Published: May 15, 2013, 12:30 PM (IST)
Edited: May 15, 2013, 12:30 PM (IST)
Delhi Daredevils’ star-studded batting line-up has failed, barring David Warner (above) who has been their best batsman in the tournament © IANS
By Shrikant Shankar
Dharamsala: May 15, 2013
Kings XI Punjab take on Delhi Daredevils in Match 67 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2013 on Thursday, in Dharamsala at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium.
This is a must-win match for Punjab as they need two wins in as many games to harbour any chance of making it to the top four. They currently occupy sixth position in the standings with 12 points to their name. The two teams directly above them — Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) — have 16 points each. While the Sunrisers have two matches remaining, RCB have only one match left after their loss to Punjab on Tuesday in Bangalore.
With that match in focus, Punjab eased to an unlikely victory chasing a formidable 174 for five set by RCB. They rode on captain Adam Gilchrist’s stunning 54-ball unbeaten 85. A loss would have all but surely ended Punjab’s slim chances of making it into the play-off spots. Even two wins in two may not be enough as their net run rate is inferior to that of RCB’s.
The fact of the matter is their destiny is out of their hands and they need other results to go in their favour. What is of a positive note is that Gilchrist has finally got among the runs. The former Australian wicketkeeper-batsman rolled back the years as he looked like his old self. This is also Punjab’s second successful high-scoring run chase against RCB, which bodes well for their confidence.
They will look to put in a strong performance against a Delhi outfit that lies second from bottom in the points table. Delhi have had a miserable time in the sixth edition of the IPL. Their record does not reflect on how poor they have been when compared to Pune Warriors India, who lie below them.
The Delhi batting has struggled throughout the tournament barring a couple of occasions. The injury to England batsman Kevin Pietersen and the sale of New Zealand’s Ross Taylor to Pune during the transfer window did seem to dent their impressive batting line-up.
But the likes of Mahela Jayawardene, Virender Sehwag, David Warner and Unmukt Chand, who are good enough on their day, have not delivered on a consistent basis. A few innings of substance have been surrounded by many mediocre knocks. Rotating captains between Jayawardene and Warner have also not brought any stability to their game.
The bowling seems the stronger department in the Delhi camp, but the form of Morne Morkel also has been mixed. The South African, who was last year’s leading wicket-taker with 25 scalps, has only managed six this time around. Although, to be fair to him, he has had his injury issues this term.
For one team the match is a do-or-die situation and for the other it is a matter of pride. Whatever happens, it promises to be an interesting match.
Teams:
Kings XI Punjab (Probable): Adam Gilchrist (c&wk), Shaun Marsh, Azhar Mahmood, David Miller, Rajagopal Satish, Mandeep Singh, Manan Vohra, Piyush Chawla, Manpreet Gony, Parvinder Awana, Sandeep Sharma.
Delhi Daredevils (Probable): Mahela Jayawardene (c), Virender Sehwag, Unmukt Chand, David Warner, Johan Botha, Kedar Jadhav (wk), Roelof van der Merwe, Irfan Pathan, Umesh Yadav, Ashish Nehra, Siddharth Kaul.
Time: 20.00 local | 14.30 GMT
(Shrikant Shankar previously worked with Mobile ESPN, where he did audio commentary for many matches involving India, Indian Premier League and Champions League Twenty20. He has also written many articles involving other sports for ESPNSTAR.com. You can follow him on Twitter @Shrikant_23)
