Delhi Daredevils (DD) will be keen to put some points under their belt as they take on the Kolkata Knight Riders at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in Delhi on April 27 (Friday).
Meanwhile, Gautam Gambhir recently stepped down from the captaincy role while taking responsibility for the poor form.
Top-order batsman Shreyas Iyer will now be at the helm of Delhi team and is eager to bring the team in the right direction with a couple of wins if not many.
However, Delhi hasn’t played as a team apart from some individual brilliance. Iyer’s first job will be to bind and bring out the best while considering the playing XI.
The Daredevils have also struggled due to poor show from their bowlers. They have leaked runs in the death overs and have let go the game from the hands.
Apart from bowling frailties, the senior cricketers will have to rise up to the occasion and deliver in these situations.
Also, the overseas cricketers need to show their capability and change track for their team. In such a contrast, Delhi will look to field their best XI against Kolkata.
Here is the predicted XI of Delhi Daredevils:
Gautam Gambhir:
Gautam Gambhir will be a free man after stepping down from the top-brass role. He will look to concentrate more on his batting now and get some runs under his belt.
The southpaw is an elegant batsman and Delhi will bank on him to get a good start.
Prithvi Shaw:
The young batsman in Prithvi Shaw will look to make full use of the opportunity. He has already made a name for himself in the domestic circuit and will be eager to replicate that form.
Shaw got a good start in the last game, however, failed to capitalise on it. He will look to make amends for the lost opportunity.
Rishabh Pant (wk):
Having the knack of hitting a ball long, Rishabh Pant has performed consistently for the Daredevils, however, lacked support. He needs to continue doing his job if Delhi has to break their losing run.
Meanwhile, Pant is capable of playing long innings and can demolish any bowling attack.
Shreyas Iyer (c):
Shreyas Iyer will have to shoulder an additional responsibility of leading the team. He will look to keep the basics right and back everybody’s ability.
However, Iyer needs to lead the team from the front with his bat doing the talking.
Glenn Maxwell:
No show, Glenn Maxwell has suddenly lost the form he showed in Australia’s domestic circuit.
The Australian all-rounder needs to find the right form and help Delhi return to winning ways.
The Delhi management will also bank on him to do the job.
Chris Morris:
Chris Morris has failed to live up to the expectations from the Delhi camp. The South African all-rounder is due for a contribution to team’s success.
However, he will be raring to go and prove his worth in the middle.
Liam Plunkett:
The veteran all-rounder from England Liam Plunkett has already made an impact in his debut game for Delhi.
However, the dugout will want him to continue his form and bring success.
Plunkett is also capable of playing big shots down the order.
Rahul Tewatia:
The leg-spinning all-rounder has played his part with both bat and ball. He has contributed to all the departments, however, needs to up his game more.
Delhi will want some wickets from him in the middle overs and contain the free-flow of runs.
Amit Mishra:
The veteran leg-spinner has loads of experience behind his back and is a match-winner.
An inform Amit Mishra can rattle any batting line-up.
Trent Boult:
Trent Boult is the most successful among all the overseas players for Delhi this season. He has bowled with good pace and has picked wickets.
He needs to be at his imperious best – to stop the likes of Andre Russell and Nitish Rana.
Avesh Khan:
The young pacer Avesh Khan had an impressive debut for Delhi picking two wickets.
The tall fast bowler bowled with great pace and Delhi will expect a superlative effort from the young spinner.
Meanwhile, for Avesh, this is a learning curve and he will like to use the opportunity while representing Delhi Daredevils.
Also read: We let ourselves down in the field, says Ravichandran Ashwin