Captain Zaheer Khan on Thursday said the coming five games in a span of nine days starting with the clash against Kolkata Knight Riders here on Friday will be a defining phase for Delhi Daredevils in the ongoing IPl.
Coming from a six-day break after a hat-trick of losses, Zaheer said the Daredevils need to look at the next five games as "one bunch and start kicking" if they wish to resurrect their IPl 10 campaign. Daredevils are currently languishing at the second last position in the standings with just two wins out of six games.
"We need a winning momentum. We are playing five matches in the next nine days. It's an important phase for our campaign in this IPl. If we can achieve a winning momentum, many things will fall in place by May 6," Zaheer said.
"It's not about looking at this game, but it's about looking at the five games together. It's very important for us to look at this nine days rather than just tomorrow's game.
"As a group we are going to look at next nine days rather than just one. For us to get a kicking in this tournament, we really need to focus on these nine days. The next nine days will be defining and I'm confident this group will deliver when it matters," he said.
Daredevils campaign in the last phase of the tournament will get a huge boost by the inclusion of West Indies all- rounder Marlon Samuels, who has been named as a replacement for injured Quinton de Kock. Zaheer said Samuels will join the team on April 29 on the eve of their next match against Kings XI Punjab.
Daredevils losing streak began against KKR when Manish Pandey sealed a four-wicket win in the penultimate delivery but Zaheer said the key is to look ahead. "We have understood the areas we should be looking at and the kind of approach we should have for a particular situation. I'm very confident of coming games," Zaheer said.