Delhi hope to keep play-off hopes alive

As has been the case in the past editions, it has not been a good campaign for Rahul Dravid’s men in the tournament so far. They slumped to a five-match losing streak to languish at the bottom half of the table before managing to pull off a win against Sunrisers Hyderabad. 

The win not only lifted Daredevils to sixth position in the standings but also gave them a ray of hope to qualify for the play-offs, although for that to happen, they cannot afford to flounder even once from here on. 

Mathematically, Daredevils are in the fray but they must win all their remaining matches and hope for favourable results from other games. 

Daredevils’ fine batting helped them stun the defending champions with five balls to spare. All Delhi batsmen, who got a chance, contributed in the win. 

In the absence of an injured Zaheer Khan, Delhi’s pace attack looked listless with the likes of Kagiso Rabada, Morris and Mohammad Shami going for runs. Gujarat Lions, on the other hand, are all but out of the race as they are struggling at the second last position in the eight-team tournament with just six points from 10 games. 

Having finished an impressive third in their inaugural season last year, it turned out to be a disappointing campaign for the Lions in 2017. Only a miracle from here on might see them qualify for the knock-out stages.

Delhi Daredevils vs Gujarat Lions 8 pm on Sony Six, ESPN