Rajasthan Royals will look to tighten their grip on a playoff spot when they face off against beleaguered Delhi Daredevils in their IPL 2013 encounter in Jaipur Tuesday.
The Royals are currently in fourth place with seven wins from 11 games. If they pick up two points against Delhi Daredevils, they can jump up to second above RCB, who lost their game against Kings XI in dramatic fashion on Monday.
Delhi Daredevils have very little to play for, with the hopes of making the playoffs hanging by the slimmest of threads, having won only two of their 11 games so far in IPL 2013. They will have to win every single one of the remaining five matches, and hope that the teams above them slip up dramatically to have any chance of making the top-four.
"We have to play proud cricket," Daredevils spin bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed told reporters. "The most important thing is to respect the game, and I think we got to respect the game as much as we can.
"It's disappointing. If I should be honest, we did not play good enough cricket but there are still five games left. So, we have to play for the badge of Delhi Daredevils and play hard cricket, let the people know that we are a good team. We didn't play well, but we can still finish well."
Ahmed believes spin bowling has evolved over the years and is crucial to success in the IPL and T20 format.
"I think spin bowling is important," the former Pakistan leg-spinner added. "Lots of teams are winning games because of the spinners. So I believe, because spinners have more variations like they have a carrom ball, a doosra, a googly, they have a flipper and a top spinner, they are playing a huge role in T20.
"Lots of people used to think less of spinners, but now they have changed their opinion, that less pace you have the more difficult it is for the batsmen to hit sixes. Spinners can pick wickets in the middle, which is a crucial time in T20. Spinners are playing a huge role."
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