IPL 2017: DD v KXIP, Game 15 – Match Result Predictions

Kings XI Punjab will visit Delhi Daredevils in the 15th match of IPL season 10 as Feroz Shah Kotla prepares itself to host its first game of this year’s tournament. KXIP is currently placed at the fourth position on the points table whereas DD are just behind at fifth. Though it’s too early to judge the teams’ positions yet both the sides would want to hold a spot amongst the top four to stay in the hunt for a playoff spot.

Both sides had contrasting last games. Where KXIP were literally blown away by Kolkata Knight Riders, DD enforced a thumping win over Rising Pune Supergiant courtesy a superb hundred from Sanju Samson. It will be the first game at Kotla that has a history of producing moderate scores and the average first innings score is only 158. The side bowling first has won 29 matches as opposed to 23 batting first. The general trend so far in the league has been to field first after winning the toss and once more that’s expected to happen.

Here is what Crictracker predicts for the game:

Scenario 1: DD wins the toss

Toss prediction: DD would choose to bowl first

First innings score prediction: 145-155

Second innings prediction: DD would win the match by 5 wickets with an over in hand

Scenario 2: KXIP wins the toss

Toss prediction: KXIP would choose to bowl first

First innings score prediction: 160-170

Second innings prediction: DD would win the match by less than 10 runs

Head to Head Record

Overall: Total Matches – 18, DD Won – 8, KXIP Won – 10

Matches in Delhi: Total Matches – 8, DD Won – 4, KXIP Won – 4

Before the match, KXIP have an edge over DD when it comes to the total number of victories against each other but they stand level as far as matches at the Kotla are concerned. Both teams have been playing only away matches so far in which DD have won one and lost one whereas KXIP have 2 victories in 3 matches. But the pitch at Kotla has assisted the spinners over the years and the presence of Amit Mishra and Shahbaz Nadeem puts DD in the advantage and would be the favorites to emerge victorious.

Playing Combinations:

Delhi Daredevils

The Delhi franchise surprised everyone in the previous match as they defeated RPS by a huge margin of 97 runs. It was Sanju Samson’s superlative effort with the bat that ensured a commanding win. Once again, the team would expect the youngster to come good at home. Aditya Tare hasn’t had a good time in the season so far and he might be replaced by their last season’s hero Shreyas Iyer who has returned from an injury. Sam Billings got a decent start in the last game but he needs to convert that into a big score. Rishabh Pant has shown good form with the bat and would be the backbone of the middle-order as Karun Nair has struggled for runs. They will take a call between Corey Anderson and Angelo Matthews who is now available for selection.

Chris Morris played a breathtaking cameo in the last game where he scored 38 runs off just 9 balls that took the score past 200. He is the catalyst at the lower middle-order and also a frontline pacer and certainly the top all-rounder of the team. The other pacers Pat Cummins and Zaheer Khan had an excellent last game as they shared 5 wickets between them. The factor that will come into play the most at the venue is spin bowling. Amit Mishra struck form in the last match where he picked up 3 wickets and Shahbaz Nadeem too has bowled beautifully. The responsibility would lie on these two more than anyone else.

Predicted XI: Shreyas Iyer, Sam Billings, Sanju Samson, Karun Nair, Rishabh Pant(wk), Corey Anderson, Chris Morris, Pat Cummins, Shahbaz Nadeem, Amit Mishra and Zaheer Khan (c)

Kings XI Punjab

The Punjab side so far has done well in the league after the dismal performances in the last two seasons where they finished last on the points table. Their two victories so far have come majorly due to the form of the batsmen. The openers Hashim Amla and Manan Vohra have provided good starts on all occasions but Amla struggles a bit to score freely once the fielding restrictions are lifted. Three different batsmen have batted at number 3 in the last 3 games. Wriddhiman Saha, Axar Patel and Marcus Stoinis have batted at that spot but none of them made a major contribution. Their biggest plus so far has been the form the skipper Glenn Maxwell and hence he should bat in the top order. David Miller too has started to hit his stripes.

The fast bowlers were taken for plenty in the last game by KKR. Sandeep Sharma and Ishant Sharma would be expected to take the new ball. Varun Aaron and Mohit Sharma could be the other pacers with Stoinis or Darren Sammy bowling medium pace. Axar Patel has been their best bowler so far who has bagged wickets as well as kept a check on the scoring. But he is not a big turner of the ball and they don’t have any quality spinner in their squad to support him. They might include Pradeep Sahu but he is yet to feature in the league.

Predicted XI: Hashim Amla, Manan Vohra, Wriddhiman Saha(wk), Glenn Maxwell(c), David Miller, Darren Sammy, Axar Patel, Pradeep Sahu, Mohit Sharma, Ishant Sharma and Sandeep Sharma

The head to head record suggest KXIP having a command over DD but the playing conditions will suit the home side more than the visitors. Amit Mishra and Shahbaz Nadeem could play a crucial role on the surface that might be slow and the lack of spinners in KXIP squad could well be the deciding factor.

Delhi Daredevils with their spinners are in the advantage and would be the favorites to win the match.

You can follow live scores of the match here

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