After an impressive and morale-boosting victory, the Delhi Daredevils will look to keep that winning feeling intact when they host the Gujarat Lions at the Feroz Shah Kotla on Thursday. With the DD batsmen producing a clinical chase against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rahul Dravid and co. will look to keep the same balance in the team, by backing the youngsters to fire with the willow once more.
The Daredevils are notorious in their penchant to change the personnel even when things are going well, so don't be surprised if there is a new face or two that comes in to the playing XI.
However, going by their last performance, when they chased down SRH's score of 185, sticking to the same batting lineup might be the smart thing to do.
There could be a change in the bowling, though, with Kagiso Rabada going for plenty in the last game and there being little clarity over Zaheer Khan's fitness.
Pat Cummins has sat the last couple of games and will hope to return to the playing XI for the Delhi Daredevils, and if Zaheer, who suffered a hamstring injury against KKR last week, is passed fit, it will be interesting to see who the captain comes in for.
Mohammed Shami was brilliant with the ball in the last game and won the man of the match award for his dismissals of David Warner and Kane Williamson.
Angelo Mathews was picked for the last game, in the place of Sam Billings, who has returned to the UK to get ready for a series against Ireland.
Mathews did not bowl or bat in the game against SRH, so there is a chance that someone like Marlon Samuels could come in for the Sri Lankan all-rounder. Or maybe even Carlos Brathwaite, who has hardly featured for the Delhi Daredevils in IPL 2017.
Shahbaz Nadeem was another player unlucky to miss out in the last game, with Jayant Yadav coming in. if DD feel a left-armer will be a better option against GL, Nadeem could find a place in the playing XI again.
The Gujarat Lions will now have to do without Jason Roy as an option, after the opener, like Billings, left to join up with England.
That does leave them thin on overseas resources. Andrew Tye and Dwayne Bravo are out of the tournament, while Roy is not expected to return even after the series against Ireland.
GL now only have Dwayne Smith, Aaron Finch, Brendon McCullum, James Faulkner and Chirag Suri, who hasn't played a single game in the IPL yet, as the overseas options, leaving them in trouble if one more player picks up an injury.
The Gujarat Lions have lost three of their last four games, including a couple of close ones against the Mumbai Indians and the Rising Pune Supergiant.
With the scant resources at their disposal, GL are likely to stick with the same playing XI that, if not for a brilliant hundred from Ben Stokes, would have got them a much-needed win.
Confirmed playing XI:
Delhi Daredevils: Sanju Samson, Karun Nair (C), Shreyas Iyer, Marlon Samuels, Rishabh Pant, Corey Anderson, Pat Cummins, Kagiso Rabada, Amit Mishra, Shahbaz Nadeem, Mohammed Shami.
Gujarat Lions: Ishan Kishan, Brendon McCullum, Suresh Raina (C), Aaron Finch, Dinesh Karthik, Dwayne Smith, Ravindra Jadeja, James Faulkner, Basil Thampi, Pradeep Sangwan, Ankit Soni.
