After losing the opening match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2013, Delhi Daredevils will take on the Rajasthan Royals at Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium, Delhi on Saturday. It will be Rajasthan Royals' first match in the IPL sixth edition.
Overview:
Wounded by the opening match defeat to the defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders, the Delhi Daredevils will look forward to put up its first point on the score table. Captain Mahela Jayawardena looked impressive in the last match, and now the team need contribution from the top order to pull through in the second match.
The Rajasthan Royals failed to keep up the momentum after winning the inaugural edition of the IPL. They will be keen to bring back the past glory. With an experienced player like Rahul Dravid leading a few young Indian talents, the team can turn out to be a surprise package.
In their 10 meetings in the IPL so far, Delhi Daredevils had won six, and Rajasthan Royals four.
Team News:
Delhi Daredevils: The team has a strong batting line-up, including a few big hitters, but it has been depleted by injuries. Morne Morkel, who is playing domestic Twenty20 in South Africa, will miss the match against the Rajasthan Royals, and swashbuckling batsman Virender Sehwag is doubtful for Saturday's match too due to injury. Viru's absence will be a huge blow to the team, as he is one man who is capable of giving an explosive start.
The team needs Mahela Jayawardene, David Warner and Unmukt Chand to perform in the absence of their two key players. Manpreet Juneja may play in Saturday's match if Sehwag doesn't make it.
Delhi Daredevils will need the service of its fast-bowling Ashish Nehra, Umesh Yadav and Irfan Pathan to restrict the opponent's batsmen from scoring at will. Performance of Shahbaz Nadeem, who picked two wickets for 22 in the first match against KKR, will be vital in the second match too.
Rajasthan Royals: The team has good batting line-up in Rahul Dravid (captain), Ajinkya Rahane, Kusal Perera and Brad Hodge. They also boast of a pool of young Indian talents who can pull up surprises in the middle order.
They will miss talented batsman Shane Watson. Rahul Dravid had said that he would join the team on time but would not push him. However, one can't completely rule out his participation in Saturday's match.
In the fast bowling department, Rajasthan Royals have S Sreesanth, Siddharth Trivedi, Harmeet Singh, and Fidel Edwards. They have spinners in Brad Hogg and Kumar Boresa.
Verdict:
Both the teams look strong but the Delhi Daredevils are favourites to win Saturday's match given their good record at their home ground.
SQUADS:
Delhi Daredevils: Mahela Jayawardene (c), Ajit Agarkar, Andre Russell, Arisht Singhvi, Ashish Nehra, CM Gautam, David Warner, Gulam Bodi, Irfan Pathan, Jeevan Mendis, Johan Botha, Kedar Jadhav, Manpreet Juneja, Morne Morkel, Naman Ojha, Pawan Negi, Roelof Van Der Merwe, Royston Dias, Siddarth Kaul, Sujit Nayak, Shahbaz Nadeem, Umesh Yadav, Unmukt Chand, Venugopal Rao, Virender Sehwag, Yogesh Nagar
Rajasthan Royals: Rahul Dravid (C), Ajinkya Rahane, Ajit Chandila, Ankeet Chavan, Ashok Menaria, Brad Hodge, Brad Hogg, Dishant Yagnik, Fidel Edwards, Harmeet Singh, James Faulkner, Kevon Cooper, Kumar Boresha, Kushal Janith Perera, Owais Shah, Pravin Tambe, Rahul Shukla, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, Sachin Baby, Samuel Badree, Sanju Samson, Shane Watson, Shaun Tait, Shreevats Goswami, Siddharth Trivedi, Stuart Binny, Vikramjeet Malik
Where to Watch Live
The match will begin at 4:00 pm IST and will be telecast live on Sony Set Max channel.
