Winning and losing is a part of sport, but the intent with which one goes about is important. We’ve had a string of looses in this year’s VIVO IPL, but the squad is still positive about making an impact in this year’s tournament. “There are lots of us who still believe we can do something great. I don’t see any negative thoughts coming onto my mind,” said Shreyas Iyer, the newly appointed DD captain.
Against KXIP, our bowlers did a tremendous job by restricting the Punjab batsmen to 143 runs in 20 overs. We had gone into the game with five changes. Avesh Khan and Liam Plunkett shared the spotlight in the bowling department on their debut for DD. The DD quick bowlers took all the 8 wickets that fell in the Kings XI Punjab innings, the most number of wickets taken by pacers in an innings in VIVO IPL 2018. Prithvi Shaw, another debutant for DD marked his arrival at the big stage with a quickfire 22 runs of 10 balls. But in the end, apart from Shreyas Iyer, it was a lackluster performance by our batsmen and we lost the game by 4 runs.
Change of Guard
A lot has changed in the DD outfit. With Gautam Gambhir stepping down as the DD captain, it is now Shreyas Iyer’s responsibility to lead the side in the remaining matches. Gambhir has always led from the front and inspired his troops. But, due to the recent slump in form and back-to-back defeats, he has taken the decision to step down from his role. It was bold call, and his decision has to be respected.
On the flipside, it provides the uber-talented youngster Shreyas Iyer to show his mettle as a leader.
We play our seventh game against KKR at the Feroz Shah Kotla. This will be our second encounter with them this season. The first time around, we took a tough 71-run loss. But, the team will want to leave all of that behind and focus on what’s ahead.
Key Battles
Avesh Khan vs Chris Lynn
Avesh Khan made an impressive debut for DD against KXIP and was hitting the deck constantly at over 140 kmph. An interesting battle between Chris Lynn and Avesh Khan awaits. Chris Lynn likes the ball coming onto the bat with a bit of pace. Therefore, it will be fascinating to watch how the youngster adapts his plans for the big-hitting Australian to keep him in check.
Shreyas Iyer vs Sunil Narine
Shreyas Iyer, DD’s new captain has been in good form, having scored a valuable fifty for us in the last game. With a strike rate of 137.75 this season and couple of solid fifties, he has been on top of his game. Shreyas is a young hard-working lad and is considered as one of the brightest Indian talents.
On the other hand, KKR’s Sunil Narine is one of the best spinners in T20 cricket and makes life difficult for a batsman through the middle overs. Shreyas though, is a good player of spin. This is a battle that could potentially decide which way the game goes.
Iyer and Co. face an enormous task of trying to turn things around, starting against KKR at the Kotla. However, with the situation that we find ourselves in, the squad will look to stay positive and take each game as it comes, one at a time.
VIVO IPL Match 26: DD vs KKR, 8 pm IST
VENUE: Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi.
BROADCAST: Star Sports Network
Winning and losing is a part of sport, but the intent with which one goes about is important. We’ve had a string of looses in this year’s VIVO IPL, but the squad is still positive about making an impact in this year’s tournament. “There are lots of us who still believe we can do something great. I don’t see any negative thoughts coming onto my mind,” said Shreyas Iyer, the newly appointed DD captain.
Against KXIP, our bowlers did a tremendous job by restricting the Punjab batsmen to 143 runs in 20 overs. We had gone into the game with five changes. Avesh Khan and Liam Plunkett shared the spotlight in the bowling department on their debut for DD. The DD quick bowlers took all the 8 wickets that fell in the Kings XI Punjab innings, the most number of wickets taken by pacers in an innings in VIVO IPL 2018. Prithvi Shaw, another debutant for DD marked his arrival at the big stage with a quickfire 22 runs of 10 balls. But in the end, apart from Shreyas Iyer, it was a lackluster performance by our batsmen and we lost the game by 4 runs.
Change of Guard
A lot has changed in the DD outfit. With Gautam Gambhir stepping down as the DD captain, it is now Shreyas Iyer’s responsibility to lead the side in the remaining matches. Gambhir has always led from the front and inspired his troops. But, due to the recent slump in form and back-to-back defeats, he has taken the decision to step down from his role. It was bold call, and his decision has to be respected.
On the flipside, it provides the uber-talented youngster Shreyas Iyer to show his mettle as a leader.
We play our seventh game against KKR at the Feroz Shah Kotla. This will be our second encounter with them this season. The first time around, we took a tough 71-run loss. But, the team will want to leave all of that behind and focus on what’s ahead.
Key Battles
Avesh Khan vs Chris Lynn
Avesh Khan made an impressive debut for DD against KXIP and was hitting the deck constantly at over 140 kmph. An interesting battle between Chris Lynn and Avesh Khan awaits. Chris Lynn likes the ball coming onto the bat with a bit of pace. Therefore, it will be fascinating to watch how the youngster adapts his plans for the big-hitting Australian to keep him in check.
Shreyas Iyer vs Sunil Narine
Shreyas Iyer, DD’s new captain has been in good form, having scored a valuable fifty for us in the last game. With a strike rate of 137.75 this season and couple of solid fifties, he has been on top of his game. Shreyas is a young hard-working lad and is considered as one of the brightest Indian talents.
On the other hand, KKR’s Sunil Narine is one of the best spinners in T20 cricket and makes life difficult for a batsman through the middle overs. Shreyas though, is a good player of spin. This is a battle that could potentially decide which way the game goes.
Iyer and Co. face an enormous task of trying to turn things around, starting against KKR at the Kotla. However, with the situation that we find ourselves in, the squad will look to stay positive and take each game as it comes, one at a time.
VIVO IPL Match 26: DD vs KKR, 8 pm IST
VENUE: Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi.
BROADCAST: Star Sports Network
