Delhi Daredevils have had a torrid time at home in the IPL.
Their loss to defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders was their ninth straight defeat at the Feroz Shah Kotla since 2013.
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It’s a run they will be desperate to break as they host a struggling Mumbai Indians side today (Thursday).
Snapping their poor run at home is the next target for Delhi who had earlier ended their 11-match losing streak with successive wins.
However, the Knight Riders showed that the JP Duminy-led side still have a lot of work to do.
In that clash, Daredevils batsmen got starts but failed to cash in as they only managed 146 for eight.
Age is no barrier when it comes to cricket #dildilli pic.twitter.com/YSVHDDtqaK
— Delhi Daredevils (@DelhiDaredevils) April 23, 2015
Kolkata reached the target with ease, with six wickets in hand.
Assistant coach Praveen Amre, however, said the team is not too concerned about their record at home and that a win at Kotla was just around the corner.
“We still have three games here (in Delhi) and the two away wins were also important for us. The game against Mumbai Indians will be very important for us,” said the former India cricketer.
“We can’t complain about the wicket. Whatever wicket is there, we have to play well,” he added.
Mumbai, however, have a few more issues to sort out.
They are placed second from bottom of the table after slumping to four straight defeats, although hey finally tasted success against Royal Challengers Bangalore, registering an 18-run win.
The iconic Feroz Shah Kotla will host tonight’s clash between #ApunKaSuperstar #MI & the Dilli boys! Paltan, tayar? pic.twitter.com/NGDGzH5yEG
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) April 23, 2015
However, Mumbai were made to sweat in that match as well as the Royal Challengers gave them a good fight chasing the 210-run target.
Mumbai’s top order showed great promise in that match, with opener Lendl Simmons, one-down batsman Unmukt Chand and captain Rohit Sharma piling on the runs.
However, their bowlers struggled to contain the Royal Challengers.
Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh (3-27) was the only one to finish with respectable figures as the rest went for more than eight an over.
It’s an area Mumbai will need to reinforce as bowlers have made a big impact at the Kotla, where the pitch has offered assistance to both pacers and spinners.
