Delhi Daredevils captain Virender Sehwag instructs fielders during the IPL Twenty20 cricket match between Delhi Daredevils and Kolkata Knight Riders at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium in New Delhi. AFP Photo/Sajjad Hussain
Having topped the
table with 11 wins out of 16 matches at the league stage, the Daredevils were humbled by Kolkata Knight Riders in the first qualifier in Pune on Tuesday.
The high-flying Daredevils failed to live up to their expectations with a string of mediocre performances in their previous game against KKR and on Friday is their last chance to redeem their reputation of being the most consistent side of the IPL 5 so far.
On the other hand, defending champions Chennai, despite their ordinary performances in the league stages, peaked just at the right time. They recovered from an impossible situation to keep alive their chances of winning a hat-trick titles alive.
With skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who smashed a whirlwind 20-ball 51 against Mumbai Indians last night to help his team make the second qualifier, returning to form in style, the Daredevils might have to bring in some fresh game plan to arrest the marauding Chennai outfit.
While Chennai would be hoping for a similar performance, in what could be considered as a semifinal against the Daredevils on Friday, Virender Sehwag's men would be relying heavily on their batting.