IPL: Delhi, Bangalore aim to finish with a win (Preview)

Sixth-placed Delhi Daredevils and bottom dwellers Royal Challengers Bangalore will look to finish the Indian Premier League (IPL) edition with a win when they meet at the Ferozeshah Kotla here on Sunday.

With 12 points from 13 games, Delhi are already out of the race for the play-offs and moving to the fifth place may also be difficult since Kings XI Punjab have 14 points and even if they lose, the Punjab outfit has a higher net run rate than the capital side.

Delhi have once again been hugely inconsistent this season. Their bowling line-up, on paper at least, is one of the strongest in the IPL but has failed to step up to the occasion.

The batting has also been inconsistent as their top and middle-order batsmen failed to click in unison.

Looking to salvaging some pride, the Zaheer Khan-led side, however, can take some positives ahead of the match as they are coming off two successive wins.

In terms of batting, all eyes will be on youngsters Sanju Samson, Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer and Karun Nair. Apart from Zaheer, Amit Mishra, Pat Cummins, Mohammad Shami will shoulder the bowling responsibility.

Bangalore, on the other hand, will need to forget this edition after enduring eight defeats in 13 games. It has been a season of colossal failure for the Virat Kohli-led side which has delivered way below its expectations.

The season has been marred by failures in every department and also injuries to key players.

Unlike the previous seasons, RCB's batting has been the biggest disappointment with the likes of Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers and Kohli himself not stepping up.

RCB's three leg-spinners -- Yuzvendra Chahal (14 wickets), Pawan Negi (13) and Samuel Badree (9 wickets) have been the only ones who stood up and Delhi will be wary of that threat.

--IANS

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