DCL Match Preview: SDS Tours vs Stallions

Both teams were favored to reach the CUP quarter-finals. Both lost to inspired performances. Now in the PLATE division, both are in it to win it. The intensity is palpable. We expect an explosive clash!

SDS TOURS

FORM GUIDE

Match 1: Beat Sledgehammer Asia by 96 runs

Match 2: Lost to Destructors by 23 runs

Match 3: Beat KEI Cables by 39 runs

Match 4: Lost to Mac’s CC by 106 runs

OVERVIEW

SDS Tours play tough cricket. They bat deep, and the line-up is sprinkled with big hitters. On most days, at least two batsmen fire and they are able to top the 180 mark. The bowling is not that reliable, though. They have a good balance of spin and seam, but except for the first match (they bowled Sledgehammer Asia out for 84), they haven’t fired as a unit. They have conceded nearly 10 runs an over their last 3 matches. Make no mistake, though, the bowling is as capable as any in this tournament. It is a matter of discipline, and tomorrow their motivation to perform should be really high.

One of their biggest strengths is the mystery element. SDS Tours does not have any set patterns of play. The bowlers and batsmen are all equally adaptable, and plans change quickly depending on the match situation. Consequently, it is very hard to plot a strategy against them. The downside is that too many players have been in and out of the team for one reason or another. With all the chopping and changing, they may struggle for rhythm.

Bottom-line: If SDS Tours fire as a unit, they are as good as any team in Delhi cricket. But, they have their off days and those are very hard to predict.

PERFORMANCE INDICATOR

Click here for the SDS Tours Performance Indicator, with a complete breakdown of their results, top performers in each match, and batting and bowling statistics.

STALLIONS

FORM GUIDE

Match 1: Lost to Ronnie Finance by 5 wickets

Match 2: Beat Smashers by 7 wickets

Match 3: Beat Supertron by 17 runs

Match 4: Lost to KEI Cables by 55 runs

OVERVIEW

As a team, Stallions is as hard to read as their opponent, and their form is just as liable to fluctuate. They have won twice (convincingly) and lost twice (equally convincingly), and it is very hard to pull out a pattern. On evidence of this tournament, the bowling is the stronger department. In seamer Subhiksh, left-arm spinner Avinash, Mayank, and leg-spinner Daman (the best bowler in our previous tournament), they have 4 bowlers with match-winning capability. In spite of the quality, the bowlers were less than impressive in their last outing against KEI Cables.

The batting will probably count on openers Sameer (in-form batsman) and Soumya to give them a good start. The only time they looked really good with the bat was against Smashers, and that time both openers put on a 100-run stand.

Bottom-line: It is an attacking bowling unit (Stallions) pitted against batsmen who love the big hits (SDS Tours). This will be the battle of the day! However, the Stallions batsmen will need to show up to make a match of it.

PERFORMANCE INDICATOR

Click here for the Stallions Performance Indicator, with a complete breakdown of their results, top performers in each match, and batting and bowling statistics.

There is no way to predict this one, except to say that it will be an explosive match!