The 15th game of the IPL will be played between the Deccan Chargers and the Delhi Daredevils. The Deccan Chargers did not begin too well when they had lost the first game of the tournament, but went on to win the remaining two that they have played in, whereas Delhi won their first two games but went on to lose the next two.

Delhi will, in probabilities, go into the match, without Gautam Gambhir again. Gambhir was injured in the third match of the series when he tried to save a ball from going to the boundary and in turn hurt his hamstring. This means that Dinesh Karthik will continue to lead the side, but will need its top order to support Viru at the top of the order.

The problem with the Delhi batsmen is that they have been relying a tad too heavily on Sehwag, and the rest of them have not been able to score the runs. This has meant that once Virender Sehwag gets out, the rest of them have capitulated rather quickly and hence the scores have not been as high as they should be. What the Daredevils need in the absence of Gambhir is for both, Warner and Dilshan to take up the gauntlet and unleash their batting prowess.

However, it is not only their batting, but also their bowling that has been a bit of a cause for concern. Currently, it looks like there is a Dirk Nannes at one end, and the rest of them at the other. Nannes has been economical and has made life difficult for the batsmen with his bounce and pace, whereas the rest of them have had it difficult against the formidable opposition and flat pitches.

Chargers will be a formidable opponent. Especially where their batting is concerned. After all, not too many sides can boast of having the likes of Adam Gilchrist, Herschelle Gibs and Andrew Symonds, and in a reasonable touch. Of course, VVS Laxman will miss out from the next game due to his injury but that could very well be a blessing in disguise and allow an all-rounder in Venugopal Rao to get a look-in.

The bowling has been a tad better than the rest of the pack, especially with the presence of Chaminda Vaas, who has seem to overcome his form issues and RP Singh, who looks to be getting back into his own.

To me, it will be an evenly contested match, and despite the two losses, there is hardly anything to choose from between the two sides.

Tag :- Adam Gilchrist   Chaminda Vaas   Deccan Chargers   Delhi Daredevils   Dirk Nannes   Gautam Gambhir   Virender Sehwag