Sunrisers Hyderabad are right in the mix with ten points and four matches in hand, but the same cannot be said about Delhi Daredevils, whose defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders has nearly ended their playoff chances

The Preview by Abhishek Purohit08-May-2015Match factsSaturday, May 9, 2015
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)Big pictureTen games into the season, Sunrisers Hyderabad may just have found the solution to their batting issues. That involved playing neither Dale Steyn nor Trent Boult for the first time this IPL, against Rajasthan Royals, and having a top five of Shikhar Dhawan plus two overseas batsmen and two overseas allrounders. It gave them their first 200-plus total of IPL 2015, at Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai.As they move to Raipur to face Delhi Daredevils, it has to be seen if they will keep both their star fast bowlers on the bench again. Even if they do that, they still have the luxury of fielding an all-international attack, with the two Kumars and the two Sharmas plus Ravi Bopara and Moises Henriques.How Daredevils could still make it

With three matches to play, Delhi Daredevils are seventh in the league after four wins and seven defeats. Their situation is dire, but the teams are bunched so closely that Daredevils can still finish in the top four. Here’s how:
First, they need to win all their games and get to 14 points. Then, other results need to go Daredevils’ way. That would mean two or three of the top-placed teams winning a lot, while the others don’t go past 14.
For example, if Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders win two of their remaining three games, they will have 18 and 17 points. Mumbai Indians are on an amazing run with five wins on the trot, and if they win two of their next three they will finish with 16.
That will leave one spot available, and Daredevils could take it if they win three games, and others don’t do as well. If Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad win only one of their last four games, they will finish on 13 and 12 points. If Rajasthan Royals lose their remaining two games, it will be a fight between Daredevils and Royals, both of whom will have 14. Daredevils will prevail because they have more wins – Royals’ 14 points includes two washouts – and the first tie-breaker for teams with equal points is the number of wins.

Sunrisers are right in the mix with ten points and four matches in hand, but the same cannot be said about their opponents. Daredevils were outhit and outspun at Eden Gardens by Kolkata Knight Riders, and the defeat has nearly ended their playoff chances. They have only three more matches to go, of which two will be at their “home” ground in the Chhattisgarh capital.Form guideDelhi Daredevils LLLWL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Sunrisers Hyderabad WLWWLWatch out for…Ten innings, 203 runs at a strike-rate of 121. These are pretty average numbers even for a young domestic Indian batsman, forget someone of the stature of Yuvraj Singh. To add to that, the costliest man in the IPL auction has been missing sitters in the field. Each game he plays, the television commentators remind us of how destructive he can be when he gets going. Barring the odd innings, people are still waiting for that to happen.Eoin Morgan carries a considerable reputation but his 63 against Royals was only his third half-century in 31 IPL innings. That he has faced more than 30 deliveries in an IPL innings only thrice is also a factor, but given his capabilities, it is fair to argue he has underachieved with a tournament strike-rate of 125. Against Royals, he provided the finish Sunrisers have so often lacked after solid starts from the openers, and his team will want more with a playoff spot at stake.Stats and trivia Daredevils have won both IPL games played in Raipur, in 2013 Amit Mishra is the first bowler to take 50 wickets for Daredevils in the IPLQuotes”It’s been great opening with Davy. It has been comfortable. We both are really good in running between the wickets. Our combination suits both of us and our team. It is good to have two aggressive players batting together – that puts immense pressure on the opposition.”