Delhi Daredevils’ youngsters give the franchise optimism: Sridharan Sriram

Delhi Daredevils have once again endured a torrid time in the 2018 Indian Premier League with the franchise set for the wooden spoon for the fourth time in the last seven editions. Assistant coach Sridharan Sriram admitted the results were disappointing, but the team’s youngsters have given the franchise plenty of optimism for the future. (IPL 2018 points table)

Speaking in the pre-match press conference, Sriram said, “If you look at the talent, we have a great group of cricketers together. The season Rishabh Pant has had, how Shreyas Iyer has dealt with the captaincy; Prithvi Shaw and Abhishek Sharma have shown their potential.”

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Pant, 20, is the leading run-getter in this edition for Delhi Daredevils with 582 runs at an average of 52. Shaw, the U-19 World Cup winning captain has been in fine form at the top of the order while Iyer has captained the side well.

“We have found a good group of youngsters. They are fearless and they can express themselves and they enjoy their cricket. They are not overawed by the opposition, the crowd or the platform of the IPL. They just go out and perform,” Sriram said.

‘CSK a beatable side’

Delhi Daredevils have a poor record against Chennai Super Kings, having a 5-12 head-to-head record and their last win coming in the 2015 edition in Raipur. However, Sriram said the two-time IPL champions have weaknesses.

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“Chennai Super Kings are a beatable side. The last encounter against them, we ran them close. We got 193 but MS Dhoni played a great knock. The table reflects a different situation. Every team can beat the other on a given day,” Sriram said.

Rayudu in top form

Sriram hailed the performances of Ambati Rayudu, who is the leading run-getter for Chennai Super Kings in this edition with 535 runs at an average of 152 and an average of close to 50.

“Rayudu has been in amazing form. I can say his batting at this stage of his career is unbelievable. It has a lot to do with his maturity level and how he has planned his game,” Sriram said.