Kings XI Punjab have been poor, and then some, at IPL 2015, a season after waltzing to the final. Come Friday, KXIP cannot afford any more slipups if they have any hopes of emulating their path last season, with the Delhi Daredevils the first of their many remaining tests.
DD are coming off a big defeat to the Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Feroz Shah Kotla, which brought the hopes of finally moving on from that home jinx to an abrupt end, and JP Duminy and the rest of his blue-clad men will be determined to give their fans something to cheer about against KXIP.
"Kings XI haven't had a good season, we know that," said Delhi Daredevils all-rounder Yuvraj Singh. "But at the end of the day they came and beat Rajasthan Royals who were playing really good cricket.
"T20 is very unpredictable -- five overs [can] just take the game away from you. We need to concentrate on things that we are doing well. And, if we do well in our batting, bowling and fielding departments, I am sure we can win the game."
Well, that is stating the obvious isn't it. If any team do well in their batting, bowling and fielding, they will win most games. Unfortunately, for both the Daredevils and the Kings XI Punjab, such a performance just hasn't come often enough.
Indeed, KXIP will admit they probably haven't even put in one complete performance all season. So, they are certainly due a big game.
However, they will be hampered by injury for this match against the Delhi Daredevils, with skipper George Bailey unlikely to feature with a shoulder injury, while Shaun Marsh, who was making such an impression after forcing his way back into the team, has a toe problem.
The problem for KXIP, who lost their last match in Mohali against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, is clear – their much-vaunted batting lineup just hasn't fired enough. Such has been the lack of form, that the likes of Virender Sehwag and Glenn Maxwell have found themselves out of the team, but, if those injuries rule both Bailey and Marsh out, then it is likely that both Sehwag and Maxwell will come back in.
A Maxwell-inspired blitz might just be the tonic that Kings XI need to get their IPL 2015 campaign back on track, but whether the Australian slugger can provide it or not remains to be seen.
"The kind of batsman he is, he bats like that and when he gets into a rhythm and when he connects [bat with ball] then the shots go out of the ground and is applauded," Kings XI Punjab coach Sanjay Bangar said of Maxwell. "And when they don't connect it looks bad. That is the sort of player he is.
"We know he is a high impact player and you have to be patient with him. And we still believe that he will still leave a big impact on the tournament."
"If you don't get a good start and your batsmen are not making runs, then it is definitely a setback for the team in Twenty20. You generally expect plenty of runs from the batsmen, a bowler can only bowl a maximum of four overs, while the batsman has a limitless opportunity to bat.
"So if your best players are not using that opportunity, then in some way or the other it affects the team."
Where to Watch Live
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The match between DD and KXIP is scheduled for a 4 pm IST (11.30 am BST, 6.30 am ET) start with live TV coverage in India on Sony Max, Sony Six, Sony Aath, Sony Kix. The IPL 2015 match can also be watched via live streaming online on Starsports.com and Hotstar.
Sky Sports is the place to go to watch Delhi Daredevils vs Kings XI Punjab Live in the UK, while the live stream option is on Watch Sky Sports or Sky Go. Catch the IPL game live in the US on ESPN, while the action can also be live streamed on ESPN Cricket.
Audience across the world can also watch the IPL 2015 match live on Cricketgateway.com
