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New Delhi: Riding high on confidence after registering back-to-back wins, table toppers Delhi Daredevils would look to maintain their ascendance when they take on a dangerous Rajasthan Royals in an Indian Premier League match on Sunday at Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi.
Led by dashing Virender Sehwag, the Daredevils have so far looked to be the most balanced side in the tournament, but the team needs to guard against complacency to stamp their authority at the top of the points table.
With six wins and two loses out of eight matches so far in the tournament, the Delhi outfit is leading the team standings with 12 points.
In their last two games, the Daredevils registered comprehensive victories over Pune Warriors and Mumbai Indians.
While the Daredevils thrashed Pune by eight wickets in an away game on Tuesday, Sehwag's men recorded a convincing 37-run win over Mumbai in their last game at home last night.
The Daredevils have been pretty consistent with both bat and ball so far in the tournament.
Sehwag is leading the side from the front with some fiery knocks at the top, while Kevin Pietersen has been a consistent run-getter for Delhi in the middle overs.
The Daredevils bowlers have also complemented their batsmen well by managing to keep the oppositions in check, with wrecker-in-chief Morne Morkel, holding the pack well.
Morkel has been phenomenal for the Daredevils with the ball, picking up 17 wickets so far in the tournament.
Even though they have leaked runs, Irfan Pathan and Umesh Yadav have been among wickets.
Rajasthan, on the other hand, have witnessed a mixed bag of results. They Rahul Dravid-led side is presently occupying the fifth position in the standings with eight points from as many outings.
Rajasthan would be desperate to get their campaign back on track after two defeats on the trot against Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore at home.
Although the Royals have looked good with the bat, their bowling department lacks the sting, with captain Rahul Dravid admitting that bowling at the death has been a problem area for the team.
The Royals will thus bank on their batsmen to seize the initiative against Sehwag's men. However, lack of runs from the middle order remains a primary concern for Dravid.
With Dravid, Ajinkya Rahane and Owais Shah scoring consistently, the Royals boast of a formidable top-order, but the likes of Australian Brad Hodge and local talent Ashok Maneria have been inconsistent with the bat in the middle overs.
The form of wicketkeeper Shreevats Goswami is also under the scanner.
Apart from Kevon Cooper and Siddharth Trivedi, no one has looked consistent with the ball for the Royals.
Teams from
Delhi Daredevils: Virender Sehwag (captain), Naman Ojha (wk), Kevin Pietersen, Mahela Jayawardene, Ross Taylor, Y Venugopal Rao, Yogesh Nagar, Irfan Pathan, Roelof van der Merwe, Morne Morkel, Umesh Yadav, Shahbaz Nadeem, Andre Russell, Aaron Finch, Doug Bracewell, Ajit Agarkar, Varun Aaron, Aavishkar Salvi, Robin Bist, Sunny Gupta, Pawan Negi and Punit Bisht.
Rajasthan Royals: Rahul Dravid (captain), Ajinkya Rahane, Shreevats Goswami (wk), Owais Shah, Ashok Menaria, Johan Botha, Kevon Cooper, Ankeet Chavan, Brad Hogg, Amit Singh, Siddharth Trivedi, Aakash Chopra, Abhishek Raut, Aditya Dole, Ajit Chandalia, Amit Paunikar, Amit Singh, Deepak Chahar, Dishant Yagnik (wk), Faiz Fazal, Gajendra Singh, Pankaj Singh, Sreesanth, Samad Fallah, Stuart Binny, Sumit Narwal, Brad Hodge, Dinesh Chandimal and Paul Collingwood.
Match facts
Sunday April 29, 2012 (day/night)
Start time 16:00 local (10:30 GMT)
