IPL 2017: Delhi Daredevils v Kings XI Punjab, 5 factors of winning
Two exciting teams trying to redefine themselves will go head-to-head in a game that has everything to play for. Delhi Daredevils won their second game against Rising Pune Supergiant in grand style, giving them a royal thrashing. Their first game against RCB though was a game they should have won but managed to lose spectacularly.
On the other hand, Kings XI Punjab, under new skipper Glenn Maxwell, started well, beating Pune and then RCB, but hit a roadblock in the form of a dominant Kolkata Knight Riders. While KXIP wouldn’t want their great start to be derailed further, Delhi would want their promising young squad to step up and deliver.
Here are five key areas where the game could be won and lost.
#1 With the Bat
Delhi’s openers have failed twice. However, Sanju Samson and Rishabh Pant, the two future Indian stars, have kept their flag flying. Pant’s brilliant half-century came in a losing cause but Samson’s promotion helped him smash a 63-ball century for which Pune had no answer. However, Delhi will genuinely hope for more contributors with the bat including their big foreign ticket, Sam Billings, who wasted a start in the second game.
Punjab’s batting is firing well. Manan Vohra has scored runs and so have Hashim Amla, Glenn Maxwell and David Miller. However, Punjab will want even Stoinis to get amongst the runs. Nevertheless, they are the better batting side with a strong foreign contingent.