 The third match of the third edition of the Indian Premier League will
be played between the Kings XI Punjab and the Delhi Daredevils at the PCA Stadium
in Mohali.
The Kings XI Punjab has seen some turbulent times in the recent period.
For starters, there were consistent rumours coming from the Punjab camp that
Yuvraj Singh will be replaced as the captain of the side by Kumar Sangakkara.
Then, there were rumours that the team will be bought over - at least partially
- by the likes of Hero Honda or some such other company. Then again, there was
a rumour that Ness Wadia was selling out due to his break-up with the Bollywood
starlet, Priety Zinta.
Click Here to Watch Kings XI Punjab vs Delhi Daredevils LiveIn the end, only one of the rumours ahs come good so far, and that is that
of Yuvraj Singh being replaced. Sangakkara has assumed the mantle of captaincy
and the reason for that is that the former's commitment and attitude had been
an issue. However, for now, the more pressing issues for the former captain,
Yuvraj Singh is that he is injured and there is a possibility that he
may not play the first game. He has declared himself fit for the tournament,
but whether he will be fit enough to feature in this first game remains to be
seen.
As compared to the Kings XI Punjab side, the Delhi Daredevils are much
more settled. Their bowling is one of the strongest in the business and consists
of so many left-handed guys that it is almost nauseous. Glen McGrath will miss
out the tournament after his contract had been bought out, and the likes of
Wayne Parnell, Pradeep Sangwan, Ashish Nehra, Dirk Nannes and even a left-arm
spinner in Daniel Vettori will be there to push for places.
But that is talking of only half the story. The other half consists of their
powerful batting line-up that consists of the likes of Gautam Gambhir,
their captain, and Virender Sehwag, Tillakaratne Dilshan, AB de Villiers and
the biggest powerhouse of them all, Dave Warner. This only will put the pressure
of selection on the team management and Gambhir, and who they go in with in
the first game is anybody's guess.
The Kings XI Punjab had won both their games against Delhi in the first edition
of the tournament, but in the second season, it was a tie at 1-1. Delhi, for
me, looks like a much stronger unit, but whether the fringe Indian players can
come to the party remains to be seen.
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