IPL 2011:Delhi Daredevils vs. Kings XI Punjab: Match Preview: Just 156 miles separate Mohali from Delhi, but the gap in the Indian Premier League table looks much wider than that. Labelled as one of the weakest franchises pre-IPL, the Delhi Daredevils have shown just a flash of their brilliance and have lived up to their detractors’ calls. But, Kings XI Punjab quite contrary to their Northern neighbour are soon becoming the fans' second favourite team in the competition, having risen from underdog obscurity to demolition derby expertise. Delhi desperately need a result when these two sides meet on Saturday and unless they can lift their game run the risk of already being out of the running at this early stage of the IPL season.
Delhi Daredevils: Delhi has always been a side with exceptional IPL credentials. Semi-finalists of the first two seasons, signs of a decline became apparent last year when they failed to claim a final four spot for the first time. This season their slide downwards looks in smooth motion with just a solitary win out of the four games they have played so far. There is a dearth of match winners in Delhi as the new squad has a surfeit of amateurs. So far they haven’t risen to the occasion and the over dependence on Virender Sehwag and David Warner has only grown in the tournament. It hasn’t helped Daredevils’ cause that Irfan Pathan has gone unnoticed by now and the huge investment on him has yielded peanuts so far. His all round abilities are well known all around but one would be forgiven for thinking that he is not playing this season. What better way then to kick start the season that by producing a performance against your former team?
Batting as well may override the bowling aspect in T20 but Mumbai and Chennai have shown that it is equally important to have good bowlers who can turn the tide as the best way to keep scoring rates down is by taking wickets. Delhi’s problems only engorge more in the bowling department. Morne Morkel has proved his worth so far but at the other end support from Ashok Dinda has been negligible. Here too the depth, or the lack of it, seems to have been cruelly exposed and the oppositions’ run rate only takes an ascent with each passing over.
Kings XI Punjab:
Kings XI, much like the Daredevils, were trampled in their first game. But the transformation has been quite remarkable and the men from Punjab who were early on dubbed as the whipping boys of this IPL have been dishing it out instead to three of the teams so far. Their last home game on Thursday against Rajasthan showed the extent of their brutality where the Punjab top three batsmen showed just how lethal they can be. The Valthaty show continued while captain Adam Gilchrist also rode on his luck to give Punjab a dream start. But the best was yet to come as Shaun Marsh struck an imperious 71 runs to indicate his return to form. Marsh was the find of the first season of the IPL and was the fulcrum of the batting back then. On Thursday night, Marsh got his first decent hit of the new season and showed his worth in Punjab’s scheme of things. But if Delhi can find their way past these three, they can without a doubt cause a flutter or two in the Punjab camp. Dinesh Karthik is a useful hitter, with the ability to adapt to any kind of situation. He is yet to really fire with the bat and after him, Punjab can be found out wanting.
With batters smacking the ball, the bowlers have rode on the positive wave and played their part effectively in the victory rally. Praveen Kumar has been the backbone of the attack with Ryan Harris ably supporting him with the new ball. Piyush Chawla has started taking wickets and, in conditions suitable to the spinners, he is going to be key to their success on Saturday.
Head-to-head: Delhi Daredevils 2 – 4 Kings XI Punjab
Apr 27, 2008: Punjab won by 4 wickets.
May 17, 2008: Punjab won by 6 runs (D/L).
Apr 19, 2009: Delhi won by 10 wickets (D/L).
May 15, 2009: Punjab won by 6 wickets.
Mar 13, 2010: Delhi won by 8 wickets.
Apr 11, 2010: Punjab won by 7 wickets.
Likely Playing XI:
Delhi Daredevils: David Warner, Virender Sehwag (c), Aaron Finch, Naman Ojha (wk), Y Venugopal Rao, I Pathan, J Hopes, Y Nagar, M Morkel, S Nadeem, A Dinda.
Kings XI Punjab: A Gichrist (c), P Valthaty, S Marsh, D Karthik, A Nayar, R McLaren, S Singh, P Chawla, P Kumar, R Harris, B Bhatt.
Watch out for: Y Venugopal Rao (DC): After the openers, it has all come down to Venugopal’s shoulders and he has so far been quite superb. In the win against Pune his knock of 31 was absolutely pivotal, and come Saturday, Delhi would require another match winning innings from his blade to stem the tide against them.
Shaun Marsh (KXIP): He came, he took his guard and he smacked. Amidst all the hitting of Gilchrist and Valthaty, Marsh’s methodical way to go about proceedings shows that even T20 cricket rewards players who play on the percentages. In the hostile environs of FerozShah Kotla, he could be the ideal foil for Punjab’s juggernaut to roll on.
Prediction: Delhi is coming into their third home game after nothing much to show in the first two. Punjab is coming into this game with three consecutive wins. Delhi is short on manpower; Punjab’s manpower is powering its way through. It's still early days in the IPL, but you have to believe that this is Delhi’s final shot at reviving their season. The predict-o-meter weighs heavily towards Punjab.
