Every IPL Team plays it’s opponent twice in the competition, once at home ground and once away. Each Team tries its best to make the maximum use of home conditions and strategies accordingly. Winning most home matches and trying best for a few away wins have been a standard strategy in the IPL. In this series, we look at each team and its relationship with its home venue and its likely strategy this year.
Delhi’s Feroz Shah Kotla is always a surprise package. Judging the pitch correctly is a skill that everyone soughts and it always tends to be somewhat a lottery. Delhi Daredevils have not won any IPL trophy so far. This year Delhi’s own Gautam Gambhir will lead the IPL team. The combination of Gambhir and Kotla may just become the winning reason for DD in 2018.
The Feroz Shah Kotla Ground is the second oldest cricket ground in India after Eden Gardens. It was established in 1883 and the first ever Test match here was played in the year 1948 between India and West Indies. The breeding ground for future Indian stars, Kotla has witnessed many historical moments. Anil Kumble’s spell of 10/74 versus Pakistan, Sunil Gavaskar’s 29th Test ton to equal Bradman and Sachin’s 35th Test century to overtake Gavaskar are a few of these moments. The capital ground has hosted 32 Tests, 20 ODIs and 2 T20Is so far.
DD Record at the Feroz Shah Kotla Ground, Delhi (All Seasons)
| Year | Played | Win | Loss | Win % |
| 2008 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 57 |
| 2010 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 43 |
| 2011 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 17 |
| 2012 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 63 |
| 2013 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 38 |
| 2014 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 2015 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 43 |
| 2016 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 57 |
| 2017 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 57 |
The table clearly indicates that Delhi has almost never dominated at their home ground like many other teams have. Their best season at the home ground is in 2012. That year they had a rejuvenated team full of stars like Kevin Pietersen, Mahela Jayawardene, Ross Taylor etc. They were the table toppers of the season but failed to progress in the IPL Final.
Also Read: IPL 2018: Delhi Daredevils Worked Well To Improve Their Squad
In 2014 IPL where one half was played in the UAE, Delhi suffered its longest losing streak when the caravan arrived back in India. The nine-match losing streak featured five home losses making it their worst home performance.
Pitch Conditions:
The strip at the Feroz Shah Kotla has undergone a lot many changes. The most recent match here was the first T20I between New Zealand and India in November 2017. The Pitch supported spinners as their combined figures read 6/115 in 17 overs. The average score in that match was 175.
For IPL 2018:
This year Delhi Daredevils have a fearsome pace battery installed in their team that consists – Kagiso Rabada, Chris Morris, Trent Boult and Mohammad Shami. With such skilled bowlers at disposal Delhi must persist with a green track. Their spinner Amit Mishra and Shahbaz Nadeem are exceptional at adapting to the situation.
The flip side of preparing a batting track will be that this year DD does not have an experienced batsman in the ranks except Gautam Gambhir. So Feroz Shah Kotla is likely to be a batting track with some help for the faster bowlers.
Also Read: IPL 2018 Preview: Delhi Darvedevils – The Ultimate Underachievers
