The way both the teams started their opening phase of the tournament, it gave indications to their fans that they might go on to have a good time in the tournament but then again, they were back to their original form which can be described with the word tame.
Delhi has just won two games out of seven they have played till now, whereas, Kings XI Punjab has three wins in eight games.
Since the inception of the tournament, these two teams have been the weakest among all and once again in this tournament, we came to know why.
Both the sides have common problems, as they do not have the one player in batting line-up who can just win the game for them. They miss someone like Virat Kohli or MS Dhoni who can be trusted, blindly.
The condition of Delhi side is abysmal in this term, as they have oodles of young batsmen but not a single senior and dependable player.
At this stage, it is safe to say that both the teams have now almost increased pressure on themselves with back to back losses and now have bleak chance to qualify for the next round.
Previous Encounter –
The last time these two teams faced off each other, it was Delhi that won the game at their home ground by defeating Punjab by a big margin of 51 runs. Now it’s the chance for hosts Punjab to dominate Delhi at their home ground, which promises to be a high-scoring thriller.
Recent form –
KXIP – WWLLLLWL
Delhi Daredevils – LWWLLLL
Talking Points-
The poor form of both the teams has been the biggest talking point till now. Especially Punjab side, they are yet to get their winning combination going and blame should be put on the skipper Glenn Maxwell, who could not figure out his best playing XI by now.
This time, it was probably Virender Sehwag’s strategy to appoint an aggressive captain in form of Glenn Maxwell but the all-rounder hasn’t been able to deliver that aggression on the field, which has resulted in unfavourable results.
The other talking point has been the form of Ishant Sharma. The most experienced bowler in Indian circuit at present – has failed to deliver for the team. Ishant was probably not the right call by the franchise.
Predicted XI of Punjab –
Kings XI Punjab (Playing XI): Manan Vohra, Martin Guptill, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell(c), Eoin Morgan, Axar Patel, Wriddhiman Saha(w), Mohit Sharma, Anureet Singh, Swapnil Singh, Sandeep Sharma.