What

Match 10 of Pepsi IPL 2015 will see Kings XI Punjab and the Delhi Daredevils play their respective third matches of the season.

KXIP opened their Pepsi IPL 2015 campaign with a 26-run defeat against the Rajasthan Royals, but have since gathered two points on the board, courtesy their 18-run victory over the Mumbai Indians.

The Delhi Daredevils are yet to open their account, losing to the Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals. Last season’s wooden spoon holders, DD have been extremely competitive, but somehow haven’t been able to seal the deal – losing off the final delivery in both their matches. Against CSK they needed six off the final delivery, but Albie Morkel’s drive landed a couple of feet from the rope and the team finished two runs short of the target. Against RR, they had 13 runs to defend off the last over, and three off the last ball, but still ended up conceding a boundary. There’s the age-old adage that winning is a habit, and DD need to cultivate that habit soon to join the race.

When

15 April 2015, 8p.m. IST

Where

MCA Stadium, Pune

The Protagonists

The KXIP lineup is stacked with match-winners. But the two players who are capable of blowing away opposition are Glenn Maxwell (with the bat) and Mitchell Johnson (with the ball). In stark contrast to last season, Maxwell has had a quiet tournament so far, only managing scores of 7 and 6, and he will be keen to get among the runs. With Sandeep Sharma striking early for KXIP and Anureet Singh picking up wickets, Johnson has the freedom to do what he does best – run in, bowl fast, play the role of enforcer, intimidate the batsmen and pick up wickets. DD batsmen watch out!

Delhi Daredevils need their big guns to stand up to be counted. Skipper JP Duminy, who turned 31 on the eve of the match, and Yuvraj Singh are among the fiercest strikers of the cricket ball. However, the pair has so far only consumed 66 balls in the two matches, contributing only to the extent of 85 runs. DD will be served well if both players don’t hold back and play their natural game. On the bowling front, the team’s two premier bowlers – Zaheer Khan and Mohammed Shami – are said to be down with niggles and might not be available for selection. The focus therefore will be on the two leg-spinners Amit Mishra and Imran Tahir to play the duo role of containing the batsmen and picking up wickets.

Contests to look-forward to

KXIP’s Mitchell Johnson bowling to DD’s Yuvraj Singh and DD’s leg-spin duo of Amit Mishra and Imran Tahir bowling to Glenn Maxwell are the battles one needs to closely watch in this match. Johnson, who expressed he has rediscovered the ability to swing the ball , will be aware of Yuvraj’s weakness against the short delivery and will not hold back.

Maxwell’s apparent weakness against leg-spinners is well-documented, and the Australian will be keen to impose himself on the two leg-spinners who have been very effective so far in Pepsi IPL 2015.

Previous Meetings

Kings XI Punjab have won 9 of their 14 matches against the Delhi Daredevils, including in each of the last four meetings between the two teams.

Trivia

Kings XI Punjab and the Delhi Daredevils have identical records in IPL matches at the MCA Stadium in Pune. Both teams have so far played three matches, winning one and losing two respectively.

Teams batting first have won 12 of the 18 IPL matches played at the MCA Stadium in Pune. Only once has a target over 150 been chased successfully (out of 10 times a target of over 150 has been set).

The two bowlers who have dismissed Glenn Maxell most often are Amit Mishra and Piyush Chawla. 7 of Maxwell’s 21 dismissals in the IPL have been at the hands of leg-spinners. Delhi Daredevils have two in their lineup – Amit Mishra and Imran Tahir.

What Next

Both teams will be seen in action next on April 18. Kings XI Punjab will remain in Pune after this fixture as they are scheduled to play host to defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders. The Delhi Daredevils will travel to Visakhapatnam where they will clash with Sunrisers Hyderabad.