Delhi Dare Devils

Delhi team is led by their blasting batsman, daredevil, do or die Sehwag, he also chips in with his bowling. He is there to set an example for others, who follow him in the batting order. If he fails in the top then there are others who may fail too low down the batting order.

Glen McGrath and Asif, could spearhead the attack for Delhi on the opening pairs of the opponet. If they get early wickets then they can play havoc in the opposite camp. There are local boys who are heroes in their own homeground. How far they get chance to prove themselves should be seen.

McGrath wasn't picked by any team during the first auction - a surprise, and you could trust the Australian to prove his critics wrong.

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Batsman

Virender Sehwag (Captain)

Gautam Gambhir

Tillakaratne Dilshan

Shikhar Dhawan

Mithun Manhas

Mayank Tehlan

Manoj Tiwary

Tejashwi Yadav

All Rounders

Shoaib Malik

Daneil Vettori

Farveez Maharoof

Brett Jeeves

Rajat Bhatia

Amit Mishra

Bowlers

Glenn McGrath

Mohammad Asif

Pradeep Sangwan

Yo Mahesh

Wicket Keepers

Dinesh Karthik

AB de Villiers

Coaches

Head Coach: Greg Shippard

Assistant Coach - David Saker

Physiotherapist - Justin Steer

Franchises

Franchisee: GMR Holdings

Franchise cost: $84 Million

14th May 2008

Match against Kolkatta Knight Riders

Did Shohaib Aktar's bowling was terrific for the Bombay wickets to fall like they fell.

Closely observing the top 3 batsmen were out for indiscreet shots and put their team into trouble.

To say the least the basic method of cricket was not followed, every batsmen were out of their head.

When a skilful snick is all they needed and... simple gliding and placing of Shoiab Aktar's ball for a single is all they needed they needlessly went for shots. They went for shots as if they are chasing a mamoth huge total of 200+. Not one but three batsmen in the top order.

Enters the middle order batsmen. They do the opposite of what their top order batsmen did. Here shots were needed since Ganguly and spinners were bowling. But funnily they went about playing as if, if they get 3 runs per over they can win the match.

On the whole this team Delhi never deserves to be in the Semi-final having headless people.

Delhi at last fell 23 short chasing Kolkata's 133 in this battle for the fourth spot in the points table.

Shoaib was gifted Delhi's top order batsmen, taking Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, AB de Villiers and Manoj Tiwary in one breathless spell that read 3-0-11-4. This time, there would be no confused loyalties for Eden Garden's 100,000 spectators. They were firmly behind the home side, meeting each bit of the Knight Riders' success with frenzied cheering, while receiving Delhi's boundaries and wickets with stoned silence. There was Shah Rukh Khan who on his part was full of cheers and at the end of the match hugging Akthar.

Sehwag edged his first ball behind. Next over, Shoaib had Gambhir slap one straight to point. In the next over, de Villiers mistimed a pull and the next ball Tiwary was plumb in front, the ball pitched outside the off line and came in to hit his pad. Sometimes these LBW's are not given, but the umpire ruled it in favour of Shoaib who was hitting the 150-kmph mark.

Ferveez Maharoof and Tillakaratne Dilshan had the match in their hand. Both fell to spectacular run outs. Dilshan couldn't beat throw from Laxmi Ratan Shukla and Maharoof was caught napping by a direct hit from Ashok Dinda in his follow through. Dilshan ran for run which needed have taken at all. Mahroof ran like a tortoise thinking that he will be spared. He had all the time in the world to keep the bat before the ball hit the wicket, but he did not do so for the reasons best known to him. He would have lost his sleep. How much is he a experienced player?!

With the match teetering at 30 runs needed from the last 18, Kolkata captain Sourav Ganguly handed the ball to Shukla, who hadn't bowled in the innings. The risk paid off. Shukla cleaned up the Delhi tail in that over, taking 3-6 in five balls.

Earlier in the day, Ganguly had elected to bat on a wicket that looked good for batting. But only Salman Butt (48) and David Hussey (31) could get runs to reach a not so defendable total.

Leg spinner Amit Mishra had figures of 3-0-13-0 and thereby controlled the free flow of runs and had the match swing in Delhi's way. Maharoof (4-0-25-2), Pradeep Sangwan (4-0-29-1) and Yo Mahesh (4-0-33-2) did a terrific job along with Glenn McGrath (4-0-22-0), who was also at his best.

Chennai, May 2:

Skipper Sehwag's wicket could not be got early and the Chennai crowd had a treat to watch his batting stints. The match was pocketed by Sehwag under the first 5 overs itself. By 10th and 15th it became clear who was going to win the match. The local people of Chennai had nothing to cheer except some good bowling from Muttiah Muralidharan. The crowds cheered his bowling, but he could not get the wickets of the openers and was only able to contain their aggression fully. He introduced variety in his bowling to take wickets but the batsmen were alert and cautious and thus deprived him of it.

Skipper Virender Sehwag (71, 41b, 4 x 6, 7 x 4) and Gautam Gambhir (50, 37b 5 x 4, 1 x 6) put on 115 runs for the first wicket as Daredevils overhauled Super Kings' total of 169 for six with one over to spare.

The result meant a three-way tie at the top as the Super Kings, Daredevils and Rajasthan Royals are on eight points after five matches with four wins and one loss.

There was no stopping Sehwag as he unleased a series of strokes mostly sixes in the very early part of bowling and the bowlers withered. The absense of Palani Amarnathan's bowling was very much felt. Gambhir too batted well as they blasted through the Super Kings bowling with ease with shots all around the park.

Manpreet Gony, bowling the second over of the innings, went for 17 runs and later, Joginder Sharma was smashed for 19 as Daredevils hurried their way to victory.

The only reprieve the Super Kings enjoyed were the dismissals of Sehwag in the 12th over and then the wicket of Gambhir in the 15th, but by then the game was in the pocket of Delhi Dare Devils. The Super Kings bowlers were at their wit's end trying to contain Sehwag and Gambhir, but on the day, the two openers were in superb form.

After their departure, AB de Villiers and Shikar Dhawan batted sensibly to bring Daredevils home at the end of the 19th over.

Earlier, batting first on a benign track, the Super Kings innings was more a stop-go affair after the early dismissal of Stephen Fleming who was knocked over by Yo Mahesh in the day's third over.

In fact, Mahesh clean bowled Fleming off the very first delivery that was declared no-ball, and then went for a boundary before castling the former Kiwi captain for just 13 runs.

At the other end, Parthiv Patel was far from convincing, twice offering half-chances before falling prey to Sehwag who struck with his very first delivery as the batsman tried to swing him out of the ground.

Young debutant Vidyut Sivaramakrishnan and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni then tried to steady the innings. They clobbered Sehwag for 16 runs to ease the pressure, but the Daredevils regrouped to yet again keep the batsmen in check.

While Vidyut played a few pleasing shots, as soon as Dhoni joined him his innings too slowed a bit. Dhini was unable to collar the bowling in his customary style. He played like a batsman playing in test cricket. Dhoni for once had forgotten that he is playing ipltwenty20 match. In fact, the first 10 overs produced just 82 runs.

Vidyut went on to complete his maiden T20 half-century, but was soon dismissed by Glenn McGrath, bowling his second spell when the southpaw attempted a heave over the straight field to be caught by Yo Mahesh.

After his departure the run rate slowed down and as Dhoni and Suresh Raina left in quick succession before Albie Morkel hit some sixes to bring respect to the total though his batting too had glitches in it.

Morkel, after making a 16-ball 28, holed out off the penultimate ball of the innings. Earlier he had wasted one full over without scoring. Badrinath coming in the flag end of the innings could do nothing but to swing Rajat Bhatia for a six over square-leg as the Super Kings put up a total that not enough to this form of cricket. The end result showed it to be.

SCORE-BOARD

Chennai Super Kings innings:

Parthiv Patel c Yo Mahesh b Sehwag 21 (20b, 3 x 4)

Stephen Fleming b Yo Mahesh 13 (13b, 2 x 4)

Vidyut Sivaramakrishnan c Yo Mahesh b McGrath 54 (37b, 7 x 4, 1 x 6)

M S Dhoni c Malik b Asif 32 (27b, 2 x 4, 1 x 6)

Albie Morkel c Sehwag b Bhatia 28 (16b, 3 x 4, 2 x 6)

Suresh Raina (runout - Sangwan) 3 (4b)

S Badrinath (not out) 11 (5b, 1 x 6)

Joginder Sharma (not out) 0 (0b)

Extras (nb-2, w-5): 7

Total (for 6 wkts, 20 overs): 169

Fall of wickets: 1-23 (Fleming, 3.2), 2-65 (8.1, Patel), 3-122 (Vidyut, 14.5), 4- (Dhoni, 18.

Bowling: Glenn McGrath 4-0-21-1; Mohammad Asif 4-0-34-1 (1w); Yo Mahesh 4-0-31-1 (2nb); Pradeep Sangwan 4-0-40-0 (2w); Shoaib Malik 1-0-11-0 (2w); Virender Sehwag 2-0-21-1; Rajat Bhatia 1-0-11-1.

Delhi Daredevils innings:

Gautam Gambhir b Gony 50 (37b, 1 x 6, 5 x 4)

Virender Sehwag c Muralitharan b Sharma 71 (41b, 4 x 6, 7 x 4)

AB de Villiers (not out) 26 (21b, 2 x 4)

Shikar Dhawan (not out) 19 (17b, 2 x 4)

Extras (b-1, lb-1, nb-2, w-2): 6

Total (for 2 wkts, 19 overs): 172

Fall of wickets: 1-115 (Sehwag 11.2), 2-139 (Gambhir, 14.3).

Bowling: Makhaya Ntini 4-0-29-0; Manpreet Gony 4-0-39-1 (1w); Albie Morkel 4-0-40-0 (1w); Joginder Sharma 3-0-35-1 (1w); Muttiah Muralitharan 4-0-27-0 (1nb).