IPL 10, Match 36, KXIP v DD Preview: Survival at stake for struggling camps

The Kings XI Punjab and the Delhi Daredevils have a similar story to share this season. Both teams looked absolutely threatening on paper with some heavyweights in their lineup. But when the moment of execution arrived, all big names crashed like ten pins. KXIP returned to their den in Mohali hoping for the fortunes to change. A high scoring game beckoned them against the defending champions where they eventually fell short.

For the Delhi Daredevils, they had a poor game against the Kolkata Knight Riders. They suffered a 7 wicket hammering in the game that sees them at the bottom of the points table at the moment. With the two teams coming into the match after suffering defeats, it will all come down to the composure of the two sides. The one that manages to keep their cool on the day shall prevail.

The last time these two teams had in the tournament, it was the spirited DD side who had registered a 51 run win in the fixture at Delhi. Considering the fact that KXIP might not exactly have the home advantage at Mohali for the reason that they have played only one game at the venue thus far, the Daredevils will fancy their chances again. The track looks like an absolute belter and a high scoring game is on the cards.

Toss: Kings XI Punjab won the toss and opted to field

Quotes from the toss:

Karun Nair: The injuries have been a bit frustrating, but the boys are well prepared and ready for today’s match. We have three changes. Zak, Cummins and Bawne miss out, Nadeem, Shami and Sam Billings are back in.

Glenn Maxwell: We will bowl. It’s a fresh pitch, there was a little bit of rain yesterday, should be helpful for our pacers. We have had a couple of injuries, but they are fresh and ready. Hashim Amla and Natarajan are back in, so is Varun Aaron and someone else.

Playing XI:

Delhi Daredevils: Sam Billings, Sanju Samson, Karun Nair(c), Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant(w), Corey Anderson, Chris Morris, Kagiso Rabada, Amit Mishra, Shahbaz Nadeem, Mohammed Shami

Kings XI Punjab: Martin Guptill, Hashim Amla, Manan Vohra, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell(c), Wriddhiman Saha(w), Axar Patel, Mohit Sharma, Varun Aaron, Sandeep Sharma, T Natarajan

Focus will be on

Glenn Maxwell

Kings XI Punjab skipper Glenn Maxwell is a big name in the league. The team missed his services in the previous game as he was dismissed for a duck. Had he batted a little sensibly and stayed along with Shaun Marsh for at least 5 odd overs, the story could have been entirely different for the team. He had started off the season on a perfect note when he had settled in the role of the finisher in the first two games. He has not quite been able to replicate those performances in the other fixtures though.

Wriddhiman Saha

Wriddhiman Saha was the constant run getter for the Indian team in the recently concluded Test season in the home conditions. Coming into the tournament, he had revealed that he wishes to translate his good form of the longest format into the shortest format as well. He had his best opportunity in the previous game where could have emerged as the finisher for the side. Much to the disappointment of the KXIP team and fans, Saha has failed to live up to the name. He has no big score to his name thus far.

Rishabh Pant

The hard-hitting Delhi batsman Rishabh Pant has a reputation to uphold. The kind of performances he has been coming up with has risen the hopes of the fans. He is a renowned hitter of the cricket ball and has a fifty to his name in the season. However, he has failed to get amongst the runs in the previous couple of fixtures which has been hurting the Delhi middle-order. Rishabh needs to pack a punch to ensure he plays the role of the finisher for his side in the match.

Team Combinations:

Kings XI Punjab

Kings XI Punjab have a very strong lineup on paper. However, they have not been up to the mark in terms of consistency. Barring Shaun Marsh’s 84 in the previous game, no other batsman could show resilience at the crease. Manan Vohra has been an inconsistent contender but is certain to get another game. Martin Guptill might get his second game of the season after a promising start in his first. Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, and Eoin Morgan make up the middle order for the team.

Wriddhiman Saha and Axar Patel are due for big scores this season and will be making up the lower middle-order. In the bowling department, they might bring back T Natarajan at the expense of Anureet Singh. Mohit Sharma and Sandeep Sharma are the certain starters in the bowling lineup.

Delhi Daredevils

The Delhi camp would be happy with the way a couple of their batsmen fared up in the previous game. Sanju Samson continued his good form at the top order. He will continue to open the innings with Karun Nair. Shreyas Iyer has got runs under his belt at number three and is certain to be in the lineup. Rishabh Pant has not quite been firing in the last three matches which comes as a bothering issue for the Daredevils.

Ankit Bawne is likely to get an extended game to his name. It will only be unfair to him if he gets dropped after having been given only one outing. The bowling lineup that boasts of some big names started off on a good note but crumbled as the game progressed against KKR. Skipper Zaheer Khan has gone wicketless in the last 3 matches and that would be a concern for them. The four overseas for the match could be Pat Cummins, Kagiso Rabada, Corey Anderson and Chris Morris.

StatAttack

1 – Zaheer needs 1 more wicket to complete 100 IPL wickets.

19 – Number of times the two sides have faced off in IPL. Delhi Daredevils have won on 9 occasions and KXIP have emerged victorious in 10 of them.

166 – Chris Morris bats with a strike rate of 166.79 in the IPL – the third highest in the list of highest strike rates. KXIP skipper Glenn Maxwell is fourth in the list with a strike rate just over 164.