-form top order has resulted in relaxed chases, but the batting hasn't been tested while setting a target. In the previous match, Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum made up for the injured Aaron Finch's absence with a quickfire start in the chase of 181.

Lions' bowling, though, has failed to live up to expectations since the exclusion of James Faulkner. Dwayne Bravo picked up figures of 4 for 22 in the first game against Kings XI Punjab, but has since taken two wickets at an economy rate of 10.06. Considering the trend this season, and Delhi's short boundaries, both sides may prefer bowling first. But do Lions have enough depth if they are asked to bat?

Delhi Daredevils: WWWL (most recent matches first)
Gujarat Lions: WLWWW

Amit Mishra's returns this season: seven wickets at an economy rate of 6.00 and an average of 10.28. He has primarily been used in the second half of the innings, and his control over his variations has helped Daredevils during the end overs.

With 3873 runs, Suresh Raina is the highest run-getter in the IPL, and 174 of those have come for his new franchise. His consistent starts have set a platform for Lions' successful chases.

Daredevils played four South Africans in their previous game. Legspinner Imran Tahir, who replaced allrounder Carlos Brathwaite, produced figures of 0 for 29. Daredevils may not tinker with their winning combination.

Delhi Daredevils (probable): 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Shreyas Iyer, 3 Sanju Samson, 4 JP Duminy, 5 Karun Nair, 6 Pawan Negi, 7 Chris Morris, 8 Imran Tahir, 9 Mohammed Shami, 10 Zaheer Khan (capt), 11 Amit Mishra

Finch left the field with a hamstring injury in Lions' last win and did not bat. If he is unavailable for this game, Lions may bolster their bowling attack by including Dale Steyn or Faulkner. If they decide to include an overseas bowler, Shadab Jakati may be left out.

Gujarat Lions (probable): 1 Dwayne Smith/Aaron Finch, 2 Brendon McCullum, 3 Suresh Raina (capt), 4 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 5 Dwayne Bravo, 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 Akshdeep Nath, 8 James Faulkner/Dale Steyn/Shadab Jakati, 9 Praveen Kumar, 10 Dhawal Kulkarni, 11 Pravin Tambe

Daredevils defended 164 against Mumbai in their previous game in Delhi. Despite the Feroz Shah Kotla's short boundaries, scores generally do not cross 180 here. The weather is expected to remain dry, with temperatures lingering around 35C.