Kings XI Punjab will take on Deccan Chargers in the second of two matches to be played in the Indian Premier League on Tuesday. The match will be played in Hyderabad, the home ground for Deccan Chargers.
There seems to be little hype surrounding the match involving two of the relatively low-key and underperforming sides this season. Deccan Chargers are virtually guaranteed to be not in contention for the playoffs, unless they can pull off a miracle, having earned only five points from 11 matches.
Their defeat to Royal Challengers Bangalore on Sunday was no less demoralizing as the team that looked in front through most part of the match gave it away in the last three overs. The batsmen will again look to do their task well with Cameron White and Shikhar Dhawan spearheading the batting effort but it is the bowlers who need to respond well.
Dale Steyn’s 22-run over ruined it for them as four of their bowlers yielded runs at ten runs per over or higher.
Any momentum that Kings XI Punjab seemed to have gained came to a grinding halt in a comprehensive loss to Rajasthan Royals on Saturday.
The team has ten points from 11 matches, and is still trying to hold on to the ray of hope they have of qualification for the playoffs. Shaun Marsh is again expected to be the front man with the bat while Ryan Harris’ four wickets would have given him much-needed confidence as well.
Azhar Mahmood’s resurgence as an all-rounder cannot be discounted either but captain David Hussey needs to improve his own form before expecting the same from his teammates. Adam Gilchrist’s injury has forced him on the sidelines and that has affected the team’s fortunes negatively.
This means that David Hussey will continue to lead the side, but do not expect any changes to the playing 11. The same set of four foreign players should play in the game.
The match will get underway at 8.00pm local time as Deccan Chargers host the match.