DC vs KXIP Live Streaming, Match Preview, Timings, Stats, Pitch Report & more for IPL Match 2

Kings XI Punjab will hope that their 12th skipper, KL Rahul, will lead them with the same swagger in this game against Delhi Capitals.

Published - 19 Sept 2020, 20:30 IST | Updated - 19 Sept 2020, 20:30 IST

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These two teams have never been able to slot themselves as the heavyweights or favorites in the tournament’s history. Team balance, amongst other things, is what they have missed in plenty in the past. Despite boasting some limited-over hotshots, a team cannot be termed complete unless it strikes the right combination.

For the Delhi Capitals, all of those working at the backend plus Ricky Ponting needs a pat on their back. DC had hit rock bottom in 2018 as they finished at the bottom of the tally. After that, they have survived the jolts of transition, been selective and vigilant at the auctions, and have found answers to many questions after immense struggle. Result of their labor? One match short of the final after being tied at the top of the table with two teams in 2019.

Considering their memories of playing at the UAE, the Delhi Daredevils (as they were then) were a stop-start feature. They played five games and ended on the wrong side thrice. However, much like most of the teams, they have undergone a severe transition in the years that have followed after 2014. Adding a pinch to the usual transition, the Double Ds even went onto rechristen themselves as Delhi Capitals.

IPL… UAE… If anyone ever has to complete the sequence, the next pop up in this series will inevitably be Kings XI Punjab. How else does one define a performance of five consecutive wins on the trot? KXIP was a beastly force as they managed to clinch every match they played in the initial leg of the season of 2014. But they have had a past that is shakier than the current Indian economy. With another season, the team has gone yet another overhaul in the spot of leadership.

They will hope that their 12th skipper, KL Rahul, will lead them with the same swagger that he reflects with the bat and gloves. However, for him, the long list of responsibilities, which includes batting and wicket-keeping, will start straight up from 20th September 2020, when KXIP will lock horns with the Delhi Capitals at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi in the second match of the IPL 2020.

Pitch and conditions

The expectation from the track is to be slow and low not only in the second game but throughout the tournament. The ball will skid a tad bit under the lights and should come onto the bat nicely. However, much to the surprise of most, there was an even covering of grass in the first game and the ball did move a bit in the air as well as off the surface. The fast bowlers will have a role at the start. There is no respite for the players from the heat even after the sun sets, and their durability will certainly be put to test.

Playing combinations for DC vs KXIP game

Delhi Capitals Probable 11

Not all the teams have the luxury like DC, who arguably have the most promising pool of Indian batsmen with Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Prithvi Shaw, Shreyas Iyer, and Rishabh Pant in there. As the tracks are expected to be slow, they might want to keep the free-flowing Shaw as the first-choice opener alongside Dhawan instead of the cautious Rahane.

In Hetmyer and Stoinis, they have enough firepower, whereas skipper Iyer alongside Pant will be the pivot of their middle-order. They have a brilliant option in Kagiso Rabada and Harshal Patel, who both can bowl well into the wickets. Sandeep Lamichhane, who picked 12 wickets in CPL this year at an economy of 5.28, will be in action alongside Ashwin and one amongst Axar Patel or Amit Mishra.

Predicted XI- Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw/Ajinkya Rahane, Shimron Hetmyer, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Marcus Stoinis, Harshal Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Sandeep Lamichhane, Amit Mishra/Axar Patel.

Bench- Prithvi Shaw/Ajinkya Rahane, Lalit Yadav, Amit Mishra/Axar Patel, Keemo Paul, Daniel Sams, Alex Carey, Ishant Sharma, Mohit Sharma, Avesh Khan, Tushar Despande, Anrich Nortje.

Kings XI Punjab Probable 11

The million-dollar question for the KXIP management will be to figure out whether they want to stick with the opening duo of Rahul and Gayle or want to go ahead with Nicholas Pooran in the middle-order. The alliance of Rahul-Gayle at the top has borne immense fruits for them, however, accommodating Gayle will upset the team balance to some extent.

In the IPL-UAE-KXIP sequence, anything that comes next is Glenn Maxwell, who has a terrific record in the UAE. He was in some form against England in the ODIs and is a certain entrant. Sarfaraz Khan can be a dominant finisher too. Mujeeb ur Rahman, Lamichchane’s accomplice in the CPL, is also coming off a magnificent CPL, where he was the second-highest wicket-taker and had an economy of 5.29. Young leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi is a player to watch out for this time, while the experienced Mohammed Shami will lead the pace attack alongside Sheldon Cottrell.

Predicted XI- KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Sarfaraz Khan, Glenn Maxwell, Mandeep Singh, Chris Gayle/Nicholas Pooran, Krishnappa Gowtham, Mohammed Shami, Ravi Bishnoi, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, Sheldon Cottrell/Chris Jordan.

Bench- Chris Gayle, Harpreet Brar, Tajinder Singh, Deepak Hooda, James Neesham, Simran Singh, Sheldon Cottrell/Chris Jordan, Karun Nair, Ishan Porel, Arshdeep Singh, Darshan Nalkande, Murugan Ashwin, Jagadeesha Suchith, Hardus Viljoen.