As the IPL 2016 enters the half-way stage, the teams which are currently in the bottom half of the table would need to regroup quickly to keep themselves in the reckoning. Rising Pune Supergiants who currently have four points to their credit will be playing their ninth game against Delhi Daredevils at the Feroz Shah Kotla on 5th May. The MS Dhoni-led team have also had their concerns with injuries. The team have lost some of the most prolific batsmen – Kevin Pietersen, Faf du Plessis and Steven Smith to injuries. However, the side have been beefed up with the inclusion of Usman Khawaja and George Bailey ahead of the crucial encounter as they look forward to swinging the fortunes in their favour. “We will try our best and we have also got two new entrants in Usman Khawaja and George Bailey, so I hope the team combination becomes very good. We have just welcomed them, and I hope we get the right combination and start winning matches – because that is very important from now onwards,” Rajat Bhatia, who is with the Pune based franchise, told the media. The team’s combination and clicking as a unit has been one of Supergiants’ concerns. Speaking about the composition and the urgency to get points, the all-rounder mentioned, “Well you never know. Some teams which are doing well, they might lose momentum towards the end. That’s what happened with Rajasthan Royals. Two years we were on a winning streak and then we suddenly lost towards the end. You can’t judge any team right now. At the end (of the league phase) towards the last four-five games, if the graph starts going up for those teams who are down and starts going down for those teams who are up, it can change any time. It’s Twenty20 cricket.” Asked if the injuries too have bearing on the strategies, Bhatia explained, “Injuries are unavoidable. We can only do our best. But there are so many players in the team so everybody gets an opportunity. As I said, two guys have come, so they are definitely going to replace someone. There is no strategy. When you start winning matches, then people say that you have come up with a good strategy. It has to be just momentum that we are looking for.”

While the team looks to turn things around for themselves, the former Delhi player will also be able to give his team some insights into the conditions as they take on DD, who have been making their presence felt with some clinical performances. “You can only share your views with the team and that’s what I’ll do and try to tell them what could work here. But the Delhi pitch keeps changing, so you can’t say – anything might happen here,” he said while talking about sharing his experience with his team. “Let’s hope we start doing well from this game onwards and then you never know. You know the captain of our team, his record speaks for itself,” he said while talking about his team further. While RPS are led by one of the best leaders in world cricket – MS Dhoniv- the opposition is led by Zaheer Khan, who has masterminded the team’s wins this season. The former India pacer was also called the national team’s bowling captain by the RPS skipper when he played for India. With two of the best captains in the tournament facing off against each other, the game at Kotla could be one to watch out for as the battle of captains – MSD and Zaheer out-thinking each other. Asked about his view of the forthcoming match, Bhatia said, “There must be a few things going through his mind right now (Dhoni’s). Even though we are not doing well right now, it doesn’t mean he’s not a good captain. I always feel that his way of thinking is completely different. “He stays calm. He is unbelievable. And there are so many things you normally learn from IPL, and that’s what I’m learning from him – how to stay calm,” he said while appreciating his skipper’s skills.