IPL 2017 | Match 36 Preview: Kings XI Punjab vs Delhi Daredevils

After a good start to their campaign, the hosts have lost their way and their lacklusture bowling has been the major reason for it. Apart from Mohit Sharma, other pacers struggled to stem the run flow on a flat Hyderabad strip in the last game. Ishant Sharma continued his horrible run in the league and had some forgettable days at the office. However, their batting unit has performed well and much to their joy, Hashim Amla, who was ruled out of the match against SRH with a hamstring injury, has made a comeback to the team.

On the other hand, Delhi continued to struggle and slipped to a seven-wicket loss against Kolkata Knight Riders. While Sanju Samson clicked with the bat, Karun Nair has failed to live up to the expectations. The team’s mediocre fielding also didn’t help their cause.

Head to Head

In 19 games between these two teams, Punjab have won 10 times. Kings XI have lost to Daredevils four times in their last five matches. 

Last Meeting:

In this season, Delhi prevailed over Kings XI Punjab by 51 runs in their first home game at Feroz Shah Kotla.

Fan Predictions:

As part of the preview, we bring to you fan predictions for the talking points of the game. The predictions are sourced from the newest fantasy game on the block – Nostragamus. If you want to make your predictions and win prizes, click here.

Who will win?

In their previous encounters, KXIP have won 10 while DD have won 9. Both the teams are struggling to get a win, KXIP have lost 5 out of their last 6 IPL games whereas DD have lost all their previous 4 games. At least KXIP's batting seems to be consistent and they just have to improve their bowling, unlike DD, whose batting has been unpredictable the whole season and their bowling attack has been toothless. Hence we predict a victory for Punjab.

Who will score more runs?

A.) Shaun Marsh B.) Corey Anderson C.) Equal

Marsh averages 46.7 in this IPL season whereas Anderson averages 21.5. However, Marsh's avg vs DD drops to 31.28 while Anderson's increases to 39.5 vs KXIP. Corey Anderson has not been able to find his form this IPL and might make way for Angelo Matthews in the next game as DD are still experimenting with their starting XI. On the other hand, Shaun Marsh has been given only 3 chances and has made good use of it, scoring 26, 30 and a brilliant 84. Hence it is a no brainer, we predict Shaun Marsh to outscore Corey Anderson even if he starts for DD.

Predicted Playing XI:

Delhi Daredevils: Sanju Samson, Sam Billings, Karun Nair, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Chris Morris, Ankit Bawne, Kagiso Rabada, Pat Cummins, Amit Mishra, Zaheer Khan (c)

Kings XI Punjab: Hashim Amla, Manan Vohra, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Gurkeerat Singh, Wriddhiman Saha, Axar Patel, Mohit Sharma, Matt Henry, KC Cariappa, T Natarajan

Key player:

Hashim Amla (KXIP): Amla has been brilliant for the Punjab side this season. After taking rest due to injury, he is all set to make a comeback and Punjab’s hope would be pinned on him.

Amit Mishra (DD): Mishra has dismissed Maxwell the most number of times in the history of IPL. DD will hope for Mishra to get the better of him yet again.  

Pre-match chatter:

"Most of our players are Under-25 and being with Rahul sir, youngsters like us learn a lot. He always backs us. That's a great thing to have. We just want to perform and win matches for him," Sanju Samson. 

Time: 4 PM

Venue: Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali

TV Listings: Sony Six HD, Sony Six, Set Max, Sony ESPN