It may be the most insignificant match of the Champions League with Delhi Daredevils having exited the tournament already and Cape Cobras firmly coiled into the semi-finals.

Still, there would be no shortage of fans coming in through the newly installed turnstiles at the Ferozeshah Kotla hoping to watch Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Tillakaratne Dilshan, apart from getting to witness Glenn McGrath bowling in what could probably be his last competitive game.

Daredevils have the force to attract people to their games, and they also boast of having the highest entertainment quotient amongst all other IPL teams. They have the best Test batsmen, best T20 batsman, best left-arm spinner, a pace bowling legend, a comeback man of the year, and then they have Sehwag. What Daredevils don’t have, though, is a trophy in the cabinet.

If club and franchisee cricket is the latest alternative to the international calendar, then Delhi Daredevils are the IPL’s byword for South Africa. In three competitive stages — IPL I & II and now the Champions League — Daredevils have choked at the critical moment. Despite boasting of a galaxy of stars like Daniel Vettori, AB de Villiers, Owais Shah, Paul Collingwood, Farveez Maharoof and Andrew McDonald, despite earning plaudits for plucking the best raw talent in Dirk Nannes and David Warner and getting the best trade of Ashish Nehra in the transfer window, Daredevils have flattered to deceive.

Twice in two IPL seasons, Daredevils have faltered in the semi-final stage, losing tamely to Kings XI Punjab in the first year’s semi-final and then getting walloped by Deccan Chargers in Centurion subsequently, and again in the do-or-die game against Royal Challengers Bangalore, Delhi’s big guns misfired.

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