Delhi Daredevils the front runners!!!

By Francis Saldanha, Bahrain
Bellevision Media Network

04 May 2012: At the time of writing, Delhi Daredevils were running amok at the top of the table and Deccan Chargers were lying hopelessly in the ninth spot. Sandwiched in between, the other seven teams are separated by a mere three points.

 

Out of the nine games played, Delhi Daredevils have only lost two. The away-from-home demolition of Mumbai Indians and Pune Warriors is the highlight of their winning run so far. Thanks to some power hitting by Virender Sehwag and Kevin Pietersen, their run-rate is the best in the table as well, and it will take some very poor cricket for them to miss out on the play-offs. T20s can be unpredictable, but Delhi is favorites for this year’s tournament. And the arrival of the explosive David Warner Delhi Daredevils are going to be very tough to beat for the upcoming matches in IPL 5.

 

 

Rain has affected a few games. Kolkata Knight Riders have borne the brunt - two of their games have been delayed due to rain and one has been abandoned. Even Chennai and Bangalore couldn’t play a single ball in their meeting, thanks to untimely showers in Bangalore. While an abandoned game benefited both the sides - with points equally shared, in a closely bunched field like this season’s table, it’s not the most desirable thing.

 

Then there are the Deccan Chargers. Of the eight games Deccan have played so far, they have managed just one win when Pune Warriors India messed up at home, while losing six and splitting points in a washed out game. Cricket, though, is a great leveler, and if they win a couple of games from here on, it could throw the points table upside down.

 

 

Scoring a hundred in T20 cricket is no mean feat, for not only does it take immense concentration and application to stay at the wicket, but you also have to defy laws of batting and hit out at every possible opportunity. First it was Ajinkya Rahane and then, two days later, Pietersen joined him in the exclusive list of IPL 5 centurions. In between, Faf du Plessis, Jesse Ryder and Chris Gayle scored aggressive half centuries, out of which Gayle has looked the most dangerous with his new accumulative approach at the beginning of the innings. Surely, these are the three batsmen you could expect the next hundred to come from.

 

The bowlers aren’t lagging behind. Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel have been tearing away with pace, while Shahbaz Nadeem is the new spinner on everyone’s mind. But it was one Sourav Ganguly who charged up the whole world’s imagination. Two wickets against Delhi at the Kotla and he rolled back the years. That charging run after bowling Pietersen will remain ’the moment’ of 2012 IPL.

 

 

There have been a few rotten apples as well, mostly falling out from the Mumbai Indians’ cupboard. Munaf Patel has been uttering a few choice words every time he has gone out to bowl and his captain Harbhajan Singh has never actually intervened. The 2011 Champions League T20 winners lie at the bottom of the ’Fair Play’ table, while Rajasthan Royals are at the top. While the latter’s disciplined approach can be attributed to the leadership of one Rahul Dravid, should Harbhajan be blamed for Mumbai’s bad behavior, especially when things aren’t going their way?

 

Over all with the kind of last-ball finishes we have had, am sure from here on one can expect the coming matches are going to be a top notch ones, especially in the play offs!!!