Delhi Capitals and Kings XI Punjab, two teams with exceptional batting prowess will face off in what might turn out to be a run-fest and nightmare for all bowlers across the globe. The names of KL Rahul, Chris Gayle, Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Rishabh Pant, and Shimron Hetmyer are enough to turn into a batting competition, considering the already batsmen dominated nature of this format of the game.
This, in no way, means that there would be quality bowling on display, but such is the game, it is sometimes cruel to the bowlers. Kagiso Rabada, Mohammad Shami, Ishant Sharma, Mujeeb Ur Rehman and Sheldon Cottrell, depending on the team selections, would make any batsmen nervous.
These are two teams who have probably recreated themselves more often than any other team in the hunt for their maiden IPL title. They walk into this season in a similar state. While Shreyas Iyer and Ricky Ponting have one successful season together under their belt while KL Rahul and Anil Kumble are a new pairing. How the dynamics between them play out remains to be seen.
Alex Carey’s recent hundred against England would sure add to the Delhi Capitals’ selection headaches. He is now likely to replace Shimron Hetmyer.
These two teams have abundance of talent, but the main problem they will face is picking out the 4 overseas options of the squad, while the Indian contingent is settled and an almost straightforward selection.
Both the teams would be raring to start on a winning note as they are slated to play seven games each on this venue. This might be out of the most interesting matchups of the tournament, owing to the sheer amount of unpredictability in both the setups.
Probable XI
KXIP: KL Rahul, Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Glenn Maxwell/Nicholas Pooran, Deepak Hooda, Mandeep Singh, Chris Jordan/Sheldon Cottrell, K Gowtham, Mohammed Shami, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Ravi Bishnoi.
DC: Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Shimron Hetmyer/Alex Carey, Marcus Stoinis, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Anrich Nortje, Ishant Sharma, Kagiso Rabada
