With only four points against their name from seven games, Kings XI Punjab need to get back to their winning ways to make a claim for a spot in the Playoffs of Pepsi IPL 2015. The finalists of the 2014 edition will be taking on the Delhi Daredevils at the Ferozeshah Kotla on Friday. While the hosts have only two points more than the visitors, they had comprehensively beaten the George Bailey-led side in Pune on April 15.
Asked what pointers they had taken from the previous game against DD which would help them to strategise against the opponents, Bangar said, “It depends a lot on the conditions. What type of team combination they play on these grounds also matters a bit.”

Entering the second half of the tournament, KXIP could be playing catch-up as the tournament progresses. To add to their woes, they also have an injury concerns regarding the captain and top-order batsman Shaun Marsh, who had played a match-winning role in his first game of the season.

“We are having some injury issues; let us see how the players turn up tomorrow. Only then we can take a final call (on the team composition),” coach Sanjay Bangar told the media after the team’s practice session at the Kotla.

The one department that has been doing well for KXIP has been their bowling. While their pace attack has been performing well, spinner Axar Patel too has been making significant contributions for the side. When asked if KXIP were looking to boost their spin bowling attack, given the success DD’s leg-spin duo of Amit Mishra and Imran Tahir have had at the Kotla, Bangar said, “We have some good spinners too; we have a good team combination. Axar has done well for us, he bowls well. We played a lot of games in Pune and Mohali and there was grass cover there so we couldn’t give the other spinners that much opportunity. But we have good spinners also and tomorrow if we require their services, we can bring them in.”

However, the team’s batting lineup is yet to click as a unit, as analysed by the coaches in a previous press conference. The likes of Virender Sehwag, who can be a game changer on his day, is yet to fire this season. Asked about the opener’s lack of runs and being left out on account, the coach said, “If you see, the kind of format that this is, there have been some big players who haven’t been able to play at some or the other stage in the IPL. You have examples in front of you; I don’t have to name names. Sometimes because of team combination or lack of form, big players do have to miss out. It is a fact of T20 cricket and I think players themselves understand that.”

Glenn Maxwell who had been the key performer for the side last season too is not amongst runs yet. Analysing the batsman’s form, Bangar said, “The kind of batsman he is, he bats like that and when he gets into a rhythm and when he connects (bat with ball) then the shots go out of the ground and is applauded. And when they don’t connect it looks bad. That is the sort of player he is. We know he is a high impact player and you have to be patient with him. And we still believe that he will still leave a big impact on the tournament.”

“If you don’t get a good start and your batsmen are not making runs, then it is definitely a setback for the team in Twenty20. You generally expect plenty of runs from the batsmen; a bowler can only bowl a maximum of four overs, while the batsman has a limitless opportunity to bat. So if your best players are not using that opportunity, then in some way or the other it affects the team,” he mentioned while discussing that the batsmen needed to make good use of the twenty overs.