Tags:
Journalism of Courage
The team touted to be one of the strong title contenders in the sixth edition of the Indian Premier League have not lived up to the expectations so far.
After crashing to their fourth successive defeat on Friday,the team looks completely out of their zone and need a brilliant show to turn the tables. The Sunrisers tie might serve some positives,but even they are not enough to make up for the drubbing in previous fixtures.
May it be poor batting,wayward bowling or shocking team selection,the team has been consistently inconsistent. Yes,they are without the services of Kevin Pietersen and Jesse Ryder,but even that can8217;t qualify to be the excuse for getting away with such performances.
A look at how the season has been for the franchise so far.
Match 1 against Kolkata Knight Riders: The sight of Unmukt Chand8217;s stumps cartwheeling will be remembered for long. It seems that Chand8217;s wicket set the tone for Delhi8217;s run in the tournament,which has been disappointing so far. Mahela Jayawardene8217;s hit was the only positive from that match as rest of the batsmen failed to make an impression.
Positive: Mahela Jayawardene and Shahbaaz Nadeem
Negative: Poor batting
Match 2 Rajasthan Royals: It was an average show with the ball. The home side allowed the Rajasthan Royals reach 165/5,courtesy some poor bowling. As far as batting is concerned,the team shuffled their opening combination a bit as instead of Chand,Warner faced the first ball. The little dynamite made life difficult for Rajasthan bowlers but couldn8217;t help his side cross the line. The middle-order didn8217;t assist the Aussie well and wickets kept tumbling from one end. In the end,the team tasted their second defeat.
Positive: David Warner and Umesh Yadav
Negative: Middle-order collapse and lack of spin
Match 3 against Mumbai Indians: Mumbai came all guns blazing and tore the Delhi bowling apart. The home side managed to go past 200,first team to do so in this edition. Delhi bowlers were dispatched to all parts of the park. The unit didn8217;t make any move on with the bat as Unmukt Chand departed for a second golden duck in the very first ball of the run-chase. It was only formalities after that as the visitors crashed to a heavy defeat.
Positive: David Warner and Manprit Juneja
Negative: Poor bowling
Match fourSunrisers Hyderabad: It was again a repeat of their story in the tournament so far,another lacklustre performance with the bat. The Delhi unit were bolstered by Virender Sehwag8217;s return but even the dashing right-hander failed. The bowlers bowled well but there were not enough runs on the board.
Positive: Spirited bowling
Negative: Poor batting
One common point in all the defeats is the Delhi Daredevils batting. A terrible start,poor capitilisation and even poor finish have been the characteristics of the season so far. They definitely need to give it a thought if the team want to go all the way in the tournament.
Their bowling unit fired in the last game but even that needs some fine-tuning. Delhi are certainly missing a spinner there and it might not be a bad idea to rope in Pawan Nedi in upcoming fixtures. With the slow bowlers enjoying success on the slow and low sub-continent pitches,Negi will be more than a handful.
It is not the end of the road,provided they get their act right in time and not emulate Pune8217;s losing streak.
