New Delhi: Feroze Shah Kotla waits with baited breath as the two giants of Indian batting, Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag, square off against each other here on Wednesday in what is being billed as one of the most awaited games of the IPL. As Delhi eyes a hat-trick of wins and Mumbai aims to make it two out of two, the contest promises to be a riveting affair. Delhi have won both their games comprehensively, while Mumbai survived a rampaging Yusuf Pathan in their opening tie.
While it's too early in the tournament to predict anything, one gets the feeling that Delhi and Mumbai are all set to make it to the last four stage. The two teams have a sense of assurity even though both of them are guilty of handing over the momentum to the opposition midway through the game. Wednesday's game will be a test in momentum management.
The Mumbai Indians' opening game against Rajasthan Royals proved that local talent will be the key in this edition of IPL. Ambati Rayadu, Suarabh Tiwary and Rajagopal Sathish are already in fine nick. Rajasthan's bowling did not trouble them much and Mumbai will hope that these players can repeat the feat against a much experience and incisive Delhi attack.
While the batting looked solid, the bowling was a matter of concern. They had no answer against the onslaught from Pathan and will have to pull up their socks before they face Virender Sehwag. The injury to Harbhajan Singh is not good news for Mumbai and skipper Tendulkar will be hoping that the offie regains full fitness by Wednesday.
On the other hand, the Daredevils are looking to break their semi-final jinx and have among the most balanced and strong side this season.
Gambhir and Sehwag have already had a good run with the bat. AB de Villiers and Tilakaratne Dilshan are yet to find the sweet spot and the game against Mumbai at home is just the right occasion.
The Delhi bowlers are in a peach of form with Dirk Nannes leading the way and while Farveez Maharoof went for runs in the previous game, he does have the knack of picking up wickets at crucial times.
The game should be a cracker of a contest, but Delhi have always been stronger at home and that is sure to give them the edge.
| Other Articles: |
 |
Chennai ground high-flying Knight Riders (17th Mar, 2010) |
|
Kallis, Uthappa plunder Punjab into submission (17th Mar, 2010) |
|
Knight Riders asked to abide by all guidelines at Eden (17th Mar, 2010) |
|
Bingle, Clarke to meet in court over 'stolen' Aston Martin (16th Mar, 2010) |
|
New South Wales sign Dilshan for next Twenty20 Big Bash (16th Mar, 2010) |
|
Sourav has made a big difference: Langeveldt (16th Mar, 2010) |
|
Graeme Smith out of IPL (16th Mar, 2010) |
|
Swann spins England to win over gritty Bangladesh (16th Mar, 2010) |
|
Afridi recommends Razzaq for captaincy (16th Mar, 2010) |
|
Permission for stand at Eden was taken: Dalmiya (16th Mar, 2010) |
|
Hussey closes gap with Dhoni atop the rankings (16th Mar, 2010) |
|
Pak panel admits to match-fixing on Aus tour (16th Mar, 2010) |
|
FIR lodged against Cricket Association of Bengal (16th Mar, 2010) |
|
Ganguly vs Dhoni: courage under fire (16th Mar, 2010) |
|
Punjab look to breach Bangalore's fortress (16th Mar, 2010) |
|
Sehwag sizzler makes it two in a row for Delhi (16th Mar, 2010) |
|
Afridi emerging frontrunner for Pakistan's T20 captaincy (15th Mar, 2010) |
|
Both teams are power-packed (15th Mar, 2010) |
|
Punishing players was necessary to maintain discipline: Butt (15th Mar, 2010) |
|
Bond arrives to boost Kolkata's bowling options (15th Mar, 2010) |
|
Clarke in Wellington, offers no comment on Bingle (15th Mar, 2010) |
|
Unpredictable Royals take on confident Delhi (15th Mar, 2010) |
|
Clamour grows for PCB to reveal details of ban (15th Mar, 2010) |
|
We will get some wins and then celebrate: Ganguly (15th Mar, 2010) |
|
New Zealand postpones Zimbabwe tour (15th Mar, 2010) |
Today : Sunday - May 27, 2012, 01:29pm (GMT+5.5)
