CHANDIGARH: Match 1 and a formidable opponent Delhi Daredevils who have been twice semi-finalists and three key players still recuperating from injuries. Chuck out the glitzy opening ceremony and this would hardly be the kind of welcome new Kings XI skipper Kumar Sangakkara must have expected as the campaign for IPL-3 begins on Saturday.
But for Kings XI the comforting factor is that this is the team, which invariably brings out the best in each other. In 2008, they beat Daredevils twice, while a rain-curtailed match in South Africa helped Delhi post their first win against Punjab in 2009. This time around, the onus of giving momentum to the team lies with domestic players. Karan Goel, Reetinder Sodhi, Bipul Sharma and Vikramjit Singh Malik are the ones to count for.
Clearing the uncertainty over team composition, Mahela Jayawardene said, "Injuries are something that are out of our control.
"It’s a new challenge for us. We will have to assess Brett Lee’s fitness and take the final decision accordingly, but Yuvraj and Irfan Pathan practised in the nets and they are fit to play.’’
If Kings XI do not have the services of Lee, the most expensive player in the franchise, Delhi Daredevils too had to forfeit the advantage of Ashish Nehra, AB de Villers (injury) and Wayne Parnell from its ranks.
But with Virender Sehwag and skipper Gautam Gambhir leading the explosive batting order, there is hardly any team which enjoys the firepower and balance of the Daredevils. Still, coach Eric Simmons has a lot to choose from. However, the emphasis is firmly on the importance of "playing as a unit and each player performing the assigned role.’’
And if the Delhi team successfully follows the brief and comes up with a consistent performance, the hosts would have plenty of headaches.
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