Delhi Daredevils finished seventh in the points table with five wins and eight losses, and a total of 11 points. Right from the start, they never looked in any form of rhythm, but showed improvements as the tournament progressed. Their first win came against Kings XI Punjab at Pune by five wickets. In the next match against Sunrisers Hyderabad at Vizag, they won by four runs. Another convincing win was registered against Mumbai Indians at Delhi by 37 runs. Their best win came against Punjab at home by nine wickets. In their penultimate game, they defeated Chennai at Raipur by six wickets.
Delhi were unlucky in a sense that a number of their defeats were close encounters, the result of which could have gone either way with a bit of luck for Delhi. They went down to Chennai Super Kings by one run, Rajasthan Royals beat them by 3 wickets off the last ball. They had close defeats against Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad as well. While Delhi would feel aggrieved a bit, the fact is that they have themselves to blame for they did not utilise the opportunities that came that way, and eventually had a disappointing campaign.
Top performers
The Delhi opener Shreyas Iyer was among the few bright spots for the franchise this year. In 14 games, he scored 439 runs at a strike rate of 128 with four half-centuries. Iyer finished with an impressive average of 34, and a highest of 83. He is definitely one to look out for in the future. Skipper JP Duminy was among the other success stories in the event for Delhi. He finished with an impressive tally of 414 runs from 14 games at a strike rate of 131, an average of 41 with four half-centuries. Duminy had a best of 78 not out in the series.
Flop performers
Yuvraj Singh, the most expensive buy during this year's auction was undoubtedly the biggest let down for Delhi. In 14 matches, he scored 248 runs at an average of under 20, and a strike rate of 118. He managed only two half-centuries in the entire edition, and had a highest of 57. It was a massively disappointing effort from Yuvraj. Angelo Mathews was another big player who did not set the scene on fire. In 11 games, he scored 144 runs at a strike rate of 138 and an average of 20. He did not manage a single half-century in the event, and had a highest of 28. Amit Mishra also disappointed, claiming only 9 wickets in 11 matches.
--By A Cricket Analyst
