 After seven weeks of cricket, the Indian Premier League has eventually boiled down to its final stages with the playoffs starting Tuesday. The first qualifier will be played between Delhi Daredevils and Kolkata Knight Riders - the top two sides on the points table. The winner of this match gets an entry into the final while the loser will have another chance of staking a claim.
Click for Live Score Card of Delhi Daredevils Vs Kolkata Knight Riders
Delhi Daredevils dominated the points table from early in the season and though
faced a couple of defeats towards the end, they look like the most settled unit.
Led by Virender Sehwag, the team has seemingly the perfect blend of experience
as well as youth. Sehwag has 484 runs so far including five half-centuries while
David Warner showed his ability with a whirlwind century in a tall run-chase.
The team has shown enough potential to chase down tall totals. Ross Taylor
also struck form at about the right time. With the ball, Morne Morkel has been
an epitome of consistency, leading the tournament's wicket-takers with 25 wickets.
Under the shadow of Morkel, Umesh Yadav has almost gone unnoticed with his 17
wickets. The team collectively has enough match winners on the given day.
Kolkata Knight Riders finished second on the table after some early hiccups.
While they kept chopping and changing their team combination, the results have
come good overall. Gautam Gambhir, the captain, is the highest run-scorer
from the players still active in the tournament. He has scored six half centuries
and has an array of skillful players at his disposal. Jacques Kallis
and Brendon McCullum played a key role at the top of the order in several matches.
With the ball, Sunil Narine has been their answer to almost any problems. The
finger spinner has been difficult to read for the opposition batsmen and has
picked up 22 wickets.
The match will be played in Pune starting at 8.00pm. In the two meetings earlier
this season, both teams won one game apiece.
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