With just one win off four home games this season, Delhi Capitals will be looking to change the trend when they take on a rejuvenated Kings XI Punjab in Saturday’s second IPL fixture.
Rechristened before the start of IPL’s 12th edition, 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 in their home ground, where they have found the pitches far from friendly.
The unwavering support, cheers and chants, from the galleries have not helped so far and the side, coached by Ricky Ponting and mentored by Sourav Ganguly, will look to play in the manner that befits the two greats' status in world cricket.
For they know that if they are able to live up to Ponting and Ganguly's expectations, chances of the fans going back home with smiles on their faces will increase manifold. And so will be their prospects of reaching the playoffs.
Standing in their way will be fourth on the points table, Kings XI Punjab, who are also eyeing the title that has so far eluded them.
The likes of Chris Gayle, K L Rahul, David Miller and Mohammad Shami will look to capitalise on Delhi’s miserable home record, and with Ashwin leading from the front, it may not be an improbable task for the confident visiting team.
Shreyas Iyer and Co only home win from their four home matches came against Kolkata Knight Riders in the Super Over.
Disappointed at being ignored for the showpiece event, the highly-rated young wicketkeeper-batsman will certainly look to prove a point.
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 outing at the death.
In batting, the onus will be on senior pro Shikhar Dhawan to lay the foundation, and he will have the talented Prithvi Shaw alongside him at top of the order.
After suffering their third defeat in four outings at Kotla on Thursday against Mumbai, Iyer had said, “It’s really important for us to win home games, especially on these tracks.
"Unfortunately we lost the toss, and we got outplayed in all three departments. We practice on the pitches that are also slow. But when you come here, it's totally different. We have to get used to these conditions." For his team to harbour hopes of a rare win, skipper Iyer, himself, will need to lead by example.
Squads
Delhi Capitals: Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Colin Munro, Shreyas Iyer(c), Rishabh Pant(w), Axar Patel, Chris Morris, Keemo Paul, Amit Mishra, Kagiso Rabada, Ishant Sharma, Hanuma Vihari, Ankush Bains, Manjot Kalra, Sherfane Rutherford, Jalaj Saxena, Rahul Tewatia, Sandeep Lamichhane, Trent Boult, Avesh Khan, Nathu Singh, Bandaru Ayyappa, Jagadeesha Suchith
Kings XI Punjab: Lokesh Rahul, Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Sarfaraz Khan, Mandeep Singh, Nicholas Pooran(w), Sam Curran, Ravichandran Ashwin(c), Andrew Tye, Mohammed Shami, Murugan Ashwin, Karun Nair, David Miller, Simran Singh, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Ankit Rajpoot, Hardus Viljoen, Arshdeep Singh, Moises Henriques, Varun Chakravarthy, Darshan Nalkande, Agnivesh Ayachi, Harpreet Brar
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