A new season with a new captain and new coach for Kings XI Punjab will be kickstarted by revisiting an age-old rivalry, as they take on a familiar foe in Delhi Capitals on Sunday, September 20 at the Dubai International Stadium. Both sides have rejigged their roster to an extent since last season, putting a focus on getting young players into their setup and those prodigies will be put to the test on Sunday in the Dream11 Indian Premier League. 

Aamne Saamne

Kings XI Punjab have the upper hand in the head-to-head record against the Delhi Capitals, winning 14 out of the 24 games. Last season, honours were even as KXIP beat the Capitals in Mohali and Shreyas Iyer’s team won the game at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. 

These two sides met on the opening day of the 2018 season of the IPL, and Kings XI Punjab fans would fondly remember that game being the one where KL Rahul scored the fastest fifty in the history of the competition. 

Batting De Baadshah

Shikhar Dhawan got five fifties in the 2019 season of the IPL, which included a match-winning one against Kings XI Punjab as well. With his experience and caliber at the top of the order, Dhawan has been a proven matchwinner in the past and if he gets a good start it could spell trouble for KXIP. 

KL Rahul has been the top run scorer for Kings XI Punjab in two consecutive seasons, and fans of the franchise will hope for the same to continue that form in 2020 as well. Rahul has the added responsibility of captaincy as well this season, and will look to lead from the front and start off with a big score in IPL 2020. 

Bowling de Kings

Kagiso Rabada was the second highest wicket-taker in the 2019 edition of the IPL, finishing one below Purple Cap winner Imran Tahir. With his searing pace and pinpoint yorkers, Rabada should be the marquee bowler for Delhi Capitals this season as well, but it will be interesting to see how he adjusts to the slowish pitches of the UAE. 

Mohammed Shami ended as KXIP’s leading wicket-taker in 2019, with 19 scalps to his name. He was the go to player for Kings XI Punjab last year whenever the team needed a wicket in the late stages, and that responsibility will be augmented further with seamers Andrew Tye and Ankit Rajpoot moving on from the team. Shami has been a key competent of Kings XI Punjab during the training sessions since the past few weeks and will be expected to be a key player of the squad in 2020. 

Mudde Di Baat

With two young squads with lots of promising players this season, both KXIP and DC will be hopeful to make a strong, positive start to the tournament. KXIP could take solace from the fact that they have always beaten Delhi Capitals when they played them first up in an IPL season, and also from their invincible record in the UAE.

Yaad Rakhiyo

• Kings XI Punjab have won four of their last five games against Delhi Capitals
• KL Rahul and Chris Gayle got 11 fifty plus scores in the IPL last season
• Mohammed Shami picked up the second most wickets in the death overs in 2019.

Probable XI

KL Rahul (c & wk), Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Glenn Maxwell, Mandeep Singh, Karun Nair, Krishnappa Gowtham, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Shami, Sheldon Cottrell, Mujeeb ur Rahman. 

Kings XI Punjab were bolstered by the news that Glenn Maxwell will be eligible for the game and can slot straight into that middle-order for the team. As far as the rest of the batsmen go, with no injury concerns reported yet, coach Anil Kumble will most likely pick this experienced combination to help his side start off well. 

Ravi Bishnoi and Mujeeb ur Rahman bring the mystery element to the team, and both have been in good form this year. Krishnappa Gowtham with his IPL experience and explosive batting could slot into that number seven position to give the team the right balance. 

NOTE: The aforementioned line-up is an educated guess at best, and the final decision rests with the captain and the team management depending on various external factors.