IPL season II table toppers Delhi Daredevils will clash with the 3rd placed Deccan Chargers at Durban on Wednesday.

With both teams looking set for a place in the semi-finals, Deccan will be hoping to put one over a side they have never beaten in three attempts, knowing that a win will almost guarantee them that semi-final spot one wouldn’t have believed possible after their 12 loss riddled inaugural season.

The Daredevils have played the lowest number of matches in the season till date, just 9, and yet lead the points table quite comfortably with 14 points. They will however be a little concerned with fixture congestion come the fag end of the tournament, knowing that they will need to play 7 games over the next 12 days should they reach the IPL final.

They will be buoyed further with the return of skipper Virender Sehwag who missed four games due to a hand injury he sustained while dropping a hot chance the last time these two teams met. Stand-in skipper Gautam Gambhir showed that he was a more than capable replacement picking up 3 wins in those four matches.

The selection headache that Sehwag’s return presents, is whether they should stick with the existing winning combination keeping Australian youngster David Warner in the side and get him to open with Sehwag and bring Gambhir in at no. 3, or should they return to their original eleven which was giving their bowling more balance, playing Daniel Vettori as the fourth international player, and using the Indian pair at the top of the order. Bet the rest of the league is wishing they had similar problems!

Deccan will be aware that whatever the result of their game on Wednesday, they should still make the final four with their last three games against teams currently situated at 6th, 7th and 8th place in the IPL table.

With the pressure seemingly off both teams, we should see some free-flowing stroke play, and one hopes they can replicate their awesome encounter from last season where nearly 400 runs were scored. Delhi made 194 in their 20 overs, and Deccan fell just 12 runs short thanks to a five wicket haul from leg-spinner Amit Mishra who ripped through the middle order to take his side to victory.

Tags: Adam Gilchrist, Amit Mishra, David Warner, Deccan Chargers Vs Delhi Daredevils, Gautam Gambir, Hyderabad Deccan Chargers, Hyderabad Vs Delhi, IPL 2009, IPL 2009 News, IPL Scores, IPL Updates, Virender Sehwag

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Delhi Daredevils’ winning streak is unlikely to face much challenge from a battered Kolkata Knight Riders when the two sides square off in an Indian Premier League match on Sunday.

Daredevils and Knight Riders faced each other for the first time in the competition on Tuesday and Brendon McCullum’s men, without a win for the past seven matches, were completely outplayed by the Delhi side.

With a semi-final berth out of bounds for Kolkata, the team would be playing to restore some of the lost pride against a side which has emerged as a strong contender for the title with its consistent show.

Such has been Delhi’s domination that it has remained unaffected by a bowler of Glenn McGrath’s stature being reduced to a bench-warmer.

Skipper of England’s Twenty20 World Championship squad Paul Collingwood came and left without padding up even once but Delhi remain unfazed.

Little-known pacer Dirk Nannes has done the job for it with the ball and Delhi have been more than happy to give him a spot in the playing XI ahead of McGrath.

Collingwood, meanwhile, never seemed required in a line-up that already boasts of Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, David Warner and Tillakaratne Dilshan.

Kolkata, on the other hand, are in desperate search for that one match winner who can turn things around for the beleaguered side, which lies at the bottom of the table. The pressure of captaincy seems to have silenced McCullum’s bat significantly and Sourav Ganguly too has not come up with anything extraordinary so far.

The explosive Chris Gayle is gone and the only positive development for the side in a while is the availability of Australian David Hussey, who is expected to be inducted immediately into the struggling line-up.

Poor batting has meant that the bowlers have had very little role to play in deciding Kolkata’s fortunes even though the likes of Ishant Sharma have not done too bad.

On current form, Delhi, semi-finalists last year, are certain to make the cut even this time around. In contrast, Kolkata are fighting a grim battle to avoid being at the bottom of the heap.

The contrasting form makes Delhi overwhelming favourites on Sunday and it would be nothing short of a stunner if Kolkata manage to pull off an elusive win.

Tags: Brendon McCullum, David Hussey, David Warner, Delhi Daredevils Vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Vs Kolkata, Dilshan, Gautam Gambir, Glen McGrath, IPL 2009, IPL 2009 News, IPL Scores, IPL Updates, Michael Hussey, Nannes, Paul Collingwood, Shah Rukh Khan, Sourav Ganguly

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Suresh Raina with his flamboyant 32 in Chennai Super Kings’ 18-run win Saturday over Delhi Daredevils has become the first batsman to score more than 650 runs in both the editions of the IPL.

Raina is the second highest run getter in the second edition of the IPL with 232 runs from six matches and has a total of 653 from both the editions at an average of 38.41 in 22 matches. Deccan Chargers skipper Adam Gilchrist’s is second with 646 from 20 games at an average of 34.

The following are the other statistical highlights of Saturday night’s match at the Wanderers between Super Kings and Delhi Daredevils:

• Abraham de Villiers has posted his fifth duck in Twenty20.
• In the IPL, De Villiers has recorded two ducks in the IPL – both against Chennai. In the first edition, he had posted a first-ball duck at Feroz Shah Kotla.
• Shadab Jakati, playing in only his second IPL game, has captured 4-24 runs – his best ever bowling performance in Twenty20.
• Dirk Nannes (3/27) has produced his best bowling performance in the IPL, obliterating the 2 for 16 against Deccan Chargers at Centurion Park on April 30, 2009.
• In Twenty20, Nannes has bowled superbly so far, capturing 44 wickets at 16.04 in 28 matches, including three four-wicket hauls.
• Badrinath (45 off 34 balls) has posted his highest score in the 2009 edition, outstripping the 29 against Rajasthan at Centurion Park. Thanks to this knock, Badrinath has improved his batting average slightly in the 2009 edition – 89 in five innings at an average of 17.80.
• Ashish Nehra (3/27) has recorded his best bowling figures in the second edition of the IPL, surpassing the 2 for 30 against Deccan Chargers at Centurion Park. He is the most successful bowler for Delhi Daredevils in the second edition of the IPL, capturing 9 wickets (ave.16.33) in five games.
• Chennai Super Kings recorded their second victory in four games against Delhi Daredevils. Last year, Chennai Super Kings had won by four wickets against Delhi Daredevils at Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi.
• Chennai posted their third win in 7 games in the 2009 edition. With 7 points in seven games, they are now placed at fourth position behind Deccan Chargers, Delhi Daredevils and Mumbai Indians.
• De Villiers became the second fielder to take three catches in the 2009 edition of the IPL. Piyush Chawla (Kings XI Punjab) had performed the feat against Bangalore at Durban, May 1, 2009.
• Gambhir has averaged just 13.80 in the second edition of the IPL – 69 in six innings.
• Warner and Karthik put on 74 for the fourth wicket, Delhi Daredevils’ second best for the fourth wicket in the IPL, next only to the 79 between Dilshan and Karthik against Deccan Chargers at Centurion Park on April 30, 2009.
• Warner registered his third fifty in Twenty20.
• Dinesh Karthik (52 off 31 balls) posted his second IPL fifty – his first was 56 not out off 32 balls against Mumbai at Delhi last year.
• Sudeep Tyagi (2/18) has produced his best bowling figures in the IPL.

Tags: Ab De Villiers, Albie Morkel, Ashish Nehra, Badrinath, Chennai Super Kings Vs Delhi Daredevils, David Warner, Dinesh Karthick, Dirk Nannes, Gautam Gambir, IPL 2009, IPL 2009 News, IPL Scores, IPL Updates, Jacob Oram, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Shadab Jakati, Sudeep Tyagi, Suresh Raina, Tillakaratne Dilshan

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