Does home advantage exist? It is a question Delhi Daredevils must have asked itself over the past two years. Nine defeats in a row at the Ferozeshah Kotla Stadium would make some believe, perhaps, there is home disadvantage. But, there is a silver lining as Mumbai Indians arrives in the city to play the sides’ sixth match of the ongoing Indian Premier League campaign.
After all, MI was the last team that allowed Daredevils to taste victory at this venue. Since then, the host has lurched from one failure to another — eight of those defeats arrived when Daredevils batted first; the latest instalment in this series of disappointments arrived when Kolkata Knight Riders eased to victory on Monday.
Daredevils probably possess the weakest batting line-up in the tournament. The openers lack experience, while the middle order could do with more power.
While occasionally the batsmen may fire, the likelihood remains that the weaknesses will be thoroughly exposed over the entire season.
The bowling unit lends comfort, but Daredevils will win few matches if its batsmen don’t make major contributions. In the first 18 matches this season, the lowest score that won the match for a team was 150. There are no prizes for guessing who was defeated by Chennai Super Kings on that occasion.
Hence, Daredevils would be pleased to know that MI’s bowlers are yet to convince many. The Rohit Sharma-led side began the season with four defeats in a row before bucking the trend with a win over Royal Challengers Bangalore on Sunday.
Even in victory, MI conceded 191 runs as it successfully defended 209. Three of the four losses also saw the side bat first.
In the previous match, Kieron Pollard stuck duct tape over his lips to protest against the umpires who reprimanded him for talking too much, but sadly for him, he can’t do the same to his side’s detractors.
Like Daredevils, MI is a side that is yet to establish a line-up that could hurt the opposition frequently.
However, if evidence from the last match can be trusted, the top order may have found a way of exceeding its limitations. Unmukt Chand will particularly relish the opportunity to exhibit his wares on his actual home ground.
For Daredevils, it is likely that a good performance at home will have to be delivered by an unchanged side. While skipper J-P Duminy has emphasised that his side needs to bowl better, Zaheer Khan is yet to recover from injury and a change shouldn’t be expected.
