Hindustan Times (Lucknow)

Youngsters give Daredevils hope

- Sayan Ghosh sayan.ghosh@htlive.com

NEW DELHI: Royal Challenger­s Bangalore will be looking to end their disappoint­ing Indian Premier League (IPL) season with a win when they face Delhi Daredevils on Sunday. RCB are placed at the bottom of the table with five points in 12 matches, and although the result will not affect their standings, a victory will certainly be a boost for the players ahead of the Champions Trophy.

Despite anticipati­on, the trio of Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers has failed to perform consistent­ly and that has been one of the biggest reasons behind RCB’s horror show. The fact that they have been bowled out four times in IPL 2017 speaks volumes about their struggles. Kedar Jadhav was the only notable contributo­r for RCB this time.

The performanc­e of the RCB bowlers was way better than their batsmen. Yuzvendra Chahal (13 wickets), Pawan Negi (13 wickets) and Samuel Badree (9 wickets) were all among wickets but were let down by the pace attack.

On the other hand, Delhi Daredevils have had a mixed run in IPL 2017. There was no dearth of good performanc­es from the DD players, but their inability to finish games proved to be their bane. With 12 points from 13 games, they will finish the season in sixth position irrespecti­ve of Sunday’s result. The biggest plus for Delhi Daredevils this season has been the form of their Indian youngsters who form the crux of the batting line-up. Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer and Sanju Samson have all shown glimpses of brilliance this season with the trio scoring over 1000 runs for their side.

The other promising youngster in the team -- Karun Nair -did not enjoy the same level of success but his 45-ball-65 was instrument­al in his team’s victory over Rising Pune Supergiant on Friday.

THE TRIO OF VIRAT KOHLI, CHRIS GAYLE AND AB DE VILLIERS HAS FAILED TO PERFORM CONSISTENT­LY AND THIS IS THE MAIN REASON BEHIND RCB’S POOR SHOW

 ?? PTI ?? Rishabh Pant (left) and Sanju Samson have been two of the best Delhi Daredevils batsmen. 54b)
PTI Rishabh Pant (left) and Sanju Samson have been two of the best Delhi Daredevils batsmen. 54b)

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