The action in the league round of the fifth season of the Indian Premier League draws near its end as Delhi Daredevils take on Kings XI Punjab in an important match to be played on Saturday.
The objectives are different for both teams though the equation for the playoffs remain quite simple. Delhi Daredevils have already qualified for the playoffs and will probably use this match as well to experiment and use different combinations. Kings XI Punjab, on the other hand, need to focus on their own game by winning before they can look to other results to sneak them through.
Delhi Daredevils lost to Royal Challengers Bangalore on Thursday in an action packed, high scoring thriller that saw over 400 runs scored. Daredevils’ bowlers need to do better in the absence of the rested Morne Morkel and the team has enough potential to do so with Varun Aaron and Irfan Pathan in the line-up.
The batsmen have generally fared well and Ross Taylor’s return to form was a heartening one, as he scored 55 runs off a mere 26 balls. David Warner and Mahela Jayawardene are the other notable players while it remains to be seen whether Virender Sehwag sits out another game or not.
For the Kings XI Punjab, their win against Chennai Super Kings in a low-scoring match kept their hopes alive. Adam Gilchrist, their captain, returned to lead the team after recovering from his hamstring injury. He will be the key having scored a valuable 64 in the last match.
In addition, David Hussey’s consistency will be looked upon as a key factor in determining whether they make it to the playoffs or not. With the ball, Parvinder Awana has been a stroke of consistency and will look to add to his tally of 16 wickets.
The match will be played in Dharamsala as Kings XI look to avenge their defeat from earlier in the season.