Betfacts / Andrew Hughes / 15 April 2009 /

Much will depend on last year's star peformers Virender Sehwag and the ageing Glenn McGrath but if they perform to those standards again and if AB De Villiers keeps up his good form they certainly have a chance, says Andrew Hughes.

Performance Last Year

Delhi made a bright start to IPL 2008, before enduring a nightmare run of defeats mid tournament that nearly scuppered their chances. They eventually sneaked into the last semi-final spot but were undone by Rajasthan, bowled out for 87. This defeat encapsulated their main problem. Led by Glen McGrath, they had arguably the best bowling unit in the competition and in Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, a powerful opening pair who often got their innings off to a blistering start. But a lack of depth to the batting meant that if the openers went cheaply, then very often there was not a lot left.

Captain

Virender Sehwag

Three Key Players

Sehwag is an irrepressible force at the top of the innings and he turned out to be quite a good captain last year. Elder statesman Glen McGrath surprised many by the ease with which he took to the Twenty20 format and though he may be down on pace these days, his nagging length will be particularly deadly in South Africa, where he is likely to get more assistance from the pitch than he did on the subcontinent.

Equally important to the Delhi attack is Daniel Vettori. The New Zealand captain is one of the best limited overs bowlers in the world and together with McGrath should strangle many batting line-ups.

Strengths

Delhi have been busy in the transfer market to address the weaknesses that were apparent last time. Owais Shah, Paul Collingwood and Twenty20 specialist David Warner have been recruited to bolster the middle order and with more expected this time from A B De Villiers and the much-improved Tillekeratne Dilshan, the Daredevils batting will not be as prone to collapse as it was in 2008.

Weaknesses

With so many options, the biggest problem for Delhi could be to work out the right combination to get the best from their impressive looking squad. And in his fortieth year, McGrath will need his share of rest and recuperation.

Prospects

If you're looking for a reliable team to give you a good run for your money, Delhi should certainly fit the bill. They are solid in every department and have done more than any other franchise to strengthen those areas that were a problem last time. They are inevitably rather short in the tournament winners market, but their current odds of [5.5] could look very generous by the time we get to the final stages.

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