It is becoming hard to explain Delhi Daredevils' struggles in IPL 7

Maybe thinking in terms of steady progress at the end of the last season was the way forward. Maybe the demand for the elusive ‘Title’ from a new look squad was imprudent from the start. Maybe the inquests into this horrible spell have started too soon. But one thing is for sure, Delhi Daredevils are definitely not heading in a positive direction or worse still not even contesting the state of inertia upsetting their campaign. It’s tough to figure out who is in most misery following DD’s string of defeats at the home ground. Is it the players or the fans? The immediate embarrassment after a debilitating loss is unbearable and that stands true for a player as well as a fan. The die-hard fans would ask the DD management to cease any play for the remainder of the season and stop this horrible nightmare unfolding every alternate day before their eyes. [caption id=“attachment_1516071” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] JP Duminy has been the one bright spark for DD this season. BCCI[/caption] The pattern has now been evident from the last few games. DD starts off in an aggressive manner, conjures up the courage after heavy losses to set a decent score on the board, finishes off dominantly in the death overs and then chucks it away the moment the ball is thrown in their hands. Many teams have had longer periods of absurdity before actually taking off but how Delhi has failed to create chances and make things happen on the field has scrambled minds. When the best of your bowlers cannot restrict the opposition to less than eight an over in five consecutive matches then maybe it’s time to review your playing eleven. The only wicket which DD deserved in the game against KKR was structured by Wayne Parnell. There was no intent to keep the pressure on, no changes to the field setup thereafter, going through the motions and abetting the game to its logical end. Maybe we are guilty of making declarations disguised as opinions. Maybe such denunciation is unwarranted and flinging judgments on a new squad is draconian and downright unfair. But such is the cruelty of sports. We squeal with delight at a win and rant at a loss. In a delicate sentimental society like ours, in a week alone Rohit Sharma has gone from an arrogant, over-cautious son-of-a-gun to a master tactician who knows how to rotate his bowlers when dew becomes a prominent factor. In the IPL, all it takes to make a comeback is a couple of games and suddenly the team looks invincible. Bringing in Imran Tahir in place of the injured Nathan Coulter-Nile is not going to do much good if DD don’t give him a chance in the playing XI. Also, choosing to bat first considering DD have one of the strongest finishers in the format, is flirting with danger. But then again maybe we should reserve all this criticism till it’s mathematically, physically and emotionally proven that DD can’t make it to the playoffs.