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New Delhi, April 19
Seeking home comfort after multiple reverses at the Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi Capitals will be desperate to buck the trend when they take on a rejuvenated Kings XI Punjab here on Saturday.
Delhi Capitals have been at ease on the road, winning three matches on the trot after an authoritative beginning in Mumbai. However, things have turned out quite differently at their home ground, where they found the pitches far from friendly.
Kings XI Punjab, on the other hand, will not be short on confidence, having easily beaten Rajasthan Royals three days ago.
The likes of Chris Gayle, KL Rahul, David Miller and Mohammed Shami will look to capitalise on Delhi’s miserable record at home, and with R Ashwin leading from the front, it may not be an improbable task for the visiting team.
Shreyas Iyer and Co have only one win from their four home matches, the lone victory coming in the Super Over after the match against Kolkata Knight Riders ended in a tie.
Rishabh Pant will again be in focus after his fiercely-debated World Cup exclusion, having failed in Thursday’s defeat at the hands of Mumbai Indians.
Smarting from the onslaught by the Pandya brothers — Hardik and Krunal, who smashed 54 runs in the last 19 balls on a slow pitch, the Delhi bowlers will hope for a better luck at the death. In batting, the onus will be on senior pro Shikhar Dhawan to lay the foundation. — Agencies
Slow pitch
Kings XI Punjab coach Mike Hesson termed the Feroz Shah Kotla pitch “consistently slow” and said his team would prepare accordingly. “The surface here, although we can’t guarantee how the pitch is going to be, most of the games have been consistent in terms of how they have been on the slower side,” said Hesson.
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