JOIN USLanguishing at the bottom of the points table, lacklustre Delhi Daredevils will look to restore some respectability to their IPL campaign when they take on an in-form Kings XI Punjab in their final league match at Feroz Shah Kotla here on Monday.
Just managing two wins in 11 matches this season, the Kevin Pietersen-led Delhi have lost six of their previous games without putting up much of a fight. Pietersen, who was bought by Delhi for a whopping Rs 9 crore in the February auctions, has failed to inject any spirit in to the side.
If inconsistent batting has let them down then the bowling department led by pacer Mohammad Shami has not helped either. Barring Jean-Paul Duminy, who features in the top-ten scorers list this IPL season, no Delhi batsman has managed to make a mark.
The top-order comprising Quinton De Kock, Pietersen, Mayank Agarwal and Dinesh Karthik has tried to lift Delhi at times but with little success. Their head coach Gary Kirsten and bowling consultant Eric Simmons have also failed to provide any answers to the team’s lacklustre showing.
The think-tank though would be looking to forget the past and focus on their final three games of the tournament. With their backs to the wall, last-placed Delhi have nothing to lose, a position which sometimes works for a team lagging behind.
Punjab, on the other hand, are enjoying a dream run in this edition with orange-cap holder Glenn Maxwell providing perfect entertainment to the Kings XI fans. The solid Punjab batting order has successfully chased down 200+ scores twice in this edition so far and has looked the most promising outfit along with Chennai Super Kings.