Daredevils the new chokers?

It may be the most insignificant match of the Champions League with Delhi Daredevils having exited the tournament already and Cape Cobras firmly coiled into the semi-finals.

Still,there would be no shortage of fans coming in through the newly installed turnstiles at the Ferozeshah Kotla hoping to watch Virender Sehwag,Gautam Gambhir and Tillakaratne Dilshan,apart from getting to witness Glenn McGrath bowling in what could probably be his last competitive game.

Daredevils have the force to attract people to their games,and they also boast of having the highest entertainment quotient amongst all other IPL teams. They have the best Test batsmen,best T20 batsman,best left-arm spinner,a pace bowling legend,a comeback man of the year,and then they have Sehwag. What Daredevils dont have,though,is a trophy in the cabinet.

If club and franchisee cricket is the latest alternative to the international calendar,then Delhi Daredevils are the IPLs byword for South Africa. In three competitive stages IPL I amp; II and now the Champions League Daredevils have choked at the critical moment. Despite boasting of a galaxy of stars like Daniel Vettori,AB de Villiers,Owais Shah,Paul Collingwood,Farveez Maharoof and Andrew McDonald,despite earning plaudits for plucking the best raw talent in Dirk Nannes and David Warner and getting the best trade of Ashish Nehra in the transfer window,Daredevils have flattered to deceive.

Twice in two IPL seasons,Daredevils have faltered in the semi-final stage,losing tamely to Kings XI Punjab in the first years semi-final and then getting walloped by Deccan Chargers in Centurion subsequently,and again in the do-or-die game against Royal Challengers Bangalore,Delhis big guns misfired.

Its important for us to play well in front of our fans in Delhi. We have to give them something to cheer for, says Gambhir,looking at the game against Cobras.

Lack of bowling all-rounders

The Daredevils are feeling the pinch of accommodating quality bowling all-rounders. During the past seasons,Daredevils loaded their squad with batting and bowling stars,which meant there was little space for foreign all-rounders in the XI. In the Champions League too,most of them are either playing against them or not playing at all.

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Chances are the Daredevils will once again stick with Dilshan,de Villiers,Nannes and Vettori in IPL III,but its the lack of steady all-round performers like McDonald,Maharoof and Collingwood breaking into the XI that has been a problem in alignment.

Poor bench strength

Daredevils bench strength has been a major letdown,with most of the signings either never in a position to make it to the XI or turning out to be disappointments. Signings like Yo Mahesh,Avishkar Salvi,Yogesh Nagar,Umesh Yadav,Tejaswi Yadav have warmed the bench more than stepping on the grass,while Rajat Bhatia is yet to certify his talent with the bat.

Mithun Manhas and Pradeep Sangwan have flickered with hope but the bulk of scoring and responsibility rests with the Team India players. On Monday,Daredevils will be looking for an explosive exit from the 6 million event to satisfy the crowd,despite floundering in crunch situations.