Super(Over)charged Kings XI Punjab look to continue turnaround against pace-setters Delhi Capitals

The Kings XI Punjab's IPL campaign is well and truly back on track. And despite their nerve-wrangling win over the Mumbai Indians after a double-Super Over having ended late on Sunday, they must be eager to front up against table-toppers the Delhi Capitals, themselves victors in a dramatic finish over the weekend against the Chennai Super Kings.

The Kings XI's three wins from nine games is nowhere near an accurate description of how they have played at times. They controlled large parts of a few matches they contrived to lose - their season-opener against the Capitals, which they lost in a Super Over, is one of three games they would look back at as ones they ought to have won. And with the mid-table traffic not far behind the top-four places, all it will take is a couple of wins from here to get into serious playoffs contention. Chris Gayle's inclusion in the line-up has added a delicate but vital balance, freeing up captain KL Rahul to bat more freely in the powerplay to cash in on his run of fantastic form.

But the Capitals, understandably, provide a substantial hurdle. With Rishabh Pant having started training, his return from a hamstring injury must be around the corner, but even without him, the batting has been helmed excellently by Shikhar Dhawan, fresh off his maiden IPL century. Their chief driving force is arguably the league's most balanced bowling attack, with spinners R Ashwin and Axar Patel perfectly complementing the heavy-metal pace duo of Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje, with Tushar Deshpande settling in nicely.

Delhi Capitals Played 9: Won 7, Lost 2

They are sitting pretty at the top of the table and if they win today against the Kings XI, they will move to 16 points, establishing a four-point lead over the second-placed Mumbai Indians. A win will not guarantee the Capitals a spot in the playoffs, but it will put them in an excellent position to make the final four.

Kings XI Punjab Played 9: Won 3, Lost 6

The Kings XI have won back-to-back games, with the form of KL Rahul and Chris Gayle reviving their campaign. Tuesday's game against the Capitals is very important for them. If they win, they will go to fifth place with eight points and will be just one win away from the top four. The Kings XI will have also finished two games each against the stronger oppositions in the Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals. This puts them in a good position to make a final dash against the teams that are not performing at their best this IPL. If the Kings XI lose today, they are not out of the tournament yet, but it means they can get to a maximum of 14 points and will have to rely on other results going their way to qualify for the playoffs.

If there have been some incredible finishes this season, the mould was set in place when these teams met in the season's second game at the same venue. The Capitals slumped to 13 for 3, but then were hauled to 157 for 8, principally on the back of Marcus Stoinis' 53 off 21. Ashwin rocked the Kings XI chase with two wickets in one over, but then Agarwal (89) brought the scores level off Stoinis' last over, with three balls to spare. A dot ball, and two wickets later, we had the season's first Super Over, where Rabada went 2, W, W and the Capitals pulled off a win that had looked improbable just 15 minutes earlier.

Delhi Capitals: 1 Prithvi Shaw, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Ajinkya Rahane, 4 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 5 Marcus Stoinis, 6 Alex Carey (wk), 7 Axar Patel, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Tushar Deshpande, 10 Kagiso Rabada 11 Anrich Nortje

Kings XI Punjab: 1 KL Rahul (capt, wk), 2 Mayank Agarwal, 3 Chris Gayle, 4 Nicholas Pooran, 5 Glenn Maxwell, 6 Deepak Hooda, 7 Chris Jordan, 8 M Ashwin, 9 Ravi Bishnoi, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Arshdeep Singh