The Delhi Daredevils batsmen have not done justice to their talent this season of the IPL. Both of the team’s wins — against Rising Pune Supergiant and Kings XI Punjab — from its five matches so far were accomplished on the field by defending modest scores.
Against a Mumbai Indians in red-hot form on Saturday, the visitors will struggle to make an impact unless the batsmen pull their weight.
The exception among the Daredevils batsmen has been Sanju Samson. His confidence at the crease has resulted in a promotion from one-drop to opener, and the smooth-stroking batsman continues to compile runs effortlessly.
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Led by Zaheer Khan, who will be familiar with the conditions at the Wankhede, the Daredevils bowlers will back experience and skill. Chris Morris heads the pack with 12 dismissals while Pat Cummings and the skipper have seven wickets each. With spinners Shahbaz Nadeem, Amit Mishra and Jayant Yadav also doing their bit against the big hitters, the attack has performed adequately well, only to see under-achieving batsmen dilute their efforts.
Mumbai’s batsmen will yet be a handful for this pack. The left-handed Nitish Rana is an inspiration for domestic batsmen looking to make an impression in the IPL. Krunal Pandya, Hardik Pandya and Parthiv Patel adapt to match situations so well that no chase can be deemed impossible.
Mumbai’s success is even more admirable considering the flickering form of its two impact players, Rohit Sharma and Lasith Malinga.
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“Mumbai Indians have been on a roll, playing extremely good cricket. We certainly can beat them, we have the skill and firepower to do it,” said Daredevils all-rounder Angelo Mathews.
“All of the games we’ve lost this time, we were very close (to winning) but could not pull if off.”
“We don’t have too many superstars in our team, but we have a good set of players who can win games. That is what matters.”