One thing DD will be keen to learn from is the number of runs their spinners leaked. Their two medium-pacers, Zaheer Khan and Chris Morris, put up a better show in the powerplay and death overs.
Every team this season seems to have that one forgettable game in which the opposition just bulldozes them away.
While Sunrisers Hyderabad decimated the Mumbai Indians here nine days ago, Royal Challengers Bangalore bossed over the Gujarat Lions in Bengaluru on Saturday with twin centuries from Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers.
Delhi Daredevils had a similar experience against MI on Sunday night here when Krunal Pandya was given the license to express himself at No. 3 and take the game away from the opposition.
Richer by experience, and learning that playing three spinners was a mistake, DD will look to put aside the 80-run loss and go all guns blazing as they seek to win at least two of their last three matches to enter the playoffs, the first of which is against Rising Pune Supergiants here on Tuesday night.
One thing DD will be keen to learn from is the number of runs their spinners leaked. Their two medium-pacers, Zaheer Khan and Chris Morris, put up a better show in the powerplay and death overs.
For RPS, the only positive they will look into is their victory in the previous head-to-head clash against DD in New Delhi. It was also their last victory, after which they have lost three successive games including the one by four runs here against SRH last Tuesday and the rain-affected game against Kolkata Knight Riders in Kolkata before returning here.
Tuesday's match will also be a contest between captains MS Dhoni of RPS and Khan of DD. Dhoni has tried his best to get the right combination for his new team but that has not worked. For a captain who has tasted rich success with Chennai Super Kings for eight years, this IPL must have been very frustrating as captain. His personal form has also taken a beating with the bat as was seen in the painstakingly slow innings against KKR three nights ago.
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Dhoni will be up against the intelligence of Khan, who has been the bowling captain when playing for Team India, mentoring the young bowlers with his experience and advising skipper Dhoni on field placings. Zaheer's captaincy style of letting his young wards be natural on the field and allowing them to enjoy their stint in the middle has worked for DD. Constant field changes, almost after every delivery, may sometimes earn him the penalty for slow over-rate, something that he has to watch out for.
"We encourage everyone to be in their space, to play their brand of cricket and give them the freedom to express themselves on the field. Basically, it's just about giving them the freedom to go out there and enjoy the pressure of the game, enjoy the challenges that are thrown at them. I've always been like that. Nothing has changed. When I was playing earlier or now, it's the same," Zaheer said of his style mentoring the youngsters on Sunday night.
Asked if he will still go with three spinners against RPS on Tuesday, the former India spearhead said: "You make your call on how you see it and how the opposition is, that's what we've been doing right throughout the tournament. It depends on which track you are playing on. Looking at the conditions, we definitely have an idea and we'll go back to the drawing board and put our heads together about the plans forward.
"Having said that, we back our playing combination. (Against Mumbai) We were hoping that our spinners would put the brakes on. Our bowling unit right throughout the tournament has been fantastic. It was an off-day for the bowling unit. It's just about regrouping and going ahead, we still have three games to go and we have to win two to qualify."
DD are determined to qualify. They have played well and have a young and fearless set of cricketers who have been the reason for their better show this season as against their seventh-place finish last year. But then, RPS will do all that they can to play spoilsport.
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