IPL 2020, DC vs KXIP highlights: Delhi beats Punjab in Super Over thriller

Marcus Stoinis' last over star turns with both bat and ball was beautifully complemented by Kagiso Rabada's brilliant Super Over that ensured a thrilling IPL victory for Delhi Capitals

6:48 PM

PITCH REPORT

" It's a good looking wicket. Good covering of grass, the wicket should play like it did last night (in Abu Dhabi). The square boundaries are pretty big, so the batsmen need to be tactical. The average first innings total is 167 and the captain winning the toss would like to chase first," reckons Kevin Pieterson and Michael Slated

6:43 PM

NEWS ALERT: Delhi Capitals pacer Ishant sustains back injury

Delhi Capitals fast bowler Ishant Sharma has reportedly sustained a back injury during a practice session in Dubai and looks doubtful for Sunday's IPL game against Kings XI Punjab.

 

Ishant has had a spate of injuries in the recent past and that prevented him from taking full part during India's Test series in New Zealand earlier in the year.

 

According to Cricbuzz, the 32-year-old pacer sustained the injury during one of the training sessions. The severity of the injury and to what extent it affects his participation in the IPL this season is yet to be known.

 

In January, Ishant had sustained an ankle injury while playing for Delhi in a Ranji Trophy match. He was then picked for the Indian team that played New Zealand in the first of their three-match Test series. But the same injury recurred again and he was ruled out for the rest of the series.

 

DC's first match against KXIP will be played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday. This is the second game of the 2020 edition of the IPL which is being played across three bio-secure venues in the United Arab Emirates.

Ryan Harris with Ishant Sharma in UAE. Photo: @Delhi Capitals

6:39 PM

Dubai weather report

There is no forecast of rain for the city. The temperature is predicted to hover around 33 degrees Celsius. The humidity levels could be around 63 per cent, meaning it will be a hot and humid Sunday evening in Dubai. Humidity levels might rise as the game progresses, bringing dew into the picture.'

Head Coach Ricky Ponting and Captain Shreyas Iyer of Delhi Capitals during a practice session for IPL 2020, in Dubai. Photo: PTI

6:32 PM

DC vs KXIP match prediction

Delhi Capitals has a good mix of talent, with young Shreyas Iyer leading the side. The addition of R Ashwin and Ajinkya Rahane to the mix brings some experience to the side. These veterans have the ability pull any match on their own shoulders. Besides, there are Prithvi Shaw and Rishabh Pant, who can set and upset the pace of any match.

On the other hand, it will be a fresh start for Kings XI Punjab with KL Rahul in the skipper’s role. The side has a strong top order, and it might create some trouble for Delhi Capitals if the pitch favours batsmen.''

 

 BIG UPDATE 

6:23 PM

Head-to-head

6:19 PM

KXIP squad for IPL 2020

Here is KXIP’s full squad for IPL 2020:

Player	Team	Retained/bought/traded in	Price (Rs cr)
K L Rahul	KXIP	Retained	11.00
Glenn Maxwell	KXIP	Bought	10.75
Sheldon Cottrell	KXIP	Bought	8.50
Krishnappa Gowtham	KXIP	Traded in	6.20
Karun Nair	KXIP	Retained	5.60
Mohammed Shami	KXIP	Retained	4.80
Nicholas Pooran	KXIP	Retained	4.20
Mujeeb Ur Rahman	KXIP	Retained	4.00
Chris Jordan	KXIP	Bought	3.00
Chris Gayle	KXIP	Retained	2.00
Ravi Bishnoi (uncapped)	KXIP	Bought	2.00
Mandeep Singh	KXIP	Retained	1.40
Mayank Agarwal	KXIP	Retained	1.00
Hardus Viljoen	KXIP	Retained	0.75
Prabhsimran Singh (uncapped)	KXIP	Bought	0.55
Deepak Hooda (uncapped)	KXIP	Bought	0.50
James Neesham	KXIP	Bought	0.50
Darshan Nalkande	KXIP	Retained	0.30
Sarfaraz Khan	KXIP	Retained	0.25
Arshdeep Singh	KXIP	Retained	0.20
Harpreet Brar	KXIP	Retained	0.20
Ishan Porel (uncapped)	KXIP	Bought	0.20
Jagadeesha Suchith	KXIP	Traded in	0.20
Murugan Ashwin	KXIP	Retained	0.20
Tajinder Dhillon (uncapped)	KXIP	Bought	0.20

 

6:02 PM

Delhi capitals squad for IPL 2020

Full list of Delhi Capitals’ IPL 2020 players, along with their salaries:

Player	Team	Retained/bought/traded	Price (Rs cr)
Ajinkya Rahane	DC	Traded in	5.25
Alex Carey	DC	Bought	2.40
Amit Mishra	DC	Retained	4.00
Avesh Khan	DC	Retained	0.70
Axar Patel	DC	Retained	5.00
Chris Woakes	DC	Bought	1.50
Harshal Patel	DC	Retained	0.20
Ishant Sharma	DC	Retained	1.10
Jason Roy	DC	Bought	1.50
Kagiso Rabada	DC	Retained	4.20
Keemo Paul	DC	Retained	0.50
Lalit Yadav (uncapped)	DC	Bought	0.20
Marcus Stoinis	DC	Bought	4.80
Mohit Sharma	DC	Bought	0.50
Prithvi Shaw	DC	Retained	1.20
R Ashwin	DC	Traded in	7.60
Rishabh Pant	DC	Retained	15.00
Sandeep Lamichhane	DC	Retained	0.20
Shikhar Dhawan	DC	Retained	5.20
Shimron Hetmyer	DC	Bought	7.75
Shreyas Iyer	DC	Retained	7.00
Tushar Deshpande (uncapped)	DC	Bought	0.20

From the skipper, to the fans with 

Dilliwalon, @ShreyasIyer15 has a message for you! #DCvKXIP #Dream11IPL #IPL2020 #YehHaiNayiDilli pic.twitter.com/YeTVe0yPdZ

— Delhi Capitals (Tweeting from

5:48 PM

IPL 2020: As humans, following Covid-19 protocol won't be easy, says Iyer

It was not going to easy as human beings to follow the rules and regulations in place amid the coronavirus pandemic, Delhi Capitals captain Shreyas Iyer said in a media conference on Saturday. The 13th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2020) is being played from today in a bio-secure bubble across three venues in the UAE — Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah.

 

‘It is an unusual time and sometimes it is hard as a human being to follow the rules and regulations in place due to Covid-19 pandemic. However, it is in our best interest to follow the protocol laid down for players' benefit," Iyer said during a virtual pre-match press conference. READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

Head Coach Ricky Ponting and Captain Shreyas Iyer of Delhi Capitals during a practice session for IPL 2020, in Dubai. Photo: PTI

5:29 PM

Kings XI Punjab team news

Punjab is one of the few teams that always look good on paper before a season starts. But the players fail to deliver the goods when it matters. The Chandigarh based franchise has always had some quality players in its ranks, but the team somehow loses the plot as the tournament progresses. KXIP managed a place in the semi-finals of the inaugural edition and finished as runners-up in 2014 after losing to KKR in the summit clash.

 

KXIP is one of the three teams -- Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and DC being the others --who are yet to lay their hands on the IPL trophy.

 

Charismatic India opener KL Rahul will lead KXIP after the franchise released Ashwin. The team showed faith in Glenn Maxwell, Sheldon Cottrell, James Neesham, Deepak Hooda, Ravi Bishnoi, Chris Jordan and youngster Ishan Porel during the IPL 2020 auctions. While Maxwell will surely strengthen the middle order, Cottrell and Neesham will take charge of Punjab's pace attack. 

Photo: IPL twitter

5:19 PM

Delhi Capitals team news

After an impressive outing last year, Delhi retained most of its core players, namely Shreyas Iyer, wicket keeper Rishabh Pant, and pacer Kagiso Rabada. The franchise, however, released some under-performers like Colin Munro, Colin Ingram, and Chris Morris. 

 

In the IPL 2020 auctions, DC then bagged Alex Carey and Jason Roy to strengthen its batting while Chris Woakes, Mohit Sharma, Lalit Yadav, and Tushar Deshpande were added to the bowling unit. The franchise also showed a lot of faith in Shimron Hetmyer and Marcus Stoinis after bagging them at a high price.

 

Besides, DC also signed experienced batsman Ajinkya Rahane and ace spinner R Ashwin.

Head Coach Ricky Ponting and Captain Shreyas Iyer of Delhi Capitals during a practice session for IPL 2020, in Dubai. Photo: PTI

4:55 PM

DC vs KXIP Preview

Two greats will pit their wits against each other in the background as their captains, with an ability to achieve greatness, lead their power-hitters out for an IPL match between Delhi Capitals and Kings XI Punjab at Dubai International Stadium today.

 

Ricky Ponting and Anil Kumble are arguably two of the biggest names in cricket and the dazzling array of talent in both the teams would seek to draw inspiration from their respective heavyweight coaches in their tournament opener.

 

Man-to-man, Delhi Capitals seem to have a slight edge, more so in the spin department, with the trio of R Ashwin, Amit Mishra and Axar Patel streets ahead of their counterparts from the Mohali-based side.

 

Spin is expected to play a big role on the UAE pitches.

 

The match, at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, will also be a face-off between skippers KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer, both seen as future India captaincy material. 

On the batting front, the Capitals have one of the best assortments of India internationals, comprising Prithvi Shaw, Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Shikhar Dhawan, besides West Indian Shimron Hetmyer.

 

In this scenario, India Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane (strike-rate below 120), who was bought from Rajathan Royals, may be left out.

 

The KXIP also boast of some of the finest clean hitters in the form of Chris Gayle, Glenn Maxwell and Rahul himself.

 

Maxwell's confidence must be sky high after his ODI series-winning century (108) against England in Manchester. He also had a memorable run the last time the IPL was held in UAE, albeit partially, in 2014 when he hammered 552 runs in 16 games.

 

The KXIP have a dangerous opening pairing in Gayle and Rahul with Mayank Agarwal to follow. But it remains to be seen whether the 40-year-old Gayle will continue to be a regular feature at the top of the order this time around. READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE