Indian Premier League - IPL / Andrew Hughes / 17 April 2010 /

Sunday's second IPL game is a straightforward affair in which the winners are guaranteed a place in the semi-finals. Andrew Hughes previews the action as pre-tournament favourites Delhi take on reigning champions Deccan.

Venue and Conditions

Pitches have deteriorated as the tournament has gone on and the Feroz Shah Kotla seems to have suffered the most. Delhi were skittled out for 111 here last time on a slow track that offered variable bounce and prodigious turn.

Team News

Delhi will surely recall Daniel Vettori on this pitch but they will have a tough call over which of their overseas players to drop and it could be that Tillakaratne Dilshan returns to the bench after the briefest of recalls.

Deccan have been a settled unit in recent games and their only real decision is whether to bring back Herschelle Gibbs in favour of Mitchell Marsh.

Match Odds

This is a fascinating contest between two teams who have got their acts together in time to be in with a chance of the semi-finals. Victory could well go to the team that best keeps their nerve and previous IPL history suggests that Delhi are not at their best in crunch matches such as this one, in which defeat could mean the end of their semi-final hopes.

There are other reasons to favour the visitors too. On a tricky pitch, batting form is crucial and there is no doubt that Deccan have the edge here. Although Adam Gilchrist has not been in blazing form, the rest of the line up have raised their game and they look a far more solid batting order than Delhi, for whom Virender Sehwag has fired only fitfully. In what is likely to be an edgy, low-scoring affair, it is best to side with the visitors at [2.08]

Top Batsman

Although Delhi have some big hitters in their squad, their most reliable batsman has been captain Gautam Gambhir and he is the sensible choice to back for top batsman at odds of [4.0] or better.

Deccan's Indian batsmen have been in fine form and either Rohit Sharma or Tirumalasetti Suman look the best bet to top score for the Chargers at around [3.5] or better.

Featured Market

This will be a nervy affair and the pitch will not be conducive to big hitting. It could make sense therefore to back 9 and Under in the 'Total Sixes' market at [3.0] or better.

Trivia

Virender Sehwag is the tournament's most economical bowler, his five overs going for just 4.05 runs apiece.

Andrew Hughes says Back Deccan Chargers to win at [2.08]

'.$sign_up['title'].'

'; } } ?>

:

:

:

?

: