IPL 8 Match Preview: Rajasthan hope rain-break doesn’t play spoilsport

Malinga is back in form and that can work in favour of Rajasthan Royals.

Rajasthan Royals (Lost to MI)

What went wrong: Death bowling has been Rajasthan Royal’s bugbear throughout the season, and once they conceded 61 runs the last four overs, they never looked like regaining the momentum. The inclusion of Rusty Theron in place of James Faulkner didn’t prove to be a smart pick.

What went right: The Royals’ boy wonder from the previous season had hardly put a foot right in IPL8, and there were talks of Sanju Samson’s place in the side being under threat. That is before the right-hander roared back into form, while taking apart Lasith Malinga.

Delhi Daredevils (bt KXIP)

What went right: Zaheer Khan has almost been the forgotten man of Indian cricket. While he’s not surfaced on a cricket field for almost a year, the veteran left-armer has also spent most of IPL8 on the bench, recuperating from his latest injury. Against Punjab, he showed just what DD had been missing in their attack, by snaring Sehwag and Vohra and breathing fire into Delhi’s campaign. Nathan Coulter-Nile, meanwhile, snared four and showed what a formidable pairing he could form with Zaheer.

What went wrong: Little. Except, maybe, the fact that Imran Tahir didn’t pick up a wicket — a rarity all summer.

Conclusion:

The pitch at the Brabourne Stadium can offer some tricks to the bowlers, but if that doesn’t happen, then the square boundaries will be too close for comfort for the bowlers against the likes of Shane Watson, Yuvraj Singh and Shreyas Iyer.