Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) vs Delhi Daredevils (DD), IPL 2017 match 36 preview and likely XI: Both sides seek crucial win

Though DD are currently at the bottom of the table, they have more games left in hand than KXIP, which means they have more chances.

In a crucial stage of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2017, Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) take on Delhi Daredevils (DD) in Match No. 36 at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh. This will be the first game of the action-packed Sunday, with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) taking on Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at their home ground later in the evening. Both the teams, especially DD, have outside chance to make it to the IPL 2017 play-offs. Thus, the match will be of utter importance for them to gather points as well as increase confidence to proceed in this stage of the tournament. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: Kings XI Punjab vs Delhi Daredevils – Match 36

Though DD are currently at the bottom of the table, they have more games left in hand than KXIP, which means they have more chances. They also have a better Net Run Rate than KXIP and only a victory will take them ahead of their opponents. DD’s basic problem has been their imbalance in the line-up, with a heavy bowling line-up and a relatively inexperienced batting. DD will want their latest recruit, an experienced Marlon Samuels, to join the team as soon as possible to seek a change in fate. Though batsmen like Rishabh Pant and Karun Nair have played impressive knocks in the past, consistency is one issue they will have to deal with. On the other hand, Sanju Samson has been scoring consistently. Their bowling, consisting of the likes of Kagiso Rabada, Zaheer Khan, Chris Morris and Pat Cummins, is surely one of the finest this season. DD will hope Zaheer to remain fit after the niggle he suffered at Eden Gardens on Friday.

Coming to KXIP, the team too has troubles finding consistency. They are yet to settle for a fixed bowling line-up, with veterans like Ishant Sharma often going expensive. Batsmen like Manan Vohra, Shaun Marsh and Glenn Maxwell have been consistent with the runs. The latest addition to their team is Martin Guptill who played his first for the team in the previous match. The team will have to find a balance between their batting and bowling, quite similar to their opponents for a fruitful match.

Likely XIs:

Kings XI Punjab: Martin Guptill, Manan Vohra, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell (c), Eoin Morgan, Wriddhiman Saha, Akshar Patel, Anureet Singh, Mohit Sharma, Ishant Sharma

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

Story so far:

KXIP have so far won only three of their eight matches. DD have won two of their seven matches.

Advantage: Playing at home ground might be a general advantage for any team, including the crowd support. However, with the pacer-rich line up, DD are sure to have some edge in the game. Skipper Zaheer Khan had a niggle while bowling in the previous match. If he is unavailable for the match somehow, it will be an advantage for KXIP.

Squads:

Kings XI Punjab (KXIP): Glenn Maxwell (c), Hashim Amla, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), David Miller, Mohit Sharma, Sandeep Sharma, Manan Vohra, Akshar Patel, Marcus Stoinis, T Natarajan, Swapnil Singh, Darren Sammy, Shaun Marsh, Eoin Morgan, Ishant Sharma, Martin Guptill, Anureet Singh, Varun Aaron, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Matt Henry, Nikhil Naik, Rahul Tewatia, KC Cariappa, Pardeep Sahu, Rinku Singh, Armaan Jaffer

Delhi Daredevils: Zaheer Khan (c), Amit Mishra, Aditya Tare, Shahbaz Nadeem, Sam Billings, Pat Cummins, Karun Nair, Sanju Samson, Chris Morris, Corey Anderson, Rishabh Pant (wk),Ben Hilfenhaus, Mohammed Shami, Carlos Brathwaite, Jayant Yadav, Ankit Bawne, Murugan Ashwin, Chama Milind, Kagiso Rabada, Navdeep Saini, Pratyush Singh, Shashank Singh, Khaleel Ahmed

About the Author

• 
•