Delhi Capitals and Kings XI Punjab will see each other in action for the first time at IPL 2020 when the two meet on Sunday. The stage is set for two young captains to take the bull by the horns and make a statement at the start of the tournament. The Dubai International Cricket Stadium will host its first IPL 2020 match and it will be interesting to see how the field is played. Last year, while Delhi Capitals finished third in the IPL points table, Kings XI Punjab could only achieve sixth place after struggling to win matches towards the end of the tournament.
DELHI CAPITALS
Shreyas Iyer: The Delhi Capitals skipper impressed with his captaincy last year, helping his team finish third in the table. He scored 463 runs in 16 games with an average of 30.86 and a strike rate of 119.94. This was the most runs Shreyas Iyer has had in an IPL season, and yet there is potential for more.
The 25-year-old has yet to light the stage despite showing off numerous glimpses of his class. I would expect to make a big impact this season with the bat.
Rishabh pants: The pocket dynamo has had some criticism on the international stage of late, but the IPL has been Rishabh Pant’s playing field for the past two seasons. After racking up nearly 700 runs at IPL 2018, last year the wicketkeeper hitter again impressed, scoring 488 runs at an average of 37.53 and a strike rate of 162.66.
Pant is the game changer for the Capitals and he will have to be at his best once again if Delhi is to have any chance of lifting the IPL trophy.
Kagiso Rabada: Delhi Capitals will need South Africa’s star rhythm to be fully in shape for this season. He has struggled with injuries of late, but following some of the training photos, he seems poised for action. Kagiso Rabada was nothing short of brilliant last season, taking 25 wickets in 12 games with a strike rate of 14.72.
He also managed to take four wickets in one inning twice last year and Delhi will come back for him to get the job done with ball in hand.
KINGS XI PUNJAB
KL Rahul: The T20I star from India will lead an IPL franchise for the first time in his career and Punjab has pinned their hopes on the elegant right-hander to lead them to their first IPL title. Rahul has excelled over the years on a Punjab team that has continued to fight. Last year they started well, but declined as the tournament progressed.
The 28-year-old scored a whopping 593 runs in 14 games averaging 53.90 with a century and six half centuries to his name. If he can repeat that performance and get the support of some of his teammates, then Kings XI Punjab can be a true contender for the title this season.
Nicholas Pooran: In their day, the West Indies can tear apart any bowling attack, but they lack the consistency to be considered a high-level player. But with age still on his side, there is room for improvement, but the destruction he can cause was on the horizon in the recently concluded Caribbean Premier League (CPL).
Pooran broke a 45-ball century, scoring a total of 245 runs in 11 games. Punjab will need Pooran to be good this year and if he can get some consistency in his game then bowlers in the IPL should be careful.
Promoted
Mujeeb Ur Rahman: The young Afghan has done that in IPL and in leagues around the world. But there will be more pressure on him to act with Ravichandran Ashwin leaving the team. At 19, Mujeeb has shown that he has what it takes to perform at the highest level and is coming after some good performances at CPL 2020.
Playing for Jamaica Tallawahs, Mujeeb was the second-largest wielder in the 2020 CPL with 16 hairs to his name in 11 matches. And with releases in the UAE known to help spin, the Afghan could turn out a handful this season.
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