The Delhi Daredevils have already qualified for the semi-finals. Mumbai Indians have already joined the Kolkata Knight Riders, on their way out. Apart from that, there are five teams still fighting it out for the remaining three semi-final berths, and with only six league games to go in this season, it sure cannot get more interesting.

Royal Challengers Bangalore, who has an outside chance of still upsetting many a calculation, will take on the stronger-on-paper, Delhi Daredevils (11/5 at Paddy Power to win tournament). Bangalore, on the other hand, has to win this game to stay alive in the competition.

Bangalore (11/8 at Sky Bet to win game) goes into the match with two successive wins behind them, but the five-day break could have halted their momentum. Their star in both the games was a surprising candidate, Ross Taylor (5/1 at Sky Bet to top score the Bangalore innings), and he will want to capitalise on his good run of form after going through a rather bleak first few games. Jacques Kallis (4/1 at Ladbrokes to be best Bangalore batsman) hasn’t been very quick, but accumulated enough runs for him to be my favourite to be able to bat through the inning. Ladbrokes also offer 4/1 for Robin Uthappa to be the top Bangalore scorer, but he is way too inconsistent to be able to play a decent hand.

Instead, a Rahul Dravid (5/1 at Ladbrokes) may do a better job in trying to get back to the form that had seen him hold the orange cap for a few games in the beginning of the tournament before Mathew Hayden took it away from him – and the rest of the candidates!

From Delhi’s batting, Virender Sehwag (7/2 at Ladbrokes to be best Delhi batsman) has said that he will use this game to try and get back into form, and that invariably means that he should bat as an opener and try to play through the inning. This may also mean that Gautam Gambhir (7/2 at Ladbrokes to top Delhi batting) may also try and attack the bowling from the word go, in a bid to regain his run-scoring ability; not just before the knock-outs but also the ICC World T20 that follows the IPL.

AB de Villiers (7/2 at Ladbrokes to be top Delhi batsman) continues to impress, and one may not be surprised to see him get another high score; especially if the top-order flounders like it has been so far. Sehwag’s return also means that Dave Warner will continue to sit out of the playing eleven, while it looks like Glen McGrath could also end up not getting a game with Dirk Nannes’ performance as a frontline bowler.

Pity Nannes will not play for the Australians in the ICC World T20; instead he will go on to represent the Dutch!

Tips:
Favourites: Delhi Daredevils (8/13 at Boylesports)
Top Delhi batsman: Virender Sehwag (7/2 at Ladbrokes)
Top Bangalore batsman: Jacques Kallis (4/1 at Ladbrokes)