17 March,2010 07:03 AM IST | | Sanjjeev K Samyal
Delhi Daredevils have all the ammunition to intimidate the best. They will also hold the home advantage when they take on Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League match at the Feroz Shah Kotla today.
However, the equation has evened out a bit with the arrival of Mumbai's hot buy, Kieron Pollard. The Trinidadian batsman joined the team in Delhi yesterday evening and alongwith Dwayne Bravo, is likely to play against Gautam Gambhir's team.
Pollard was the most sought-after cricketer in the IPL's third player auction and Mumbai Indians emptied their entire purse of 750,000 on him before buying him in the tie-breaker.
The expectations are naturally high from the big-hitter. Pollard's made a name for himself with his six-hitting ability and provided enough proof of it during the inaugural Champions League T20, but in the IPL, he will face a different kind of pressure, feels his Queens Park Cricket Club coach Brian Davis.
Never before...
Davis, the former West Indies player said it will be the first time Pollard will be playing in front of such a huge audience -- at the ground and TV.
"He's not played against such large crowds but he is seen as someone, who can make a difference and that alone can be a huge confidence booster.
"After all, lack of temperament is lack of confidence," Davis told MiD DAY.
Davis was head coach when Pollard joined the Queens Park CC and is now technical director at the club. "He has yet to establish himself at the international level, but he's an ideal Twenty20 player. He's a power-hitter and hits straight, mainly a driver of the ball and not a slogger," said Davis. To shake off the jet lag and settle down before the big game, Pollard and Bravo will be going for a hit at the nets today morning.
