Kings XI target revival with Amla arrival

Saturday, May 7, 2016
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)

Delhi Daredevils narrowly avoided the wooden spoon, which went to Kings XI Punjab in IPL 2015. Both franchises reacted differently to their horrendous campaigns - Kings XI retained the core of their team, while Daredevils released 11 players, filled the void with largely untested talent and revamped their backroom staff too.

Inventive leadership from Zaheer Khan and Rahul Dravid, attacking legspin from Amit Mishra and Imran Tahir and handy contributions from the younger players such as Karun Nair have given Daredevils the turnaround they wanted. Kings XI, on the other hand, are still struggling. On a positive note, Glenn Maxwell hit his second half-century in three matches and Sandeep Sharma's yorkers are getting better by the game.

Kings XI were happy with only three overseas players in their last game but Hashim Amla, their replacement for the injured Shaun Marsh, is likely to make his IPL debut tomorrow. Inconsistency has been the team's biggest deterrent, and that might change with three of their next four matches taking place in the comfort of their home ground in Mohali.

In their last match, Daredevils made four changes to their XI and lost to a team that has struggled this season, Rising Pune Supergiants. JP Duminy took over as captain, with Zaheer Khan resting, and he appeared a little fixed with his tactics. Daredevils won't be too perturbed by the loss - it was only their third defeat in eight matches - but competition for the top four spots is high and they can ill afford to lose momentum.

Kings XI Punjab LWLLL (last five matches, most recent first)
Delhi Daredevils LWWLW

Sandeep Sharma's inch-perfect yorkers have underpinned his good season so far. He has seven wickets in eight matches, with an economy rate of only 6.55, after bowling 27 overs. Importantly, Sandeep has shown he is unaffected by the reputation of the batsman he faces. In the last match against Kolkata Knight Riders, he restricted the big-hitting Andre Russell and Yusuf Pathan to only four runs in the final over.

Sam Billings has scored 78 runs in two innings at a strike rate of 159.18 and has been a valuable addition to the middle-order. His scoops and switch hits are capable of threatening the bowler's composure, and he answered the questions about his ability against spin by smacking R Ashwin for successive sixes on Thursday.

Hashim Amla did not play against Knight Riders because he had arrived on the day of the match. His IPL debut is almost a certainty, partnering M Vijay at the top of the order. So Manan Vohra may become surplus and Marcus Stoinis could be pushed down to No. 3. With David Miller continuing to struggle, Farhaan Behardien might be given a go.

Kings XI Punjab (probable): 1 M Vijay (capt), 2 Manan Vohra/Hashim Amla, 3 Marcus Stoinis, 4 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 5 Glenn Maxwell, 6 David Miller/Farhaan Behardien, 7 Gurkeerat Singh, 8 Axar Patel, 9 Swapnil Singh, 10 Mohit Sharma, 11 Sandeep Sharma

Zaheer Khan's fitness is unclear, but it is expected that Quinton de Kock, who was rested on Thursday, is likely to return. Chris Morris has been one of their best players; only one out of him, Duminy and Carlos Brathwaite may play considering Tahir's value on a slow pitch in Mohali and Billings' enterprise with the bat and in the field.

Delhi Daredevils (probable): 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Rishabh Pant, 3 Sanju Samson, 4 Karun Nair, 5 Sam Billings, 6 JP Duminy/Carlos Brathwaite/Chris Morris, 7 Pawan Negi/Shahbaz Nadeem, 8 Jayant Yadav/Zaheer Khan (capt), 9 Mohammed Shami, 10 Amit Mishra, 11 Imran Tahir

Mohali has been a high-scoring ground. Like most venues this season, teams have enjoyed chasing, with Mumbai Indians the only team to successfully defend a total.