Struggling Delhi bring in Samuels to bolster batting

WITH A hat-trick of losses, Delhi Daredevils once again find themselves at the bottom half of IPL'S league table after featuring in six games in the competition so far. Despite the initial brouhaha, they have fizzled out nearly at the half-way stage. Bulk of the blame lies in the lack of experience in their batting. Barring the odd innings, no one in Delhi's top order, be it Sanju Samson, Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer or Sam Billings have stepped up to deliver. This has put enormous stress on their bighitting all-rounders such as Chris Morris, Kagiso Rabada and Corey Anderson.

At a promotional event in Delhi earlier this week, Dravid put up a brave face and defended his young batting brigade's insipid display.

"We have full faith in our combination. The league is still at the halfway stage. It's kind of funny that we are still sixth in the table with the highest net run rate (second highest to KKR). So I have full faith in our youngsters that they will turn it around in the next 7-8 matches," he quipped.

However, ahead of their must-win game against the Kolkata Knight Riders, better sense seems to have prevailed as Delhi signed up the experienced West Indies batsman Marlon Samuels as replacement for the injured Quinton De Kock.

"Delhi Daredevils have signed Marlon Samuels as a replacement for the injured Quinton de Kock for the remainder of the IPL," the statement read.

A veteran of 71 Tests, 187 ODIS and over 50 T20s, his experience will bolster Delhi's batting reserves. He is the only cricketer to be named man of the match in two World T20 finals. However, the 35-year-old last played in the IPL four seasons ago, for the defunct Pune Warriors.

Despite coach Dravid's overwhelming support for the youth, the induction of Samuels could not have come at a more opportune moment for Delhi, whose campaign enters a crucial phase. Over the course of the next nine days, Dravid's side will play in five games, and their performance during this period will determine whether they can qualify for the play-offs.

For that to happen though, the experienced Samuels along with Delhi's young guns must get their act together.