"Since winning the very first IPL under Shane Warne’s stewardship, the Royals have been annual underachievers in this competition but they have a strong line up that suggests they should improve on last season."
The Daredevils play their second game of IPL 6 and while they may be clear favourites, Rajasthan Royals should provide a tough challenge to a home side who are clearly missing some key players, says Matt Harris
Delhi Daredevils v Rajasthan Royals
Start Time: 11:30 BST
TV: Live on ITV4 and ITV.com
Delhi Daredevils
Having won the Champions League T20 just a few months ago, Mahela Jayawardene's side were highly fancied to lift their first IPL trophy but a disastrous prelude to the tournament robbed them of key batsmen Kevin Pietersen and Jesse Ryder, leaving the decision to sell Ross Taylor to Pune an even more bizarre one.
Worse was to follow as Virender Sehwag pulled out of the opening match with KKR due to a back spasm while Morne Morkel, leading wicket take in 2012, is involved in the knockout stages of South Africa's domestic Ram Slam.
Jayawardene has said that he expects Sehwag to return for Saturday's game but Morkel is playing in Sunday's Ram Slam final so the hosts are still looking depleted ahead of this vital clash.
Rajasthan Royals
Since winning the very first IPL under Shane Warne's stewardship, the Royals have been annual underachievers in this competition but they have a strong line up that suggests they should improve on last season when they finished seventh in the group table.
40 year old Rahul Dravid captains and coaches a squad that contains quality batters such as Shane Watson, Brad Hodge and Ajinkya Ranhane. In the bowling department, Shaun Tait's radar needs to be switched on and if the Aussie can find his range then he can lead a competent attack that includes Sreesanth, Fidel Edwards and the veteran Brad Hogg.
Age and fitness could be an issue for Rajasthan over the course of a very long tournament but they should certainly be fresh enough to upset the odds in their tournament opener.
Venue and Conditions
The Feroz Shah Kotla stadium is known for producing dry and dusty first class pitches and while the T20 track isn't going to turn square from ball one, runs are traditionally hard to come by.
2012's IPL proved that a par score is around 150 - 155 so don't expect a run feast in Saturday's contest.
Match Odds
The Daredevils are favourites at 1.654/6 but seem to rely too heavily on Jayawardene, David Warner and a potentially patched up Sehwag. With Johan Botha coming in at number six against KKR, they have a long tail and the Royals look particularly generous at 2.447/5.
Top Delhi Batsman
Skipper Jayawardene stood out from his team mates with a sublime 66 on Wednesday and could be an obvious choice at 3.7511/4 in the Fixed Odds market but if the Daredevils can prevent the Royals from taking an early wicket, David Warner should be able to play with more freedom. Warner looks the better bet here at odds of 3.7511/4. Note - these are Fixed Odds prices; better prices may be available on the Exchange nearer start-time.
Top Rajasthan Batsman
Shane Watson will attract a lot of money in this market at 3.7511/4 (on Fixed Odds) but fellow Aussie Brad Hodge has been in superb form in his freelance T20 activities over the last twelve months. After prolific displays in the Big Bash and Bangladesh Premier League, Hodge is the better option at odds of 5.04/1.
Recommended bet: Back Rajasthan Royals to win at 2.447/5.
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