IPL 10, Match 56, DD v RCB Preview: Delhi Daredevils host RCB for pride in inconsequential clash

After a season full of interesting and thrilling matches, the final match of the season comes out as an anti-climax for IPL 10. Two of the battered teams, Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Delhi Daredevils, will lock horns at the Feroze Shah Kotla in the last league game of the season. The result of the match will have no impact on the game and the league standings whatsoever.

The two teams have had a very disappointing time this year. Delhi Daredevils can consider themselves unlucky as they fell short of making it to the playoffs very narrowly. They could have been in the playoffs had a couple of close games gone their way in the early half of the season. However, that does not defend their poor outings they have had over the years.

Daredevils have failed to make it to the players for quite some time now. On the other hand, Royal Challengers Bangalore had the worst possible season. From being the finalists in the last season, they now see themselves languishing at the bottom of the points table. With only a couple of wins their name this season, they would want to get another one to finish the season on a high and one for the loyal fans they have had.

Toss: Royal Challengers Bangalore won the toss and opted to bat

Quotes from the toss:

Zaheer Khan

We would have batted first as well, looks like a good batting surface, we need to restrict them to a small total. We are motivated and are looking forward to chasing down the target. We are playing an unchanged team.

Virat Kohli

We will bat first. Looks like a pretty dry wicket, there are signs that it might break up. Want to put some runs on the board. Every game is an opportunity to express your skill-set, today is no different. We want to make one final impact, we might not play together again as a group. We are playing only three internationals, some have gone home, some are unfit. The three playing are Gayle, Watson and Head.

Playing XI:

Delhi Daredevils: Sanju Samson, Karun Nair, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant(w), Marlon Samuels, Corey Anderson, Pat Cummins, Amit Mishra, Mohammed Shami, Shahbaz Nadeem, Zaheer Khan(c)

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli(c), Vishnu Vinod, Travis Head, Kedar Jadhav(w), Shane Watson, Sachin Baby, Pawan Negi, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Yuzvendra Chahal

Focus will be on

Virat Kohli

The Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper will be under some pressure to perform. Last year, it was his superlative form that reflected back in the way RCB marched to the finals. This year, neither did he click with the bat nor could the team look up to him for the inspiration. Kohli did manage to score a couple of fifties in the season but was never enough to win games for his side. He would want to finish things on a high.

Rishabh Pant

Young DD batsman Rishabh Pant is a proven hitter of the cricket ball. He had proved his mettle with the ball in the home fixture against the Gujarat Lions this season. With a thunderous 97 to his name, Pant had announced himself at the grand stage in some style. However, the matches that followed saw him miss out on backing it up with better performances. In the previous match, he got back to his hitting form with a cameo to his name.

Karun Nair

Karun Nair has become a big name in the Indian cricket circuit. He had a big reputation as he came into the season. However, he failed to get amongst the runs in the Delhi Daredevils outfit this year. Nair failed to score runs for the major part of the season. He finally got some form going his way in the previous game against the Rising Pune Supergiant. Nair scored a fifty and would want to back it up with another one in this game.

Team Combinations:

Delhi Daredevils

There is absolutely no reason for the Daredevils to make a change in the playing eleven. Sanju Samson and Karun Nair have found form as the openers in the lineup. Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer have scored runs in the middle order and that pretty much settles the deal for them. The experience of Marlon Samuels only adds up to their batting power. They have the services of Corey Anderson as the finisher in the batting order.

The left arm spin of Shahbaz Nadeem is likely to come in handy against the out of form RCB batting lineup. He will be supported by Amit Mishra in the spin department. Pat Cummins and Mohammad Shami are the pacers who will be ticking off pace deliveries. The way Zaheer Khan bowled in the previous match will bolster the spirits of the Delhi bowling lineup.

Royal Challengers Bangalore

RCB will have a forced change going into the game as their star overseas player AB de Villiers has headed back to South Africa to be on national duty. Tymal Mills might get a chance in the season after a long layoff in the mid-season. Mandeep Singh is likely to open with Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli coming in at number 3. Travis Head has been the solitary bright spot for RCB this season and he would come in next.

In the spin department, three spinners could be fighting in the game. Yuzvendra Chahal is the leading spinner in the lineup and will have the support Samuel Badree, who bowls in the powerplays. Pawan Negi has been very impressive with the ball this season. Aniket Choudhary and Sreenath Arvind will be the two pacers accompanying Tymal Mills in the lineup.

StatAttack:

3 – Number of RCB batsmen with 20 or more fifties in the IPL (Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, and Virat Kohli).

14 – Number of runs needed by Sanju Samson to complete 400 runs this season.

18 –  Both the teams have played 18 matches so far. Out of these 18 matches, RCB won 10 matches and DD won only 6 matches.

171 – Rishabh Pant has batted with a strike rate of over 171 this season thus far.