After holding their nerves and toppling Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Capitals will take on Kings XI Punjab, another side which is riding high on confidence after getting the better of Mumbai Indians. As is always the case, it will be a matter of matchups between key players on both sides and which captain gets his combinations right.
We try and identify three key player battles which can determine the course of this match:
Chris Gayle vs Chris Morris
Chris Gayle seems to be a man on a mission this IPL, he has looked a million dollar every time he has taken guard. After announcing his arrival with a blazing 79 in the first match, the Jamaican has been giving KXIP good starts in the next two matches.
However, Shreyas Iyer has a certain Chris Morris up his sleeve and he should get him on as soon as Gayle takes guard. The South African has bowled 34 deliveries to Gayle, has given away 40 runs and has picked the Jamaican on three occasions. A battle which could be pivotal in the match.
Rishabh Pant vs Mujeeb ur Rahman
For some strange reason, Mujeeb has not been getting game time in the last two matches, but considering his record against Rishabh Pant, Ashwin will be tempted to include him in the side for this particular fixture.
Mujeeb has bowled three balls to Pant, has given away four runs and has picked him up twice. Although Pant is a different batsman this season, the mystery of Mujeeb should be used against him, especially when he is looking to break free.
KL Rahul vs Amit Mishra
The graph of Amit Mishra, the leg spinner has been going down over the past few seasons. Although he needs just a single wicket to reach 150 wickets in the IPL, his form has not been as consistent.
Also, his record against KL Rahul is nothing to write home about. Rahul has absolutely feasted on Mishra's leggies. He has smoked him for 47 runs in 17 balls, and this is where Iyer should be careful in adjusting his field and devising tactics.
We also take a look at the predicted XI of the two sides:
Kings XI Punjab: 1 Chris Gayle, 2 KL Rahul (wk), 3 Mayank Agarwal, 4 David Miller, 5 Sarfaraz Khan, 6 Mandeep Singh, 7 R Ashwin (capt), 8 Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman, 9 M Ashwin, 10 Ankit Rajpoot/Mohammed Shami 11 Andrew Tye
Delhi Capitals: 1 Prithvi Shaw, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 4 Colin Ingram, 5 Rishabh Pant (wk), 6 Hanuma Vihari, 7 Chris Morris, 8 Harshal Patel, 9 Amit Mishra/Axar Patel, 10 Sandeep Lamichhane, 11 Kagiso Rabada
