Delhi Daredevils downed by a monster with a Mongoose

After coming aground abruptly against Sachin Tendulkar and the Mumbai Indians, I wrote that the Delhi Daredevils were similar to Liverpool Football Club in that tremendous success was normally failed by dismal failure. It’s not as if I wasn’t prepared either as my choice to support Delhi met with a chorus of warnings that the Daredevils were perennial underachievers.

 

Today with Virender Sehwag again at his scintillating best, Delhiposted 185/6 against the Chennai Super Kings. Game over. Or so I thought.

 

Enter that bully from days of yore, Matthew Hayden. But this time armed with a new weapon called the Mongoose. This new bat has a longer handle, is shorter and thicker than conventional cricket bats and apparently provides up to 20% more power.

 

Placed in the arms of a bully like Hayden, the combination proved irresistible. The former Australian opener even tormented Delhi by starting his innings with a conventional bat. After warming up with three boundaries in his first eight balls, he called for the Mongoose.

 

And Delhi became his cobra as the bowling was flayed to all corners of the ground. Hayden, not someone who really needs extra power, smashed six fours and seven sixes off his first 35 balls with his new beast bat.

I may just be a disgruntled Delhisupporter but the odds are already heavily against bowlers today with flat pitches and small grounds, and in T20 that seems to be exacerbated. So, I’m not sure if providing the bat equivalent of a cluster bomb to gorging batsmen is entirely fair. Maybe the stump height should be increased or the ball made smaller, or hell maybe batsmen should have to bat blindfolded in T20 to even things up?

 

Anyway, it is confirmed Delhi Daredevils and Liverpool FC are one and the same thing. Maybe the Delhiowners could push some cash the way of Rafa Benitez? He certainly needs it.

Comments

[Account Deleted]

Delhi and Liverpool may be closer than you think. Rumor has it that GMR holdings, the majority stake holder in Delhi Daredevils is trying to acquire liverpool. There are many articles on this if you search on Google.

[The Reverse Sweep]

Thanks for the info Yash. I knew that there were rumours of possible investment in Liverpool from India, and that one of those was involved in the IPL, but I didnt realise it was the same people behind Delhi. Lets hope it happens as a) Liverpool need the cash, and b) it will mean that I have made a shrewd choice to follow Delhi.