What

Kings XI Punjab will come up against Delhi Daredevils in Match 36 of VIVO IPL 2017.

Both teams must be desperate for points given their results so far. KXIP have three wins from eight matches, while DD have two wins from seven matches. In their most-recent match, KXIP were blown away by Sunrisers Hyderabad, while DD were blown away by the Kolkata Knight Riders.

KXIP’s batsmen have fired hot and cold – yet, they have enough talent, experience and class in the batting line-up to help them to reasonable scores. The team has clearly identified that the bowling department is a problem area – in their five defeats this season, the bowlers have leaked runs at 10.04 – and it is with a view to address this that KXIP have fielded a different bowling combination in each of their games. However, time is fast running out, and KXIP need to find a bowling attack that can keep their opponents in check.

DD have the luxury of a game in hand, but they need to take off from the floor of the standings. Zaheer Khan’s side has competed well, but have missed out on clinching the crucial moments. The team will be boosted by the arrival of two-time World T20 winner Marlon Samuels (who won the Man of the Match in both the World T20 Finals). The skipper Zaheer Khan suffered a hamstring injury in the previous match, and if he hasn’t recovered sufficiently, the Daredevils could feel his absence on the leadership front and for the experience he lends to the bowling attack.

With KKR and MI looking good to finish in the top two, there is going to be stiff competition for the remaining two playoff spots. Now is the time for both these teams to move on. Who will prevail?

When

30 April 2017, 1600 Hrs IST

Where

IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali

The Protagonists

Given how poor their bowlers have been, KXIP need their batsmen to win matches. Shaun Marsh, who waged a lone battle in the previous match against SRH, will be expected to yet again get among the runs. In his cameo the other day, Martin Guptill hit the ball crisply, and if he gets another outing, will be expected to get the team off to a flier. KXIP will also be well-served if their captain could get a big score under his belt; Glenn Maxwell – who has the reputation of demolishing opponents – has got starts this season, but is yet to post a half-century.

Sanju Samson is the in-form batsman for Delhi Daredevils; in his last outing, the 22-year old impressed yet again, scoring a fluent and pretty-looking 60. The youngster starts off briskly, but slows down to score at a run-a-ball in the middle overs; that is an area he can look at improving upon. If Marlon Samuels is handed a debut, the Delhi Daredevils will hope the Jamaican can start middling the ball immediately.

Among the bowlers, the ones to keep a close watch are Kagiso Rabada, Chris Morris and Pat Cummins. The surface at Mohali has generally afforded good carry, and could be to the liking of the DD pace-trio.

Match within the match

The contest between Amit Mishra and Glenn Maxwell promises to be exciting. While Mishra has dismissed Maxwell more than any other bowler – 4 times in the IPL – the KXIP skipper has also milked the leg-spinner for runs, scoring 55 runs off 29 balls, which includes 6 sixes and one four.

Head to Head

Overall: Matches played – 19, Kings XI Punjab Won – 10, Delhi Daredevils Won – 9.

In Mohali: Matches played – 4, Kings XI Punjab Won – 3, Delhi Daredevils Won – 1.

Earlier this season, the Delhi Daredevils got the better of Kings XI Punjab at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground; after opting to bat first, DD posted 188-6 riding on a half-century from Sam Billings and a cameo from Corey Anderson (39* from 22 balls). In the second half, the DD bowlers restricted the visitors to 137-9 to help their team to a massive 51-run win.

Trivia

Kings XI Punjab have the highest boundary percentage among all teams; the team has realised 60.5% of their runs this season through hits to or over the fence.

Kings XI Punjab have taken the fewest wickets of all teams in VIVO IPL 2017; in their eight matches so far, they have picked up only 36 wickets.

Delhi Daredevils have been extremely good in picking up wickets early; the average opening partnership against DD this season is 16.86 – the lowest among all teams. DD are the only team to not concede a 50-plus opening partnership this season.

What Next

For Kings XI Punjab: Return fixture (Away) Vs. Royal Challengers Bangalore, May 5

For Delhi Daredevils: Return fixture (Home) Vs. Sunrisers Hyderabad, May 2.