IPL 2017: Delhi Daredevils (DD) Probable Playing 11 against Royal Challengers Bangalore

Pacers

Zaheer Khan (C)

Zak will have to lead by example

He is back is Zaheer Khan. When he removed AB de Villiers in Raipur last year, it was thought that his IPL career was over.

But not quite. He is back for yet another season, leading the Daredevils for a second straight year, hoping to take them past the finish line. I think for a player like Zaheer, numbers at this stage don't matter. It is about how he leads the side, how he guides the younger lot who are always eager to learn.

That is where his real expertise would come in and hopefully, he can do that and also chip in personally as well to help the Daredevils go all the way.

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Mohammed Shami

Shami will have to remain fit for the entirety of the tournament if he is to get a Champions trophy spot

The player almost every Indian fan will keep his eyes on. Like Zaheer, with Shami, numbers are a bit secondary. The primary question with him is fitness and whether he can play as regularly as captains want him to play.

Shami played in the Vijay Hazare Trophy final for Bengal and looked okay, but can he, in an event as long as the IPL, maintain his fitness for a large part, if not the entire tournament?

His fitness and his bowling will be monitored closely and if he does pass the test, then he can consider himself to be on the flight to England for the Champions Trophy in June.