Pune in line of DD fire

A supremely confident Delhi Daredevils return to their den and have a struggling and injury-ravaged Rising Pune Supergiants in their firing line up next on Thursday.

Injuries to key players such as Steve Smith, Kevin Pietersen and Faf Du Plessis have completely disturbed the team composition and the debutants are now starring down the barrel with only two wins from eight games so far. 

Left with six more matches, the task is only getting tougher with each passing day for the team led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni. 

Now, RPS face a side that has gradually turned into a formidable outfit, thanks to a brilliant team effort under the watchful eyes of the iconic Rahul Dravid. After years of struggles, Daredevils’ turnaround this season is a perfect example of how a side should be shepherded. They are comfortably placed at number two in the points table. 

The players are sticking to the basics whether it is batting or bowling. The seniors are taking more responsibilities and the youngsters are being given enough opportunities to excel at a stage where performances are taken note of. 

The biggest plus in the last two games for the Daredevils has been the performance of their skipper Zaheer Khan. When he opened the bowling, he has managed to get early breakthroughs and has been impressive in the death overs, too. Zaheer has found his rhythm and it is difficult to score off him. Amit Mishra has also played a crucial role in Daredevils’ consistent show this season. 

Adding to that, their batsmen are in top form. Quinton De Kock has been scoring runs consistently and the way young Rishabh Pant batted while opening against Lions last night, Daredevils have plenty of options at the top. 

The return of JP Duminy has only bolstered the middle-order. The horses for courses approach has done wonders for the side and it will be not be a surprise if fans again see changes in the playing XI tomorrow. Carols Brathwaite had returned against Kolkata Knight Riders and made an impact straightaway.