Desolate and desperate in north India

Friday, May 1, 2015
Start time 1600 local (1030 GMT)

Delhi Daredevils might have put an end to their embarrassing run of nine consecutive losses at home, but they were dismissed for 95 in their next game by Royal Challengers Bangalore. Now, five days after that loss, they run into a team that is, thankfully for them, at the bottom of the table.

Daredevils were trampled by Royal Challengers' pace attack, a weapon even Kings XI Punjab possess. Apart from Yuvraj Singh and JP Duminy, Shreyas Iyer and Mayank Agarwal have stepped up recently but they need a more cohesive performance from their batting unit to challenge oppositions going forward. That their bowling relies heavily on spinners, mainly Imran Tahir, doesn't help either.

To make things worse for Kings XI, George Bailey and Shaun Marsh are doubtful after they picked up injuries in the nets. Even though the injury to Bailey, their leading run-scorer, will be a bigger blow, coach Sanjay Bangar said a final call would be taken only on Friday. If they don't play, it will automatically mean the return of Glenn Maxwell and Virender Sehwag. Kings XI can draw more confidence from their bowlers but in their last three matches, twice they leaked scores of over 190.

Both teams need to step up their all-round game, and the team does it better on Friday could well make the difference.

Delhi Daredevils LWLWW (last five matches, most recent first)
Kings XI Punjab LLWLL

He has taken eight wickets in seven matches, but he has not won them matches. He has bowled a maiden, but he has leaked runs. His name is Mitchell Johnson and he hasn't lived up to his reputation. Even in the World Cup he was pretty lukewarm, until the final, and in the IPL he has picked wickets in almost every match but using him as first-change has not worked for Kings XI. Maybe using him first up will turn things for them.

Nathan Coulter-Nile started the tournament as a surprise element for Daredevils. He picked three wickets in the first match, would open the bowling and surprise batsmen with his pace, bounce and seam movement. But lately his performance has tapered with lack of wickets and conceding runs. Apart from being their main bowler his lower-order hitting batting abilities are vital for the Daredevils.

Stats and trivia

"The format is such that many times big players do not get to play. I don't have to tell you the names but some big players (in other teams) have missed out. I think players understand, it's a fact in Twenty20 cricket."
Sanjay Bangar talks about leaving out Glenn Maxwell and Virender Sehwag recently.