Due to the presence of experienced spinners like Ravichandran Ashwin, Amit Mishra and Akshar Patel, Delhi Capitals (DC) will have a heavy upper hand against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in the 2nd match of IPL 2020 on Sunday. Today (Sunday), this match will be played at Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The match will start at 7.30 pm Indian time.
So far, there has been a total of 24 matches between DC vs KXIP out of which Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) has won 14 matches, while Delhi Capital (DC) won 10. Talking about the last five matches, the Punjab team has won four matches.
This will be the first match between the two teams, where a fierce rivalry can also be seen between their captains. Kings XI captain KL Rahul and Delhi Capitals’ Shreyas Iyer are being seen as future Indian captains. Not only this, but the coaches of both teams have also been world-class players. So in such a situation it will be interesting to see their strategy.
It’s not DC vs KXIP, It’s Ponting vs Kumble
If Kings XI Punjab players want to take inspiration from Anil Kumble, then the Delhi Capitals players will leave no stone unturned to field Ricky Ponting’s plans. There is no shortage of players who have hit big shots in both teams. But on the slow pitches of the UAE, the trio of Ashwin, Mishra, and Akshar may be overshadowed by the Punjab team.
On the batting front, Delhi Capitals have a good mix of Indian and international players. Which includes Prithvi Shaw, Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Shikhar Dhawan, and Shimron Hetmyer of West Indies. In this scenario, Indian Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane may not get a chance which they bought from Rajasthan Royals.
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Kings XI has big shots players like Chris Gayle, Glenn Maxwell, and Rahul himself. The confidence of Maxwell, who helped his national team win in the third ODI against England, will be very high. He performed brilliantly when some matches of this tournament were played in UAE in 2014. Maxwell scored 552 runs in 16 matches that season. Kings XI have a dangerous opening pair in the form of Gayle and Rahul, followed by Mayank Agarwal.
The Delhi Capitals team could include Daniel Sams. He was the highest wicket-taker in the Big Bash League, along with Kagiso Rabada in the final 11. This could lead to Ishant Sharma sitting out. Mohammed Shami will lead the fast bowling attack for Kings XI Punjab. While the spin department will be responsible for Mujib Zadran of Afghanistan.
Ashwin would like to pair up with Mishra. Mishra has 157 wickets in the IPL and he is second in the list of highest wicket-takers.
The teams are as follows –
Delhi Capitals Squad: Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Shimron Hetmyer, Shreyas Iyer(c), Rishabh Pant(w), Marcus Stoinis, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Sandeep Lamichhane, Ishant Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Mohit Sharma, Alex Carey, Avesh Khan, Tushar Deshpande, Anrich Nortje, Daniel Sams, Lalit Yadav, Keemo Paul, Amit Mishra, Harshal Patel.
Kings XI Punjab Squad: Lokesh Rahul(w/c), Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Nicholas Pooran, Glenn Maxwell, Deepak Hooda, Mandeep Singh, Mohammed Shami, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Chris Jordan, Karun Nair, Murugan Ashwin, Krishnappa Gowtham, Sheldon Cottrell, Hardus Viljoen, Ishan Porel, James Neesham, Jagadeesha Suchith, Sarfaraz Khan, Tajinder Singh, Darshan Nalkande, Arshdeep Singh, Simran Singh, Harpreet Brar, Ravi Bishnoi
Predicted Playing XI of DC vs KXIP
DC: Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Alex Carey, Marcus Stoinis, Amit Mishra, Ravichandran Ashwin, Daniel Sams, Ishant Sharma, Kagiso Rabada
KXIP: KL Rahul, Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Glenn Maxwell, Karun Nair, Mandeep Singh, Chris Jordan, K Gowtham, Mohammed Shami, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Ravi Bishnoi
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