Indian Premier League – Delhi Daredevils vs Mumbai Indians
by Juris Graney
The Indian Premier League clash between Delhi Daredevils and Mumbai Indians is crunch time for the most unlikely of participants.
With both teams unbeaten the game is undoubtedly important to each and their momentum but the real question hangs over the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium pitch.
Wednesday, March 17, 10am EST (8pm Delhi local time)
Delhi Daredevils -140
Mumbai Indians +110
Don’t forget this is the ground that earned the Delhi and & District Cricket Association a one year suspension from the ICC for hosting internationals at this very ground after the December 27 game between India and Sri Lanka was abandoned after 23.3 overs because of its dangerous behaviour.
The ground staff has been feverishly trying to remedy the situation but only time will tell how it behaves but if it is anything like in the past, which I strongly doubt, the game could be over before it begins.
If Deli Daredevils captain Gautam Gambhir’s wins the toss as he has done in the previous two matches, it will be interesting to see if he follow his pattern of sending the opposition in.
His team’s confidence in their ability to chase a target and to restrict their opposition is evidenced by their containment of the likes of Yuvraj Singh, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene in their opening victory over Kings XI Punjab and a similar campaign of accurate bowling against inaugural tournament winners Rajasthan Royals and their powerful line-up of Graeme Smith, Yusuf Pathan and Dimitri Mascarenhas.
The key for Delhi’s ability to restrict the flow of runs has been Australian quick Dirk Nannes.
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The 33-year-old, 188cm Dutchman, who competed in Alpine Skiing World Cup events up until 1999, has been a true revelation to Twenty20 cricket his oblique action, ability to change the pace and angle with consummate control, the lanky left-hander is by far and away the most economical bowler in this tournament thus far conceding 4.87 runs an over while taking three wickets.
Nannes was among his team’s best last season but he seems to have improved offering opposition batsmen little in the way of width and coupled with Farveev Maharoof who has similarly started this tournament spritely and being able to fling the ball to conservative leg spinner Amit Mishra is reassuring for Gambhir.
Accuracy at the top will come in handy against Mumbai who sport the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuria as openers while they have a dangerous middle order in 20-year-old left hander Saurabh Tiwary and 24-year-old right-hander Ambati Rayudu.
The leg spin of Mishra and the left-hand medium pacers of Pradeep Sangwan will need to be as conservative in the middle as their opening counterparts but their fifth bowling option will be the most crucial for Gambhir who can switch it giving Dilshan a couple or he could turn to more experienced bowlers but it’s that fifth option which will sway the selectors because of Mumbai’s run scoring ability.
Mumbai posted 212 in their first hit out of the tournament against Rajasthan Royals, Tiwary (53 off 33 balls) and Rayudu (55 off 33 balls) capitalising on a brisk start by Jayasuria (23 off 14 balls) and Tendulkar (17 off 11 balls).
Their bowling stocks aren’t quite as strong as Delhi – Zaheer Khan and Lasith Malinga the strike weapons ably supported by Proteas fringe player Ryan McLaren and the evergreen Jayasuria but they conceded 208 against Rajasthan making that game closer than it should have been.
All signs point to a Delhi victory but if Mumbai’s quicks stick to a plan they are in with a sniff and don’t be surprised if they walk away with a victory.
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