Kings XI Punjab and Mumbai Indians failed to emerge victorious against the Delhi Daredevils at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in Delhi in IPL 2016. All eyes are on Gujarat Lions, who will want to become the first team to defeat Delhi in Kotla on Wednesday.
Delhi Daredevils were outplayed by KKR in the first match of IPL 2016, but that defeat seems to have changed the mentality of the players. Delhi Daredevils have won their last three matches, defeating Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kings XI Punjab and the Mumbai Indians.
The home team have a decent mix of foreign and Indian players in their ranks. Quinton de Kock and JP Duminy are the key players in the batting lineup, along with Sanju Samson.
Though batsmen will always play an important role in T20, quality bowlers can strengthen the team to a great extent. This is exactly what has happened with the Delhi Daredevils, who have the experienced Zaheer Khan to lead the attack, while leggies Imran Tahir and, especially, Amit Mishra have done their bits as well.
Mishra has been impressive in IPL 2016, picking up seven wickets so far. The Indian spinner looks a bigger threat with the ball when he is bowling in tandem with Tahir, as they are both wicket-taking bowlers.
"It is good to have a partnership between bowlers. We speak to each other about how we are going to bowl and it benefits us both because sometimes, he picks up wickets and on other days I am the one picking wickets. Last year, batsmen were defensive against me but attacked him. It also depends on the situation you are in, and both of us have different styles but common thinking," Hindustan Times quoted Mishra as saying about his combination with Tahir.
The leggie needs to be at the top of his game against Gujarat Lions, as they have a formidable batting line-up. The Gujarat Lions have a depth in their batting, with Faulkner expected to bat at number seven.
But it is their top order, which looks ominous. Even Aaron Finch's hamstring injury, which might lead to his absence, might not hamper them too much for they possess Dwayne Smith to smack the ball to various parts of the ground during the Powerplay overs. Their last victory against RCB reflected their strong batting power, when they chased dow 180 runs to win.
Gujarat Lions' coach Brad Hodge is pleased to have quality players, who can win games on their own.
"We have got a lot of match-winners in our side and if a couple of them fire in any particular game then its going to be awfully hard for oppositions. We just need to make sure that consistency keeps going throughout the tournament. But losing is also a part of the tournament. You can't go through a whole tournament expecting to win every game," Press Trust of India quoted Hodge as saying.
Where to watch live
Delhi Daredevils vs Gujarat Lions IPL 2016 match – is scheduled to start at 8 p.m. IST (3:30 p.m. BST, 10:30 a.m. ET). Live TV coverage of the Delhi Daredevils vs Gujarat Lions IPL 2016 match will beon Sony Max, Sony Six/HD, Sony ESPN/HD. Online options are available on Hotstar and Starsports.com.
Sky Sports 2 will broadcast the Delhi Daredevils vs Gujarat Lions IPL 2016 match live in the UK and Ireland, with the live stream options onWatch Sky Sports and Sky Go.
Viewers in the US can watch Delhi Daredevils vs Gujarat Lions IPL 2016 match on ESPN, while the game can also be live streamed on Watch ESPN.Sportsnet and viewers in Canada can watch the Gujarat Lions vs RCBIPL 2016 match on Watch Sportsnet.
OSN Sports Cricket will show Delhi Daredevils vs Gujarat Lions IPL 2016 match in the Middle East and North Africa, while all the action can also be watched via live streaming online on OSN Cricket Play.
Supersport and Supersport Live Video will broadcast Delhi Daredevils vs Gujarat Lions IPL 2016 match in South Africa.
Viewers from across the world, around 133 countries, can watch the IPL 2016 match live online on Cricketgateway.
