It’s a northern derby in the match two of the Indian Premier League 2020 as the northern rivals Delhi Capitals and Kings XI Punjab come face to face at the Dubai International Cricket stadium. DC vs KXIP matches has always been mouth-watering in the past and another one is expected in the second game.
While one team has good memories of playing in the IPL in the UAE, the other has an equally forgetful one. Kings XI won all their matches in the UAE in IPL 2014 and topped the group in the league stage. Delhi, on the other hand, finished last on the points table that year, winning just one game in Dubai.
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KXIP Ahead in Head to Head
KXIP enjoy a better head to head count in games between the two teams. They are ahead by 14-10 in DC vs KXIP contests. However, Delhi have one of the best squads this year with a good mix of Indian players. Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Amit Mishra and Kagiso Rabada form the core of the side. With the addition of Ajinkya Rahane and Ravichandran Ashwin in the IPL 2020 auction, Delhi have beefed up the domestic core even more. Add to that the cricketing brain of Ricky Ponting which makes this team one to watch out for. They made it to the playoffs in 2019 after seven years and they would like to follow it up with another good performance.
KXIP will have happy memories of the UAE. The last time the tournament was played here, Kings XI reached the finals under George Bailey. Also, this time around they have roped in Glenn Maxwell into their squad for a whopping 10.75 crores. He scored 300 runs from just 5 matches in the UAE in 2014 and will look to get a good start in the DC vs KXIP contest. Also, KL Rahul and Chris Gayle provides the team with the batting firepower up at the top.
The bowling of both teams looks even with the presence of seasoned bowlers. There will be match-ups within the bigger contest and it can be predicted that a better bowling performance between the two teams will predict the winner of DC vs KXIP.
Team News For DC vs KXIP
Both teams have all their players available from the very first game and there are no injury concerns in both teams. The two teams have a galaxy of superstars in their ranks. Choosing the strongest playing XI in the given conditions will be a tough job.
Weather And Pitch Conditions
Dubai will have a maximum of 38 degrees on Sunday, along with a humidity of 53 %. In short, conditions will be hot and humid. As far as the pitch is concerned, the highest total recorded on this wicket is 211/3 in 2014. This very well suggests that the wicket will be a batting-friendly one.
Both teams have reputed spinners in their ranks, who will have a role to play in the second innings with the wicket tiring out. Turn and bounce will be available. Thus it will upto the spinners to turn the game in the favor of their team.
Squads
Delhi Capitals
Ajinkya Rahane, Amit Mishra, Avesh Khan, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, Ishant Sharma, Kagiso Rabada, Keemo Paul, Prithvi Shaw, Ravichandran Ashwin, Rishabh Pant, Sandeep Lamichhane, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Alex Carey, Chris Woakes, Lalit Yadav, Jason Roy, Marcus Stoinis, Mohit Sharma, Shimron Hetmyer, Tushar Deshpande.
Kings XI Punjab
Arshdeep Singh, Chris Gayle, Darshan Nalkande, Krishnappa Gowtham, Hardus Viljoen, Harpreet Brar, Jagadeesha Suchith, Karun Nair, KL Rahul, Mandeep Singh, Mayank Agarwal, Mohammed Shami, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Murugan Ashwin, Nicholas Pooran, Sarfaraz Khan, Chris Jordan, Deepak Hooda, Glenn Maxwell, Ishan Porel, James Neesham, Prabhsimran Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Sheldon Cottrell, Tajinder Dhillon.
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