Youthful Delhi Capitals favourites to beat Kings XI Punjab
Led by the vibrant Shreyas Iyer, Delhi Capitals had a comeback season last year in the Indian Premier League as they made it to the play-offs for the first time since 2012. Perennial underachievers, Delhi Capitals (DC) switched its auction strategy and team composition and built a core group of young talented cricketers. The results bore fruit in 2019 as Iyer led them to the play-offs where they beat Sunrisers Hyderabad to reach the second eliminator where they lost to Chennai Super Kings.
DC kickstart their 2020 campaign against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) who haven’t made it to the play-offs since 2014. Despite overall records between these teams favouring Punjab, Delhi has made a resounding comeback last season and their odds for this fixture stand at 1.80. Kings XI Punjab have Anil Kumble’s brain in the dugout this season and made some good additions to their roster. KL Rahul will don the captaincy for them this season. Although they are expected to fare better than last time, their odds for this game are priced at 2.00.
Delhi Capitals have won just two of their last 6 matches against Kings XI Punjab
Delhi Capitals have lost four matches to Kings XI Punjab in the last three seasons. However, do not be misled by the stats. The new-look Delhi outfit has proved to be more than a handful, particularly on the slower, sticky wickets in Dubai. Last season, both teams won one game apiece in the two fixtures against each other with Delhi Capitals winning the match at the Kotla, the venue most similar to Dubai for the IPL 2020 season.
RECOMMENDED BET: Delhi Capitals to beat Kings XI Punjab at 1.80 as a youthful DC side should test a Kings XI side grappling with their best XI.
The stats are slightly in favour of Delhi when playing at home in the last three seasons. And given the pitches in UAE are likely to be similar, Delhi hold an edge. Of the six games between these sides, DC might have lost four, but they have won two of the last three matches at their home ground against KXIP.
The overall record is slightly skewed in Kings XI’s favour with them recording 14 wins as against Delhi’s 10. At the Arun Jaitley Stadium, though, Delhi has six wins and Kings XI just five.
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Shreyas Iyer: The Delhi Capitals skipper is a massive player for the home side and has elevated his IPL form to International cricket where he has shone for India. Iyer’s stocks have risen in the last few years and captaincy has seen him leading the team from the front. In the last two seasons for DC, Iyer made over 400 runs apiece, averaging above 30 with seven half-centuries in all. He is the highest run-scorer among currently active players from either franchise in Delhi’s fixtures against Punjab. In fact, last season, Iyer was the Man of the Match in the game between these sides at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. He will hope to put up an equally good show this season but will also want to win the toss to try and bat first as chasing on the slow UAE decks is no easy task.
TIP: Bet at 1.86 on Kings XI Punjab to make highest opening partnership as Kings XI Punjab have two of the best openers in the league
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