Editorial: Mohit Goyal
Indian Premier League Match Preview – Semi final 1
Rajasthan Royals Vs Delhi Daredevils
Semi final 1 is to be played between the teams which stood at the first and the fourth position in the league.
The Armies – Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Daredevils
Rajasthan Royals with 22 points stood at the top of the league winning 10 of their 14 matches and winning all 7 they played at their home ground, Jaipur.
Delhi Daredevils qualified by grabbing the fourth and the last spot. They were victorious in 7 matches while one was washed by rain. They ended on 15 points.
The Battleground – Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
The pitch here is the one that seems most likely to help the spin bowlers. The run scoring can be controlled in the middle overs if the spinners have a good day.
Knock out time
The stage is all set and the performers are raring to go. Its knock out time and the Daredevils have made the cut. This is a team, most would have liked to avoid in a knock out situation. But Shane Keith Warne would probably be the last man on earth to be thinking about it.
The spin wizard from Victoria leads his men, the pre-tournament underdogs as the favorites now to win the inaugural Indian Premier League.
Jab we met
When these teams first met in Delhi, it was the first match in the league for both. Delhi then, bowled out Rajasthan for a meager total of 109 and then got home pretty quickly.
In the next tie at Jaipur, Rajasthan managed to beat Delhi comfortably. The clash has adrenaline flowing high with Sehwag getting charged up in the field and Royals management lodging a complaint against him.
Leading from the front
Both Viru and Warny have led by example. Both have had a good tournament personally and that’s been a reason why things have sailed smoothly for them.
The clash between these two too promises to be a high voltage affair. Watch out for a run out that is not referred to the third umpire.
Left Right Right
Left-Right seems to be right for both the sides. With southpaws Smith and Gambhir opening the innings with Asnodkar and Sehwag respectively there is lot for bowlers to work out. Smith and Asnodkar have been rotating the strike with consistency and this has given many a bowlers some headache. Gambhir is very swift between the wickets and Sehwag more often than not has responded to his calls.
Sub continental Curry
Royal Tanveer and Daredevil Maharoof have been successfully tried as pinch hitters by their captains. It will be interesting to see if this has a bearing on the game.
There and there about
Glen Mc Grath seems to wake up from sleep and still be able to bowl that nagging line and length in and around the corridor of uncertainty.
Munaf Patel sees Mc Grath as his idol and has emulated him pretty well in this league. The change in his attitude and body language has been refreshing to watch.
Firing them or not firing them in
Sohail Tanveer has been an absolute revelation in the tournament. He has bowled with immense control. He’s bowled good bouncers, fired in yorkers and got the slower one going. He’s even managed to find yorker length with slower ball consistently.
Maharoof too has slipped in some useful bouncers and been in the channel outside the off stump. He too would be looking to use the slower one to good effect.
Spinning it square
Wankhede is one venue in the league where spinners would get the most purchase. If they can bowl well they will play a huge role. And if bowling well is required, one man who does it on any pitch is Shane Warne. This pitch will suit him and he could run away with the match if fast bowlers get a couple of early wickets.
Sehwag would look to use Amit Mishra to lure batsmen into big shots and then pulling the trap. He should be looking to use Dilshan and rolling his own arm over too.
Keeping it safe
Dinesh Karthik and Mahesh Rawat have done a good job behind the stumps. For Rajasthan, Akmal is unlikely to play because of restriction on the number of foreign players that can take the field. Dinesh Karthik would be looking to contribute with the bat too. He won Delhi their match against Mumbai.
© IPL Cricket Forum
Tags:
AMit mishra,
cricket,
Delhi Daredevils,
gambhir,
india,
indian premier league,
IPL,
Maharoof,
match preview,
Rajasthan Royals,
sehwag,
Shane Warne,
Sohail Tanvir,
viru,
Wankhade
IPL started with Brandon McMullum firing for Kolkata Knight Riders and today the league ended with one of the most powerful batting display by none other than Shaun Marsh with a superb knock of 115 (seven sixes and eleven fours) of just 69 balls. His knock ensured a smooth and confidence-boosting win for Kings XI Punjab just before the semis while it put a break to the no one team Rajasthan Royals winning streak.