IPL 2018: Sandeep Lamichhane, Junior Dala Set for Delhi Daredevils Debut

With their playoff chance coming to an end with a defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad early this week, Delhi Daredevils are all set to experiment extensively in their remaining three games with an eye on the future.

The Daredevils are languishing at the bottom of the table with just three wins in 11 games. With no goals left this season as far as the league is concerned, the Daredevils might test some new players in the games to come.

After the defeat against Sunrisers, bowling coach James Hopes had insisted the team was considering giving a chance to Junior Dala and Sandeep Lamichhane,

“We now need to see the big picture. What does our roster look like for next year, those things will start to be spoken about now? These next three games are a good opportunity to possibly see some of these guys, especially Junior (Dala) and Sandeep (Lamichhane), in action,” Hopes had said.

The Daredevils had signed Dala after Chris Morris got ruled out of the tournament due to the back injury. The South African pacer has just played three T20I games, all against India early this year. However, he managed to make a big impression during the series by dismissing the likes of Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan.

On the other hand, Lamichhane was signed by the franchise during the auction. The highly-rated leg-spinner became the first-ever player from Nepal to be bought by an IPL franchise. He has warmed the bench so far but can make his debut in the upcoming games.

Meanwhile, a report in Sportstar suggests Gautam Gambhir has been sweating it out in the nets. With Colin Munro and Jason Roy failing to impress, the veteran batsman could return to the playing eleven. Gambhir has not played since stepping down as skipper midway through the season. The ongoing season can also turn out to be Gambhir’s last, as he has looked like a pale shadow of his former self.

Delhi’s next game is against Royal Challengers Bangalore who are also struggling this term. The Virat Kohli-led side is seventh on the table with three wins in ten games and needs to win the contest against Daredevils to remain in contention for a playoff spot.