Contrary to expectations, Delhi, the perennial underdogs, have surprised one and all with three back-to-back wins and have not looked back since a heartbreaking nine-wicket loss against table-toppers Kolkata Knight Riders in their tournament opener. Two of those wins have been at their home ground and with another couple lined-up this week, at their fortress Kotla, this is Delhi’s best chance to consolidate their spot in the top-half of the points table, maybe even climb up the ladder.

After a horrid day in the field against Sunrisers Hyderabad, the Lions recovered admirably to sink Royal Challengers Bangalore and now occupy second spot in the points table, only because of an inferior run-rate to that of the Knight Riders.

The Daredevils have all bases covered. Their top order has been contributing runs, spin has carried the bowling department, and the execution in death overs has been exemplary. However, on closer observation, the hosts have had their fair share of hiccups be it batting collapses or loose bowling in powerplay – but their bouncebackability has been nothing short of inspirational.

Their opposition for Wednesday, Gujarat Lions, have impressed with a phenomenal run of form in their debut season. The victories have been powered by their batting might while they have stuck with the ‘horses for courses’ policy when picking the bowling line-up. Aaron Finch has provided solid starts almost everytime, Brendon McCullum has quickly turned things around after starting with a duck and Suresh Raina has been chipping with valuable contributions too.

However, losing their regular opener Finch at this crucial juncture of their campaign could hurt the visitors in the long run. The Australian, who has already racked up three half-centuries in the four outings, limped off in the 17th over of their game against Royal Challengers Bangalore and did not come out to bat. The Lions would, however, take heart from the fact that Dwayne Smith, who got promoted in the order, filled in perfectly and hammered 32 of the 47 runs in his opening partnership with McCullum to lay the platform for their 181-run chase.

Both the teams are coming off wins in their previous fixtures and would be keen on sustaining the momentum. While Delhi’s spinners restricted a batting-heavy Mumbai Indians to a lowly 154 at their home ground for a narrow come-from-behind victory; yet another clinical display from Lions’ batting unit denied Virat Kohli & Co. a deserving win despite their captain’s century. Come Wednesday, the battle between Daredevils’ bowlers and Lions’ batters will decide which team can continue the winning habit.

There are no known injury concerns in the hosts’ camp. The younger crop Rishab Pant, Karun Nair, Sanju Samson along with Amit Mishra and Pawan Negi were few of the key names who came for the optional practice session on the eve of the game. The team would require the services of both Amit Mishra and Imran Tahir, given the nature of the pitch, which means Delhi could gamble on leaving out Carlos Brathwaite for a second successive game.

Aaron Finch’s hamstring injury has left the Gujarat camp worried. Even though Brad Hodge, team’s head coach, confirmed that Finch was ‘feeling good’, the Australian opener is a doubtful starter after having flown to Mumbai to see a specialist ahead of the game. Finch’s absence could be a blessing in disguise for James Faulkner who is yet to impress in this season. Faulkner, who can chip in both with the bat and the ball, also has the advantage of having played with the core of their opposition tomorrow from his Rajasthan Royals days, and is most likely to get drafted in the playing XI.

Squads:

Delhi Daredevils: Zaheer Khan (Captain), Khaleel Ahmed, Carlos Brathwaite, Quinton de Kock, Akhil Herwadkar, Shreyas Iyer, Chama Milind, Mohammed Shami, Shahbaz Nadeem, Pawan Negi, Joel Paris, Sanju Samson, Jayant Yadav, Mayank Agarwal, Sam Billings, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Jean-Paul Duminy,Imran Tahir, Mahipal Lomror, Chris Morris, Karun Nair, Rishabh Pant, Pratyush Singh, Pawan Suyal, Amit Mishra

Gujarat Lions: Suresh Raina (Captain), Akshdeep Nath, Dwayne Bravo, Eklavya Dwivedi, Aaron Finch, Ravindra Jadeja,Dinesh Karthik, Dhawal Kulkarni, Brendon McCullum, Jaydev Shah, Dwayne Smith, Pravin Tambe, Sarabjit Ladda, Amit Mishra, Paras Dogra, James Faulkner, Ishan Kishan, Shadab Jakati,Shivil Kaushik, Praveen Kumar, Pradeep Sangwan, Dale Steyn, Andrew Tye