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Delhi Daredevils vs Pune Warriors – IPL 5 – Match Preview

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Delhi Daredevils vs Pune Warriors – IPL 5 – Match Preview
The 27th match of the Indian Premier League will see league leaders Delhi Daredevils taking on Pune Warriors at their home, the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium, in the late kick-off, on Saturday, April 21, 2012.
Both teams have thrived on early success, despite being given the least chance at the start of the tournament. Delhi finished at the bottom last season, one place below the Warriors with both sides having identical stats – registering 9 points each from
their respective 14 games, winning 4 and losing 9.  There was also a washed out game between the two sides.
Compared to that, Delhi has already won 4 matches this term, while Warriors are also close behind with three victories. However, the latter has struggled in recent games, which includes two back to back losses against Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai
Super Kings respectively.
It will be Pune’s third consecutive game on the road and they need to quickly pick themselves up, if they are to avoid their fourth successive away defeat. Their slump in recent days has been attributed to their death bowling and their failure to contain
the opposition.
Ashish Nehra faced the wrath of AB de Villiers and Saurabh Tiwary, conceding 21 in the last over against the Challengers, while Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja took full use of an Ashok Dinda minus bowling attack, to collect 39 off the last three
overs.
The Warriors will be hoping to get Dinda back for the upcoming clash. His pace, coupled with excellent yorkers, has been seen as key to their early success.
The form of skipper Saurav Ganguly remains a major worry. The left-hander has been hitting the ball well but has yet to stay long enough at the crease, to cause havoc for his opponents. His return to form will be a major boost to the team, looking to get
their campaign underway.
However, the task of facing Delhi Daredevils will not be easy. The table toppers have secured four wins on the trot, and are firm favourites to keep their run going. They also have an underperforming captain in Virender Sehwag, who is in need of a substantial
knock.
Despite possessing the best batting order among the franchises, their resources were tested by bottom side Deccan Chargers - only to be rescued a certain Englishman, Kevin Pietersen.
KP scored his first ton of the IPL, clobbering the ball to all parts and ensuring that his new side maintained their position at the summit. His performance earned him many admirers; among them Mahela Jayawardene, his current teammate, who described his
knock as the best ever he has seen.
The bowling department for the Delhi has been top notch with Morne Morkel currently holding the purple cap. He has been supported well by spinner Shahbaz Nadeem, whom KP termed as the next big star.
The pitch at Kotla will get slow as the game progresses so one expects an evenly matched contest.
Both teams might be inclined to play two spinners. Warriors have Rahul Sharma and Murali Kartik but Delhi might only opt for Nadeem, and use KP sparingly, which will allow them to play Ross Taylor instead of Roelof van der Merwe.
Daredevils claimed victory the last time the two sides played. It was a high-scoring affair with Delhi successfully chasing down a target of 188.