Delhi Daredevils will be eager to make a statement against defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad in front of their home fans on Tuesday after suffering a humiliating 10-wicket defeat against Kings XI Punjab on Sunday.
lying at the bottom of the 8-team league with just four points from eight games, the hosts have lost their last five matches in a row.
With Delhi set to play five of their next six matches at home, Daredevils will be keen to provide some joy for the fans, particularly after getting bowled out for a meagre 67 against Punjab on Sunday.
However, it will be a difficult task to overturn their fortunes against an in-form David Warner and company. The defending champions are lying third with 13 points from 10 matches and are well on course to make it to the play-offs.
They possess both the 'Orange Cap' holder — Warner with 459 runs — and the 'Purple Cap' holder — Bhuvneshwar Kumar with 20 wickets — among their ranks.
Beyond the explosive Australian opener, who smashed an incredible 126 off 59 balls against Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson has also been in splendid touch ever since returning to the line-up.
Williamson has scored 204 runs in just four matches, which comprises of two fifties.
Shikhar Dhawan is another consistent performer for last year's champions. He has 341 runs in nine games so far. He and Warner have consistently given good starts to Hyderabad this season and they will look to do the same at Feroz Shah Kotla stadium on Tuesday.
Their bowling has been equally impressive. Bhuvneshwar has been exceptional once again. His 5/19 against Punjab in crucial circumstances for his team stands out as his best performance this season. Afghanistan's Rashid Khan has been impressive so far, picking up 12 wickets from nine matches. The 18-year-old leggie looks to be one of the great bargains of the IPl auction.
Age doesn't seem to bother Indian pacer Ashish Nehra as the 38-year-old has also been another consistent performer for his team with eight wickets from five matches.
On the other hand, Delhi's problems seem aplenty. After Quinton de Kock and JP Duminy pulled out of the tournament even before it started, Daredevils have struggled to replace them efficiently.
Their reliance on youngsters seems to have backfired. Rishabh Pant, Karun Nair and Sanju Samson have showed glimpses of their talents, but have failed to make the most of it by notching big scores.
Also the idea of all-rounders Chris Morris, Corey Anderson and Kagiso Rabada making up for the lack of established batsmen in the side has not worked so far for Delhi. The arrival of West Indian Marlon Samuels will be a boost for Delhi although it is yet to be known how much of an impact he can have in the remaining matches.
Even though Delhi's bowling looks good, they suffered a massive blow with an hamstring injury to captain Zaheer Khan, which forced him to skip last match. It is yet to be known when he will return again.