Delhi Daredevils will come up against the Gujarat Lions for the first time this season when the two teams clash.
Delhi Daredevils have three wins from nine matches. In their most recent fixture, the Delhi Daredevils ended their five-match losing streak; when they chased down 186 against Sunrisers Hyderabad. DD, who will still be without the services of Zaheer Khan, will look to build on that win; they need many more wins to stay in contention for a playoff spot.
Gujarat Lions come on the back of two agonising losses, one inASuper-over and a BenAStokes special. Those two games increased their loss tally to seven; and they certainly cannot afford another one if they are to stay afloat. Even seven wins won’t guarantee a spot in the final four; but it will certainly keep them in the hunt if some results go their way.
Mathematically, Daredevils are in the fray but they will have to win all their remaining matches; and hope for favourable results from other games. Gujarat Lions are all but out of the race as they are struggling at the 7th spotAwith just six points from 10 games.
The highly talked about inexperienced Delhi Daredevils batting lineup finally came to the party in their herculean win over the Sunrisers Hyderabad. All batsmen in the top 6 managed to get scores under their belt in the previous game. They will surely be much more confident going into the game against the Lions. Karun Nair looks like a good fit in the opening slot with Sanju Samson; especially after having faltered in the middle order.
In the bowling department, Pat Cummins might make a comeback to the playing eleven at the expense of Kagiso Rabada. Rabada leaked 59 runs in his four overs in the previous game. Jayant Yadav is likely to retain the place in the team; considering two left-handers in Ishan Kishan and Suresh Raina in the Gujarat Lions batting top order.
Gujarat Lions are likely to field the same lineup that played against the Rising Pune Supergiant. Despite their defeat in the previous game, it would be unfair to say that they had a lackluster outing. The bowlers had stepped up to the occasion for the first time this season. Pradeep Sangwan, who played his first match of the season, was among the wickets against RPS. He is likely to get another game in the season.
Ankit Soni has been highly impressive in the matches that he has played thus far in the tournament. Basil Thampias accuracy in the death overs sees him as a certain starter in the match as well. The only slot where they can try out a new player is for Dwayne Smith. But considering the experience Smith has, it would be unfair to drop him after one failed outing. In the batting, Ishan Kishan seems to have settled well at the top order with Brendon McCullum.
Head to Head :
Matches – 2
Delhi Daredevils – 1, Gujarat Lions – 1
Probable Lineups :
Delhi Daredevils
Sanju Samson, Karun Nair (c), Shreyas Iyer; Rishabh Pant (wk), Corey Anderson; Angelo Mathews, Chris Morris, Jayant Yadav, Kagiso Rabada, Amit Mishra, Mohammed Shami.
Gujarat Lions
Ishan Kishan, Brendon McCullum, Suresh Raina (c), Aaron Finch, Dwayne Smith; Dinesh Karthik (w), Ravindra Jadeja, James Faulkner, Ankit Soni; Pradeep Sangwan, Basil Thampi.
