IPL 10, Match 15, DD v KXIP Preview: Spirited Daredevils look to continue winning momentum

Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) is all set to lock horns with Delhi Daredevils in the 15th encounter of the tournament scheduled to be played tomorrow at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in Delhi from 8 pm. Delhi will be oozing with confidence after the thumping 97 runs victory against Rising Pune Supergiant while on the other hand, Punjab will be aiming to get back on track after getting thrashed at the hands of Kolkata Knight Riders yesterday.

Punjab began with two exceptional victories in their first 2 matches but got a reality check in the 3rd encounter against the two-time champions KKR who chased down the total of 171 set by KXIP with utmost ease. Delhi has been the underachievers of the tournament so far but after annihilating Pune in the previous encounter, they will surely look a much charged up unit.

Sanju Samson’s brilliant century silenced the critics who have been questioning the young man for not performing on a consistent basis but definitely after this century will surely keep him and Delhi in a positive state of mind progressing into the tournament. Chris Morris also played a gem of an innings the other day and his 9 balls 38 contained 4 sixes and a four.

Toss: Delhi Daredevils won the toss and opted to bat

Quotes from the toss:

Glenn Maxwell: It is always good rivalry. We have their favourite son as our coach. We have a couple of changes, Stoinis misses out to Eoin Morgan and Ishant is replaced by KC Cariappa.

Zaheer Khan: Looks like a bat first wicket. It is a bit on the drier side and that is why we wanted to bat first. Pretty good crowd here and looking forward to their support. It is about taking forward the momentum from the last game. Just one change: Tare is replaced by Shreyas Iyer.

Focus will be on

Wriddhiman Saha

The wicket-keeper batsman has been in some form of late. The small pan really packs a punch and can deposit the ball to all the nooks and corners of the ground. He has the capability to play the sheet anchor’s role and accelerate when required. He has evolved himself as a champion T20 batsman and it was evident from his returns in the first two matches.

Undoubtedly he is the best available wicket keeper in the nation with hi acrobatics behind the stumps. He has safe pairs of hands and at time plucks out stunners from nowhere. He has already taken a sensational catch in the 2nd match and will look to add some more catches to his tally tomorrow.

Zaheer Khan

The Daredevils captain was at his very best in the previous match as the left-arm seamer finished with impressive figures of 3/20 in his allotted 4 overs. There was a question mark over his spot in the side given he hadn’t played any professional cricket for a long time but for an experienced campaigner like Zaheer Khan he knows how to manage his workload and still deliver with the limited resources.

He also handled his troops to perfection and was instrumental in giving Delhi their maiden win of the tournament. They will surely take the confidence of this victory and look to make a mark in the tournament.

Sam Billings

The English opener played some excellent shots during his brief stays during the opening two matches but he will look to convert his starts into a really big one. In the first match against Royal Challengers, Bangalore Billings looked confident and began with some fluent drives. He was dismissed for 25 of 19 deliveries, an innings decorated with a six and a four.

He began with a flurry of boundaries against Pune but was yet again dismissed at a crucial juncture of the game. After making 24 of 17 deliveries to go with 4 boundaries Billings gave away his wicket to Imran Tahir.

Team Combination

Kings XI Punjab

After the defeat at the hands of KKR, Kings XI Punjab might be tempted to spring in a couple of changes. Ishant Sharma who made his debut for Punjab yesterday bowled in the right read but remained wicketless in the 2 overs he bowled. Coming in as a replacement for T. Natarajan, Sharma looked in good rhythm.

Varun Aaron was rusty and conceded 23 runs in 2 overs. Sunil Narine took him apart smashing him for a couple of sixes and a four during the powerplay overs so there is a possibility that he might make way for Natarajan. Though the left arm seamer failed to realise his potential in the limited opportunities.

Delhi Daredevils

The Delhi team is expected to remain unchanged especially after a resounding victory against Pune. It is very unfortunate to see the frontline Indian pacer Mohammed Shami missing out but in a tournament like IPL it is bound to happen. In hindsight it might be a blessing in disguise for the home team given the fact, India will go out to defend their Champions Trophy title in June.

Playing XI

Delhi Daredevils: Shreyas Iyer, Sam Billings, Sanju Samson, Rishabh Pant(w), Corey Anderson, Chris Morris, Karun Nair, Pat Cummins, Amit Mishra, Shahbaz Nadeem, Zaheer Khan(c)

Kings XI Punjab: Hashim Amla, Manan Vohra, Eoin Morgan, Glenn Maxwell(c), David Miller, Wriddhiman Saha(w), Axar Patel, Mohit Sharma, Varun Aaron, Sandeep Sharma, KC Cariappa

StatAttack 

3- Zaheer need 3 more wickets to complete 100 IPL wickets.