From a city famous for fights over the bill after an evening out with friends and family, Delhi Daredevils have became the first team to assure themselves of an IPL semi-final slot by going solo. In eight victories, eight different players have won Man of the Match awards — Tillakaratne Dilshan, AB de Villiers, Daniel Vettori, Dirk Nannes, Gautam Gambhir, Ashish Nehra, Amit Mishra and Rajat Bhatia — with the four foreigners, four Indians mix making it a perfect recipe for success.

When asked about this rare achievement, skipper Virender Sehwag said it highlighted how well-balanced the team were. “I’ve always believed that one player can win you a Twenty20 game. It just depends on whose day it is. We have a balanced side, and there has been a different match-winner every time we’ve won,” he told The Indian Express.

Officials in the team say the work done by the Daredevils scouts and coaches in the off- season is paying dividends. “Planning is important. We signed David Warner early in the season and lapped up Dirk Nannes. We had worked out our combination well in advance, and knew exactly the players we needed. We knew who would play and kept a back-up for each department,” said TA Sekar, the team’s vice-president (cricket).

BASES COVERED

Delhi’s strength has been how solid they are in each department. Gambhir, Sehwag, Warner, Dilshan, De Villiers, and Dinesh Karthik make up a strong batting line-up, the bowling has Vettori, Nannes, Amit Mishra and Ashish Nehra, and in the fielding department Dilshan, de Villiers and Warner form a dangerous cordon, complemented by a fleet-footed mix of specialists. It was because of this almost set combination that England skipper Paul Collingwood and Owais Shah went back without playing a game, while the Australian duo of Glenn McGrath and Andrew McDonald haven’t made their appearance so far.

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