Knight Riders hope to upset DC applecart

Having swept aside Kolkata Knight Riders, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings with consummate ease, Adam Gilchrist’s men clearly looked the most high-flying squad in this year’s IPL before they witnessed a wretched stretch with three defeats on the trot.

The three successive defeats also marked the start of an inconsistent run for the Hyderabad outfit, who added further trouble to their campaign by gifting Delhi their last match.

But Deccan skipper Gilchrist will be in no mood to repeat his mistake and the seemingly shattered Knight Riders side provide him the ideal opportunity to bring his side’s rampaging form back.

If Gilchrist, Dwayne Smith, Herschelle Gibbs, Rohit Sharma were not enough, Deccan’s batting has been bolstered by the return of Aussie all-rounder Andrew Symonds.

But what remains a matter of concern for Deccan is their batsmen’s habit of giving away their wickets unnecessarily.

Deccan’s bowling department is being led by rejuvenated RP Singh while Chaminda Vaas proved that he still has some aces up his sleeves in his two outings.

Pragyan Ojha has been a revelation in the spin department, while Rohit’s part-time off-spinners have proven to be more than handy.

On the other hand, with nine defeats to its credit the Knight Riders have nothing to lose and will be playing for pride.