Delhi Capitals and Kings XI Punjab will lock horns in the 2nd match of the IPL. While Shreyas Iyer led DC admirably last season, taking them to playoffs for the first time in 6 years, KL Rahul will be leading the Kings for the first time. It will be interesting to see how two of India’s talented batsman will lead their respective sides. Undoubtedly, these two sides are the ones to watch out for.
Kings XI Punjab, in doing a complete revamp of their squad, traded their captain last season, R Ashwin, to DC while availing back the services of Glenn Maxwell. They perhaps have covered all the bases and will be the team to watch out for under Rahul’s captaincy.
DC has stocked their batting line up with all top-order Indian batting options of excellent quality. This leaves room for playing only Shimron Hetmyer, a great acquisition to play at the top as an overseas player. They have the luxury to play 2 or even 3 overseas bowlers and all-rounders, which will be useful in the UAE conditions. Learn here more about the UAE conditions.
Key players from both sides:
Batsman – KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan,Chris Gayle, and Rishabh Pant.
The openers from both sides are the players to watch out for what is expected to be a cracking contest. Rahul and Gayle provided kings with quick starts and were the only ones to fire for them last year. Shaw and Dhawan scored consistently but were ably supported by Delhi’s middle-order, especially Pant, who is a player to watch out for.
All Rounders – Glenn Maxwell, Krishnappa Gowtham, Marcus Stoinis.
As the quarantine period for Australian and English cricketers arriving from England in Dubai is reduced, Glenn Maxwell and Stoinis will most likely play the game. Maxwell will have fond memories of IPL 2014 in UAE, and Stoinis was the best player in the Big Bash League 2019. The newly traded player for Kings, Krishnappa Gowtham, will have a huge role to play for the team, both with the ball and bat.
Bowlers – Ravi Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Mujeeb Rahman, and Chris Jordon/ Sheldon Cottrell.
Delhi has in their ranks some of the finest bowlers in the world of T20 cricket. While Ashwin plays a huge role bowling in the powerplays, Rabada can crank it up in the death overs while also being effective in Powerplays. Mujeeb is a renowned bowler in T20s and usually bowls in the first 6 overs picking up crucial wickets. They also have a good death bowler in Chris Jordan and an equally effective Sheldon Cottrell. It will be interesting to see which of these great players find a place in the XI.
Battles to look forward
- Chris Gayle vs R Ashwin
- KL Rahul vs Kagiso Rabada
- Mujeeb Rahman vs Shikhar Dhawan
We know the past history between Ashwin and Gayle in IPL, so this will be a contest to watch out for. Rahul and Rabada face-off will be an enthralling watch as they are both in their respective trades. It will be interesting to watch how the Delhi openers especially Dhawan negotiates Mujeeb.
Head to Head between DC and KXIP
- Matches Played: 24
- KXIP Won: 14
- DC won: 10
Significant Approaching Milestones
23 – KL Rahul requires 23 to complete 2000 runs in the IPL career.
1 – Sheldon Cottrell could make his IPL debut.
Match conditions
Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai.
Date & Timings: September 20, 2020, at 7.30 PM IST.
Weather: Clear with the temperature around 34C.
Pitch: Likely to spin and be on the slower side.
Probable Playing XI
Delhi capitals
Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Shreyas Iyer(C), Rishabh Pant, Shimron Hetmyer, Marcus Stoinis, Axar Patel, R Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Daniel Sams/ Anrich Nortje, Amit Mishra.
Kings XI Punjab
KL Rahul(C & WK), Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Glenn Maxwell, Mandeep Singh, Sarfaraz Khan, Krishnappa Gowtham, Murugan Ashwin,Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Mohammad Shami, Chris Jordan/ Sheldon Cottrell.
