IPL 6: Hyderabad look to climb on Delhi's shoulders

IPL 6, 2013

Hyderabad: Level on points but behind Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians on net run rate, Sunrisers Hyderabad will look to get back into the top half of the leaderboard at the expense of Delhi Daredevils when
the two Sri Lankans - Hyderabad captain Kumar Sangakkara and Delhi skipper Mahela Jayawardene - lock horns in a crucial encounter in Hyderabad.

Another defeat will washout Delhi's outside chance of making it to the play-offs. They have just six points from three wins in the 10 matches they have played so far. Meanwhile, Hyderabad are very much in with a shout having won six of their 10 matches, and a win against Delhi will brighten their play-off prospects.

Delhi are on a comeback trail of sorts having won their last two matches on the trot in Raipur, but in Uppal, they will have to breach a bastion. Hyderabad have had a dream run at home where they have won all the matches this season, led largely by the gas in their bowling tank.World No. 1 Dale Steyn has found quality support from medium pacer Ishant Sharma and the legspin of Amit Mishra. Thisara Perera too has delivered in pressure situations along with spinner Karan Sharma who has kept the pressure on by not giving easy runs.

Batting is not Hyderabad's strong point, but it has received a huge lift since the return of Shikhar Dhawan and Darren Sammy. Dhawan has continued from where he left in the Mohali Test against Australia, leading Hyderabad to victory against the formidable Mumbai in their last match. All they need is Sangakkara to come to the party and Cameron White to deliver more consistently, and the batting will take care of itself.

Delhi's hopes, on the other hand, are hanging by a thread. They beat Kolkata Knight Riders in the last match to keep their hopes alive, but another loss will close all doors that lead to the play-offs. David Warner is their only star who has consistently shone brightly, including in the match against KKR where he scored quickfire 66. But it's Delhi's seasoned performers who have let them down.

Virender Sehwag, Jayewardene, Irfan Pathan, Ashish Nehra and Morne Morkel need to roll up their sleeves as their team can't afford another slip-up in this edition. And if they can put in a collective effort on Saturday, there's no reason why they can't complete a hat-trick of wins.

Probable XIs:
Delhi Daredevils: 1 Mahela Jayawardene (capt), 2 Virender Sehwag, 3 Unmukt Chand, 4, David Warner, 5 Ben Rohrer, 6 Kedar Jadhav (wk), 7 Irfan Pathan, 8 Shahbaz Nadeem, 9 Morne Morkel, 10 Umesh Yadav, 11 Ashish Nehra

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Akshath Reddy, Shikhar Dhawan, Kumar Sangakkara (capt/wk), Hanuma Vihari, Darren Sammy, Thisara Perera, Ashish Reddy, Karan Sharma, Amit Mishra, Dale Steyn, Ishant Sharma