IPL 2016, DD vs KXIP: So who’s worse among the equals?

IPL's perennial laggards — Delhi and Punjab were 7th and 8th last season — will be desperately looking for a turnaround in fortunes.

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Glenn Maxwell hasn’t had a good run in India in the last two months. (Source: Express Photo)

THE DELHI Daredevils had begun this IPL season in earnest. They revamped their coaching staff, appointed a new captain, and inducted several new faces with an obvious emphasis on youth. Unfortunately, these changes are yet to translate into tangible results. They were dismissed for 98 by Kolkata Knight Riders in their opening game. However, their new captain Zaheer Khan sounded optimistic after his side’s rout to Kolkata.

“It was just one bad day. It’s just the beginning of the season, and I hope things will come along,” he said. Like Daredevils, the Kings XI Punjab, too have begun their campaign with a loss to the Gujarat Lions. An implosion in the middle overs meant that the start given by their openers upfront was frittered away.

Eventually, on a good batting track at Mohali, they would fall 30 runs short of a par score. The start for both these sides has been far from ideal. But IPL’s perennial laggards — Delhi and Punjab were 7th and 8th last season — will be desperately looking for a turnaround in fortunes when they face-off at the Feroz Shah Kotla today.

With bat in hand

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He may have got out for a duck in the first game, but Shreyas Iyer remains a very vital cog in the Daredevils batting line-up. The Mumbaikar has been in prolific form, notching up over 1000 runs in the recently concluded Ranji season. The 26-year-old will have to shore up a bulk of the responsibility if his side hope to make any significant inroads this time around. Quinton De Kock and Carlos Brathwaithe too give them batting options. However, Brathwaithe will be put to test on these slow turners. Kings XI Punjab lacks the firepower in the middle-order. The twin dismissals of captain David Miller and Glenn Maxwell had pegged them in their previous game. Which is precisely why a big hitter like Maxwell could prove to be the game-changer for his side. A tepid World T20 notwithstanding, and a failure in the first game, Maxwell’s big-hitting and his dazzling range of strokes is just what Punjab will need to bring their campaign back on track.

With ball in hand

Amit Mishra is an attacking leg-spinner, who always looks at picking up wickets upfront. He has been the second highest wicket-taker for India in the 2014 World T20 in Bangladesh. Since then the only time he has turned up in cricket’s shortest avatar is in the IPL. Ahead of the duel against Punjab, he was clear about what he wanted from this tournament. “I want to finish amongst the top-10 wicket-takers at the end of this season, and take Delhi to the play-offs,” he said. With a bit of luck, and a little more to defend, Mishra could well turn out to be the trump card for the Daredevils. Mohit Sharma is a seasoned pro, and his clever change of pace and yorkers will prove to be an asset especially in the death overs. Rightfully, captain Miller conceded that the Haryana pacer was his go-to man at the start and in the end of the innings.

News from the bench

The Daredevils might just include South African leg-spinner Imran Tahir in place of Aussie pacer Nathan Coulter-de Nile, while last season’s captain JP Duminy who missed the opening game due to an injury could also get a look-in. Punjab may be tempted to include Shaun Marsh in their mix to just add a bit of muscle to their wafer-thin middle order.

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