Find Me A 100 Winner / Alan Dudman / 12 May 2009 /

Alan Dudman is worried about Deccan's bowling attack as they come up against the IPL's team to beat...

Delhi's victory on Sunday against Kolkatta was the perfect snapshot of their IPL campaign so far: tight and economical on the bowling front with messrs Nannes, Nehra and Mishra all chipping with wickets. And on the batting front, chasing relatively small totals -any one of four belting some runs. At the Bull Ring it was AB de Villiers and David Warner, other times it has been Dilshan and Gambhir. Their progress has been relentless, and with seven wins from nine games, Delhi are proving to be the team that everyone have to beat.

Deccan are in with a major chance of making the semi-finals, but are proving to be a tad inconsistent. Monday's huge 53-run win against Rajasthan gave them a great opportunity of staying in the tournament. But they've lost three
of their last five games and I worry that their bowling attacks lacks a bit of firepower.

The two sides met earlier in the IPL, with Delhi securing a fairly confortable six wicket victory in Pretoria. Deccan come into the game needing to win, but are underdogs.

Team news

Delhi are likely to welcome back captain Virender Sehwag, who now appears fully fit after injury. He'll take over the reigns from stand-in skipper Gautan Gambhir, with the pair reforming their blistering opening partnership. Delhi's major headache is who makes way for Viru? Australian David Warner has stepped
in and performed brilliantly. His aggressive brand of cricket will be sorely missed if he is left out, they might opt to change things around at five, six or seven however, to keep Warner in the side.

Otherwise expect to see the familiar top four including Dilshan and de Villiers - both whom have had excellent tournaments. On the bowling side of things, Delhi have left some great players on the bench. Glenn McGrath has been kicking his heels , whilst New Zealand captain Dan Vettori hasn't featured since since the win over Deccan at Centurion.

Deccan captain Adam Gilchrist made a big call on Monday, bringing in veteran Sri Lankan Chaminda Vaas for Herschelle Gibbs. The plan worked, as Vaas' stump to stump metronome bowling accrued two wickets to set-up a big win against Rajasthan. Vaas will be suited perfectly to the humid conditions in Durban, and as he hasn't played much cricket is very fresh, and he'll maintain his place in the team. Gibbs should be back in contention, possibly at the expense of Rohit Sharma - whose lack of form is looking a major problem. It's a shame, as he is batter of real talent with some big shots. With Gilchrist, Andrew Symonds and Dwayne Smith in the side, batting can be explosive, however
their bowling is undercooked.

Venue, pitch conditions

Kingsmead, Durban is a venue that all cricket followers are familiar with over the years. Scene of some dramatic games, and also scene of Stuart Broad getting spanked for six sixes by Yuvraj. Sorry Stuart.

Located in the East, right besides the Ocean, Kingsmead is notorious for its humid conditions. The weather forecast is for a cloudy evening with light winds. Luckily the thunderstorms appear not to be making an appearance.

Both teams have played twice in Durban so far, and both have won, showing a liking for the track. South African AB de Villiers scored 105 not out in week one here. Par score for the ground appears to be in the region of about 165-170.

Match odds

Despite the market looking fairly immature at the moment, the [1.75] on offer for Delhi looks mighty tasty. Sehwag's plan (if he wins the toss), is likely to be one which we have seen throughout this year's tournament. He'll insert Deccan and try to make full use of the conditions with the excellent new ball pairing of Nannes and Nehra. The former in particular
has been very economical, whilst leg-spinner Amit Mishra is of interest in the leading wicket taker market. He'll pick the pockets when the tempo increases.

Deccan need to win, simple as that. The [1.83] looks on the short side to me. I have highlighted the bowling as a worry, and for that reason it is worth sticking in a lay as you are sure to get bigger during their game once the Delhi batters get on top. Deccan present the better 'green'
opportunity. Delhi are the value though outright.

Top Bat

If laying bigger price batters are your thing, Virender Sehwag would be one to get after. He may be a bit ring rusty after a few games on the sidelines. I nearly got de Villiers right earlier in the tournament in with this market. It's horses for courses, and with a ton already on the board at the ground, he could tuck into the bowling once again.

Featured market:

With the scores in four games so far being fairly consistent at Kingsmead, from 154 to 189, the 320.5 over runs market is of interest to back.

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