dc vs kxip prediction
delhi capitals to win the match, 1.80
delhi capitals have a terrific spin attack, which is likely to thrive in dubai's conditions
the possible absence of glenn maxwell and chris jordan takes away the balance and options from the kings xi punjab lineup free online cricket tips
with shreyas iyer and rishabh pant available in the middle, delhi capitals have two to the best indian middle-order batsmen at their disposal
dc vs kxip match prediction & analysis
the start of the thirteenth edition of the indian premier league might be delayed, but it is finally here. originally scheduled to begin on 29th march, ipl 2020 is now all set to commence on 19th september with mumbai indians taking on chennai super kings. after many uncertainties and countless speculations, the ipl is happening in uae. the wait is over and it was worth it.
the competition will begin with a marquee contest between last year's finalists and will be followed by delhi capitals taking on kings xi punjab on a subsequent day. apart from being associated with the northern region of india, delhi capitals and kings xi punjab have another glaring similarity. they both are still without a title despite coming close on numerous occasions.
in a bid to get off a solid start in a tournament where momentum plays a massive role, both sides will be putting their best foot forward when they take the field on sunday, 20th september. the match will be played at dubai international cricket stadium, dubai.
team previews
delhi capitals
while delhi capitals, earlier known as delhi daredevils, have qualified for the playoffs multiple times, they stand as the only franchise that has never qualified for the final. they have been guilty of making too many changes to their squad, the changes that include omissions of david warner, gautam gambhir, and ab de villiers. lack of consistency in team selection led to lack of consistency in performance, which the capitals will be looking to improve on.
learning from their past mistakes, the capitals have been fairly consistent with their players over the last couple of years. their major strength this year comes from the young indian contingent, which they have been grooming for the last couple of years. shreyas iyer, prithvi shaw, and rishabh pant form the backbone of their batting whilst the likes of shikhar dhawan and ajinkya rahane are there to guide the exuberance with experience. besides that, the capitals have a terrific support staff that oozes class with players like ricky ponting at the helm of the coaching.
on paper and in theory, the capitals' batting looks solid. the addition of ajinkya rahane provides them with stability and experience at the top of the order. with the likes of shreyas iyer, rishabh pant, marcus stoinis, alex carey, and shimron hetmyer available to choose from, delhi's batting lineup is as explosive as it can get. however, it is not certain whether or not marcus stoinis and alex carey will be able to take part in the first match and their absence could be a huge blow. also, delhi capitals have far too many players who are known to bat in the top four. they have rahane, shaw, dhawan, and jason roy who all are openers by trade, and fitting either of them in the middle-order could prove to be a costly mistake.
there was a time when delhi's bowling looked lethal on paper. it was arguably the best on-paper bowling lineup in the competition then. however, they had a terrible season and released chris morris and trent boult - two of the premier fast-bowlers in the t20 circuit. while their bowling still looks good, it has some wrinkles that they would want to iron out as soon as possible.
delhi's strength with the ball lies primarily in the spin department and with the surface likely to get slower as we move ahead, this is going to a good advantage to have. with amit mishra, ravi ashwin, and sandeep lamichhane, their spin bowling looks fantastic. given that they have axar patel as well, it is highly unlikely that all four of those will feature in the opening encounter. sandeep lamichhane is coming off a terrific run in cpl 2020 and his recent form could come in handy for the capitals.
the capitals' pace stock, however, seems to be heavily reliant on experience - the players who are arguably past their prime in the shortest format of the game. apart from kagiso rabada, who isn't really known for is t20 exploits, the capitals rely on ishant sharma and mohit sharma to do the job. getting the best out of those players in this format has always been a challenge and it will not be any different for shreyas iyer this time as well. having said that, the recent signing of anrich nortje seems could on paper and could provide the capitals with the depth in the quick-bowling department that they were desperately looking for.
all in all, delhi capitals is a fantastic unit - with the bat. however, the problem to accommodate too many top-order players in the playing eleven could be telling. also, their pace bowling stocks seems to be a little bearish as they have no bowler who is known for his t20 expertise. the onus will be on the young indian pair of shreyas iyer and rishabh pant for delhi capitals to do well with the bat. with the kind of potency they have in their spin department, this capitals unit cannot be discarded.
kings xi punjab free online cricket tips
given the way kings xi punjab has performed over the years, it would not be wrong to tag them as the 'perennial underachievers'. they've always had a strong mix of t20 specialists and experienced, but have never bagged the title. their best run was in 2014 when they finished as runners-up. however, kings xi punjab massively underperformed since then, finishing always outside of the top four in the last five seasons. they ended up at the sixth spot last year and will be itching to do well this time around.
with newness all around, kings xi punjab will be looking to start afresh. they have brought in many new faces, including players and support-staff members, and with experience available all-around, this could be the choice that the kings have been longing for. kings xi punjab made some fantastic trades and had a superb auction day and they ended up with a much better-balanced team than they had last year.
chris gayle and kl rahul were key players for punjab last year and the pair is likely to open this year as well. while kl rahul was in fantastic form before the long break, the same cannot be said for gayle. having said that, merely the presence of chris gayle can intimidate the opposition's bowler and that could pay rich dividends. in theory, kings xi punjab have a well-settled middle-order. mayank agarwal, nicholas pooran, mandeep singh, james neesham, glenn maxwell, karun nair are all well experienced in the shortest version of the game. however, apart from nicholas pooran and glenn maxwell, they lack a reliable batsman who can hit big ones right from the word go.
punjab lacked options with the ball last year as they always looked over-reliant on ravi ashwin. while they no longer have the services of ashwin, their bowling looks a lot better-balanced, at least on paper. mujeeb ur rahman is coming off a fantastic cpl and could act both as a wicket-taker and as a miser. with mohammad shami, chris jordan, and sheldon cottrell available, death-over bowling should not be a problem. in addition to that, due to the number of all-rounders that kings xi punjab have, kings xi punjab have plenty of options available with the ball and a batting lineup that goes deep. the presence of james neesham, krishnappa gowtham, and glenn maxwell lends a terrific balance to this side.
with australia playing england, the participation of glenn maxwell and chris jordan in the first game is uncertain and their absence could be a huge setback for the kings. while they do have replacements available, filling for two of the best players in their respective trades could be a near-impossible task.
on paper, kings xi punjab did reasonably well to plug the gaps they had last year. maxwell and pooran in the middle-order are ideal choices to back chris gayle and kl rahul at the top. with the likes of mayank agarwal, mandeep singh, and karun nair, they have an experienced contingent of domestic players, which is always helpful. while their bowling does not apparently have the star-power, having the number of options they have should be helpful, especially in the conditions where batsmen will need to take his time to settle. all in all, with a decent batting unit coupled with a turbocharged batting, kings xi punjab is a team that no one would want to take lightly.
dc vs kxip toss prediction
this is going to be a new surface for both sides and there will be uncertainties surrounding the behavior of the pitch. also, there are chances of dew to have an impact, which both the sides will be wary about. while the surface is expected to get slower as the match progresses, there are considerable benefits of chasing here. considering the results at this venue and the factors stated above, the captain winning the toss should be looking to field first.
dc vs kxip betting tips
the battle between the two teams that have never won the title is going to be intense. with both teams rich in aggressive players, it would be safe to expect a contest where batsmen will go hard from the first ball. kings xi punjab have a proven opening pair whereas it is still uncertain who the openers will be for delhi capitals. however, the absence of glenn maxwell and chris jordan renders punjab's lineup a little out of balance. also, sheldon cottrell didn't look at his best in the cpl and that could pose a problem for the kings. based on the composition of the two sides and the performance of their respective players in the recently concluded matches, betting on a delhi capitals' win should be the way to go here.
