Kings XI Punjab will be taking on Delhi Capitals in what is set to be the first match for both the teams this season in the IPL. The teams will be looking to reverse their fortunes from the last few years and put in a strong show this time around.
Kings XI Punjab had a good last auction and have bought in a number of match winners along with quality reserves. They lack slightly in the spin department but have a strong batting order and pace battery to make up for that.
Delhi on the other hand have packed themselves with an experienced spin line up. It is set to be a mouth-watering contest and with so many top players in the fray, here are 3 players you can exclude from your Dream11 team.
1. Kagiso Rabada (9 points)
Kagiso Rabada is one of the premier fast bowlers in the world currently. He was also the second highest wicket taker in the IPL last year with 25 wickets. However, Rabada is a bowler who tends to leak runs in T20s due to his extreme pace.
His economy of 9.31 in death overs in franchise cricket is much higher than the rest of the phases of the game. Also the slow pitches of UAE are unlikely to assist him and might in fact nullify his impact.
It might also be possible with Delhi having a plethora of spinners, the Proteas speedster might not even complete his full quota. Hence it is better to exclude Rabada for the time being.
2. Chris Gayle (9.5 credits)
has undoubtedly the been the most impactful T20 player ever. In his prime, he could demolish all bowlers. However even then he was a slow starter and usually made up after seeing off few overs in the beginning.
However, his ability and prowess have waned over the last years. He gets out in the initial overs more often and along with a low strike-rate, its’ something that might not help his team.
Along with that, Gayle likes the ball to come on to the bat. With the pitches not flat as absolute belters, the Jamaica-birn Gayle may struggle to find form.
3. Prithvi Shaw (8.5 credits)
Shaw is one fine young player. He attacks the bowler from ball one and is extra aggressive especially in the powerplay. However in the last couple of seasons he has also shown a tendency to get dismissed early on in trying to go big.
Last year, he got a score in the 90s against the Kolkata Knight Riders at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. However, apart from that, he couldn’t quite take his team to fast starts.
He also hasn’t shown the temperament to bat long and grind it out. UAE pitches are likely to test him much more than the flatter Indian pitches and while he has batted well on the slower pitches of Delhi, UAE is going to be a different challenge altogether and it might be sensible to not risk taking Shaw initially.
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