The one Indian Premier League game on Tuesday has the potential to be a cracker if the reverse fixture is anything to go by as the Gujarat Lions host the Delhi Daredevils in the final match of the season in Rajkot.
When the two sides met earlier in the season a Chris Morris blitz almost got Delhi home but in the end the Lions held their nerve to win by a solitary run. A repeat of that sort of drama would suit us all just fine here.
Gujarat Lions
The Lions have been blazing a trail at the top for much of the season but they slipped up against the basement boys Kings XI Punjab last time out which will have been a jolt to their system and they will be keen to get back on the horse here.
In that match their early bowling was nowhere near good enough and for once the opening pair couldn’t get going and as a result they were never truly in the match but everyone is allowed a bad day as long as it doesn’t manifest into something more long term as now isn’t the time for that.
Delhi Daredevils
In contrast the Daredevils are in pretty decent form. They’ve won four out of their last five and if that Morris blast had got them over the line against the Lions they would arrive in this match with five wins in a row which when you think how Delhi are used to going in this tournament would be pretty incredible.
By and large Delhi’s bowling attack is serving them well so if they can continue to churn out regular runs then they are going to take some real stopping. The beauty for Delhi is the quality of their Indian bowlers which allows them to play overseas batsmen and all-rounders.
Team news
Aaron Finch has been threatening a comeback from injury for a few matches now but the general consensus here is that he is ultra ready for this one. The question is who he comes back for as Dwayne Smith has surely sealed his spot in the side. James Faulkner could be the man to make way.
Delhi Daredevils went with Sam Billings in place of the ill JP Duminy in their last match and the Kent and England batsman delivered the goods with a half century. If Duminy is fit to return and they don’t want to drop Billings then Carlos Brathwaite may need to sit out.
Form
Gujarat Lions: WWWLWWWL
Delhi Daredevils: LWWWLW
Head to head: Gujarat Lions 1-0 Delhi Daredevils
In Rajkot: First meeting
Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium
Due to the drought which is covering parts of India this will be the last match of the tournament on this ground. It has been a weird one this season because all of the tracks have looked and played pretty decent but yet the scoring hasn’t always been good.
A lot of that can be attributed to the fact the batsmen weren’t really up to speed early on in the tournament but that appears to have changed now so maybe the stadium will go out with a bang in terms of high scoring.
Betting
I’m just beginning to worry about the Gujarat Lions. They could easily have lost their last two matches if Delhi had held their nerve when these sides met in Delhi. They just seem to have lost their balance do the Lions and I’m not convinced bringing Aaron Finch in and into the middle order is the best way to find it again.
Delhi are kind of going along under the radar at the minute but I actually give them a significant chance here as long as they can keep the opening pair of the Lions quiet.
That is easier said than done of course but Smith could have been out to every ball of Zaheer Khan’s first over in Delhi last week and if that luck deserts him here and Delhi Daredevils strike early they might well remain on top.
Last week Gujarat were 112-0 after 10.3 overs before Dwayne Smith was dismissed. In the next 57 balls they only scored 60/5 which highlights how Delhi are in the game if they make an early breakthrough.
Even on a day that they bungled a few early chances they still only lost by one run and while we have to accept that Chris Morris won’t be scoring 82 from 32 here we can counter balance that by suggesting Quinton de Kock, Samju Samson and whoever else is in the top three won’t make 15 from 24 balls very often either.
I think this is all about the Lions openers. If Delhi get through them early they can go on and win this one and win it at a tidy price.
Tips
WON – Back Delhi Daredevils to beat Gujarat Lions for a 4/10 stake at 2.38 with Betfred
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