IPL 2018: Pride on line as Delhi Daredevils host Royal Challengers Bangalore

Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers facing Delhi Daredevils, in an ideal world, would have been an Indian Premier League (IPL) match made in heaven. Thousands of fans at the Ferozeshah Kotla would have been torn between cheering their team and the one led by the Capital’s favourite cricketing son.

However, Saturday’s meeting would be more distraction than chasing distinction for RCB and DD - teams dumped at the bottom of the IPL 2018 points table. Kohli’s side have six points with four games in hand, and even four wins can’t really get them into playoffs.

Bottom-placed Delhi Daredevils are eliminated, the defeat against table-toppers Sunrisers Hyderabad at home on Thursday another demonstration of all that has gone wrong for the IPL franchise.

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Had teams been pushing for promotion in the popular league, the RCB-DD clash would be between two relegated sides. The bosses of two franchises yet to win IPL in 10 editions would already be tearing their hair over finding a way to halt the seemingly endless run of failures.

Kohli focus shift

The focus on Virat Kohli has already switched to his build-up for the Test series in England, after failing to tackle swing bowling there in 2014. However, not redeeming himself at home after RCB ended last in IPL 2017 will hurt the proud India skipper equally.

Season after season, Delhi Daredevils have somehow looked a work in progress, and they could not find consistency despite the drastic step of Gautam Gambhir giving up captaincy after early personal and team failures.

RCB’s one consolation would be that they defeated Daredevils by six wickets in Bangalore. For DD, that loss would be a painful reminder, like against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Thursday, that they have not played as a cohesive unit.

Rishabh Pant, whose sensational 128 not out went in vain against SRH, also top-scored in that game at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium with current skipper Shreyas Iyer too scoring a half-century.

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With their playoff race over, Daredevils are likely to rest Kiwi left-arm pacer Trent Boult, who has been forced to play in all 11 games until now despite fears he may be overworked as Mohammed Shami, distracted by a family dispute, has not figured prominently this season.

The inconsequential game could also encourage Daredevils management to give 17-year-old Nepal leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichanne, inactive since the pre-IPL publicity around him, a chance.

South African pacer Junior Dala, injury replacement for Chris Morris, and Manjot Kalra, centurion in the U-19 World Cup final, also wait for their first game of IPL 2018.

RCB, whose Daredevils games were switched due to Karnataka Assembly polls, have been punished for inconsistent top-order and bowling performances despite a solid squad. They will hope having a mathematical chance of a playoff berth is still motivation against an even worse off hosts.