A Daredevil is defined as a person who is recklessly bold. None symbolizes this definition better than the skipper of the Delhi team - Virender Sehwag - who fires boldly but can misfire recklessly. During the last four editions of the IPL, the team has lived up to their tag of the Daredevils to a fairly large extent. They reached the semi-finals in 2008 and 2009, missed out on qualifying for the knock-outs in the 2010 edition and wound up with the wooden spoon for the 2011 edition.
In the 2008 edition, they were thrashed by Rajasthan Royals in the semi-final by 105 runs. In the 2009 edition, they were once again thwarted in the semi-final stage by Deccan Chargers thanks to a blazing knock from Deccan skipper Adam Gilchrist. In the 2010 edition, they failed to reach the knock-out stages when they choked in their last league match against Deccan Chargers as they lost the match by 11 runs. In the 2011 edition, they finished rock-bottom and saw their skipper Sehwag leaving the tournament mid-way due to shoulder surgery. The Daredevils will be hoping to put up a much better show in this edition.
STRENGTHS:
The Delhi batting order looks very strong. With the addition of players like Kevin Pietersen, Mahela Jayawardene and Andre Russell, the Delhi middle order is a mixture of class and aggression. Robin Bist, who had an outstanding Ranji trophy this year, will be the player to watch out for in the Delhi batting. With Virender Sehwag and David Warner at the top, this batting line-up is intimidating.
Umesh Yadav, who had a good tour of Australia, will be the key to Delhi's bowling fortunes. Varun Aaron, who missed the entire Australian tour due to a stress fracture on the back, will be keen to make a good impression. Morne Morkel had an outstanding tour of New Zealand and he will look to continue his good form in this tournament. Backed up by Roelof van der Merwe, Irfan Pathan, Ajit Agarkar and Doug Bracewell, the Delhi team will be hoping that their bowling clicks along with the batting.
WEAKNESSES:
There is a saying that once Sehwag goes cheaply, the entire Delhi team folds up. The over-reliance on Sehwag is something that the Delhi team have to overcome. The bowling is too pace heavy and it lacks variety. The inability to perform under pressure in the knock-out situations is something that the Delhi team have to work on. With only four foreign players allowed in the playing XI, the availability of so many foreign players will pose a challenge to the Delhi team with regards to their team composition.
PLAYERS TO WATCH OUT FOR
Glenn Maxwell: Glenn Maxwell is a dashing batsman who plays for Victoria. He first shot into prominence was during the Emerging players tournament in July 2011 and many in the Delhi management found shades of David Warner in him. He is believed to be a brilliant fielder and he bowls decent off-spin. He is being touted as a future player for Australia and his all-round skills will give Delhi a lot of utility in this tournament.
Robin Bist: He was one of the stars in the Ranji trophy this year. He was the only player to go past 1000 runs this year in the Ranji Trophy Elite championship, including four centuries as his batting helped Rajasthan secure their second consecutive Ranji trophy. His great form will be a welcome addition to the Delhi team.
KEY PLAYERS TIMELINES:
David Warner will miss the first month of the IPL as he is part of the Australian Test squad for the West Indies series. The Test series is expected to end on April 27th and he might play his first match against Rajasthan on 01st May.
Ross Taylor's left wrist was broken by his Delhi team-mate Morne Morkel during the 3rd Test between New Zealand and South Africa at Wellington. He has undergone surgery and he is expected to be out of action for close to four weeks. It will be interesting to see whether he immediately starts playing after he has recovered from his injury.
NEW PLAYERS:
Kevin Pietersen, Mahela Jayawardene, Andre Russell, Ghulam Bodi, Glenn Maxwell, Doug Bracewell, Ross Taylor
ABSENTEES:
Ashok Dinda, James Hopes, Andrew McDonald, Colin Ingram, Travis Birt
DD in IPL
In the 2008 edition, they were thrashed by Rajasthan Royals in the semi-final by 105 runs. In the 2009 edition, they were once again thwarted in the semi-final stage by Deccan Chargers thanks to a blazing knock from Deccan skipper Adam Gilchrist. In the 2010 edition, they failed to reach the knock-out stages when they choked in their last league match against Deccan Chargers as they lost the match by 11 runs. In the 2011 edition, they finished rock-bottom and saw their skipper Sehwag leaving the tournament mid-way due to shoulder surgery. The Daredevils will be hoping to put up a much better show in this edition.
STRENGTHS:
The Delhi batting order looks very strong. With the addition of players like Kevin Pietersen, Mahela Jayawardene and Andre Russell, the Delhi middle order is a mixture of class and aggression. Robin Bist, who had an outstanding Ranji trophy this year, will be the player to watch out for in the Delhi batting. With Virender Sehwag and David Warner at the top, this batting line-up is intimidating.
Umesh Yadav, who had a good tour of Australia, will be the key to Delhi's bowling fortunes. Varun Aaron, who missed the entire Australian tour due to a stress fracture on the back, will be keen to make a good impression. Morne Morkel had an outstanding tour of New Zealand and he will look to continue his good form in this tournament. Backed up by Roelof van der Merwe, Irfan Pathan, Ajit Agarkar and Doug Bracewell, the Delhi team will be hoping that their bowling clicks along with the batting.
WEAKNESSES:
There is a saying that once Sehwag goes cheaply, the entire Delhi team folds up. The over-reliance on Sehwag is something that the Delhi team have to overcome. The bowling is too pace heavy and it lacks variety. The inability to perform under pressure in the knock-out situations is something that the Delhi team have to work on. With only four foreign players allowed in the playing XI, the availability of so many foreign players will pose a challenge to the Delhi team with regards to their team composition.
PLAYERS TO WATCH OUT FOR
Glenn Maxwell: Glenn Maxwell is a dashing batsman who plays for Victoria. He first shot into prominence was during the Emerging players tournament in July 2011 and many in the Delhi management found shades of David Warner in him. He is believed to be a brilliant fielder and he bowls decent off-spin. He is being touted as a future player for Australia and his all-round skills will give Delhi a lot of utility in this tournament.
Robin Bist: He was one of the stars in the Ranji trophy this year. He was the only player to go past 1000 runs this year in the Ranji Trophy Elite championship, including four centuries as his batting helped Rajasthan secure their second consecutive Ranji trophy. His great form will be a welcome addition to the Delhi team.
KEY PLAYERS TIMELINES:
David Warner will miss the first month of the IPL as he is part of the Australian Test squad for the West Indies series. The Test series is expected to end on April 27th and he might play his first match against Rajasthan on 01st May.
Ross Taylor's left wrist was broken by his Delhi team-mate Morne Morkel during the 3rd Test between New Zealand and South Africa at Wellington. He has undergone surgery and he is expected to be out of action for close to four weeks. It will be interesting to see whether he immediately starts playing after he has recovered from his injury.
NEW PLAYERS:
Kevin Pietersen, Mahela Jayawardene, Andre Russell, Ghulam Bodi, Glenn Maxwell, Doug Bracewell, Ross Taylor
ABSENTEES:
Ashok Dinda, James Hopes, Andrew McDonald, Colin Ingram, Travis Birt
DD in IPL
| Played | Won | Lost | Tie | NR | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 57 | 28 | 28 | 0 | 1 | 50 |
TOURNAMENT HISTORY
| Year | Position |
|---|---|
| 2008 | Semi-finals |
| 2009 | Semi-finals |
| 2010 | 5th Position |
| 2011 | 10th Position |
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