Team news:

When Chennai Super Kings strangled them a few nights ago for just 29 runs in the last 30 balls, their fixation to bat first in a tournament historically in favour of the chasing was brought in to question. But, Ricky Ponting reckoned his team needed to take the three days break after the first home fixture to wrap their heads around a different looking Kotla - where the ball would stop on the wicket and trouble the biffers down the order.

Now they know what to expect, there's a chance they'd do better than going from 118 in 15 overs to 147 in 20. Chris Morris's return and availability should go a long way in ensuring that, that was a mere aberration.

Morris brings Andre Russell-like qualities to DC's lower middle-order, even if he himself believes there's no point to draw comparisons between himself and the 'unbelievably good' West Indian. Even if Morris isn't as devastating with the bat as Russell, DC will hope he could be the first bowler of IPL 2019 to curb the big-hitter from taking the game away in a flash at the death.

Though Ponting chose not to be critical of his bowling pack after Chennai Super Kings took 19.4 overs to complete a fairly small chase, there's a chance KKR will not afford the hosts such luxury. Ponting went as far as to say that the way Dhoni batted was crucial in bringing his team back into the reckoning, which none of the KKR top-order will be generous enough to do.

For KKR, this game marks the start of a lengthy period on the road, comprising four away fixtures. The table-toppers, who already have half the number of home wins they managed in the entirety of the previous season where they finished third, can steal an early march in the race to the playoffs if they can pocket at least half of the eight points on offer before they return to Eden Gardens.

The two-time champions have made a dream start as far as their batting is concerned, the top-order setting it up nicely for Russell to power away in the both the matches so far. They've both led to wins but without the bowling unit really impressing yet. Against a top-heavy DC on a reasonably small ground, there comes an opportunity to tick that aspect off.

When: Delhi Capitals vs Kolkata Knight Riders, March 30, 2019, 08:00 PM IST

Where: Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium, New Delhi

What to expect: Another sluggish pitch where about 170 while batting first could be gold. After an ordinary start to this season, Shreyas Iyer will hope he can channel his 2018 self when he smashed a 40-ball 93 in a high-scoring home win against KKR last year.

Team News:

Delhi Capitals

The home side's first-choice big-hitting all-rounder Chris Morris is available and should walk into the side at the expense of Keemo Paul. DC have a fourth slot available for another foreign pick, which they decided against using in the previous fixture. If they change their mind for the next game, they can use it to either bring back Trent Boult for one of the leg spinners (Amit Mishra and Rahul Tewatia) or even give Sandeep Lamichhane - another leggie - a go.

Probable XI: Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer (c), Colin Ingram, Rishabh Pant (wk), Chris Morris, Axar Patel, Rahul Tewatia, Amit Mishra/Sandeep Lamichhane/Trent Boult, Kagiso Rabada, Ishant Sharma

Kolkata Knight Riders

The table-toppers have no reason to chop and change after two very good wins.

Probable XI: Sunil Narine, Chris Lynn, Robin Uthappa (wk), Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik (c), Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Prasidh Krishna

Did you know?

- KKR have won 7 of the last 9 encounters against Delhi [Daredevils then, Capitals now]

- Sandeep Lamichhane has an economy rate under 7 in each of the lsat four leagues he's been a part of.

Dream11 Teams

It's symbolic that 'Sadda Punjab' is the official catchphrase for Kings XI Punjab this season. The slogan translates to 'Our Punjab' in English and is symptomatic of times when Mohali returns to become their only home venue. After years of drifting from Dharamsala to Pune to Indore, trying to make each one their own, KXIP seem to have found something to cling onto. And it's the same ol' Mohali. It was right there.

Ravichandran Ashwin realizes that the constant nomadism came at a cost -- that KXIP largely remained without a defining character. They never had their own whistles. "For me, Sadda Punjab means a cricket culture that is not going to be shaken around; and be completely ingrained with stability," he told the KXIP website ahead of the tournament.

Just how this culture takes shape across the seven home games in Mohali will go a long way in deciding what becomes of KXIP and it all starts with their Friday's clash against Mumbai Indians, a team that likes to be nothing other than itself.

When: Kings XI Punjab vs Mumbai Indians, Match 9 at 4:00 PM local

Where: IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali

What to expect: KXIP won all three of their home games in Mohali last year before moving onto Indore and losing steam, so much so that they plummeted from the top of the table to finish second-last. Their success revolved around KL Rahul and Chris Gayle's blitzkrieg at the top, and a burgeoning spin attack, led by Ashwin himself, which mined gold with mystery spin on a big ground with even bigger square boundaries.

Expect a flat, hard-rolled pitch again this season with a lot of singles/twos/threes on either side of the wicket. And the big lofts straight down the ground. Keep an eye on catching under the lights, with the low-range floodlights demanding some getting used to. The temperatures are set to be around 30 degrees, with no chance of rain.

Team news:

Kings XI Punjab: KL Rahul was one of the first players to hit the practice nets on the eve of the match with a bunch of fringe players and practiced playing a lot of glides through to third man - a cricket shot very dear to Mohali and made all the dearer by that Virat Kohli innings against Australia in the 2016 T20 WC. Mayank Agarwal, Sarfaraz Khan and Mandeep Singh hit the nets later, and the focus seemed to be on placing the big shots straight down the ground.

KXIP's major pain point so far has been the lack of a sixth bowling option, but with Moises Henriques staying back in Australia to participate in the Sheffield Shield final, KXIP do not really have a ready-made solution at hand. What they might do is bring in Mujeeb Ur Rahman for Hardus Viljoen and replace Varun Chakravarthy with Ankit Rajpoot, who sweated it out against Rahul in the practice nets.

Probable XI: Lokesh Rahul(wk), Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Sarfaraz Khan, David Miller, Mandeep Singh, Hardus Viljoen/Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Ravichandran Ashwin(c), Varun Chakravarthy/Ankit Rajpoot, Mohammed Shami, Andrew Tye.

Mumbai Indians: With a travel day separating two match days, Mumbai didn't practice on Friday. Given the kind of win they pulled off in Bengaluru the other night, it's hard to see them changing up a winning combination. And how's Yuvraj Singh going to fare against 'Sadda Punjab'?

Probable XI: Rohit Sharma(c), Quinton de Kock(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Yuvraj Singh, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Mitchell McClenaghan, Lasith Malinga, Mayank Markande, Jasprit Bumrah

Dream Team

IPL doesn't really give you much of an option. Before you know, another match has come your way, another opportunity to cash in on, another reason to forget all that went wrong only a few days ago. And neither Rajasthan Royals nor Sunrisers Hyderabad would mind living in such a time.

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Their opening games had seen a similar pattern. Having been in dominating positions for most parts of the match, they slipped towards the end, losing their respective encounters.

Ideally, given how both the teams had largely done well - barring the late batting collapse for Royals and the death over assault by Andre Russell on Sunrisers - it shouldn't have caused them much worry so early in the tournament. But both these teams, like no other in the tournament, are bound to be affected the most when players leave for international duties in the second half of the season.

Thus, the pressure to secure early points in the tournament will be high on both, and the clash in Hyderabad on a batting belter will be an opportunity they wouldn't want to see beyond. Given that they both carry their core from last year and very few creases to iron out, not many changes are expected, except Kane Williamson, who is likely to return and lead the side.

When: Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Rajasthan Royals, March 29, 2019

Where: Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad

What to expect: Tom Moody reckons it is going to be a good batting surface. The temperature is going to hover around 30 degree Celsius. Dew isn't expected to play a role.

Team News

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Kane Williamson will be assessed tomorrow but is expected to be available for the game and will lead the side. As a result, Jonny Bairstow could be dropped.

Probable XI: David Warner, Wriddhiman Saha, Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey, Vijay Shankar, Shakib Al Hasan, Yusuf Pathan, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma, Siddarth Kaul

Dream 11 Team

Mumbai vs Bangalore Dream11 Team

Let's get facts out of the way first - Jasprit Bumrah is a serious threat and teams often spend quite a bit of time decoding plans against him. So it didn't really come as a surprise that Royal Challengers Bangalore invited Mahesh Kumar to bowl at their nets. The fairly unknown entity, Kumar, who used to play Under-19 cricket for Karnataka, has remodelled his action to mirror Bumrah's in the last two years. Spotted by Ashish Nehra, the pacer spent most of the time bowling to batsmen - the Indian domestic ones who haven't seen much of Bumrah - in the two days leading up to the game against Mumbai Indians.

The uncertainty continued over Bumrah with the Mumbai Indians camp refusing to reveal if the pacer is match fit. He'll be assessed before the game but if the practice session is anything to go by, Bumrah looks very likely to play. Bumrah bowled for a while at the session, with all of MI's main bowlers - Hardik Pandya, Ben Cutting, Mitchell McClenaghan and Rasikh Salam - and had the likes of Yuvraj Singh and Kieran Pollard in a tangle more often than not.

Even with Bumrah playing, Virat Kohli and the batsmen will still fancy their chances on a much better batting track after the under-prepared one in Chennai saw them fold for just 70. The performance should be a one-off but the key could well be how well they bounce back from the opening loss. A clinical win - against a rival that holds the edge over them - could well set their campaign rolling.

Bumrah's fitness isn't the only worry line bothering MI. The fact that their power-packing batting line-up was dented frequently by Delhi Capitals, on a good batting track, should attract some scrutiny. Quinton de Kock, traded off to MI this season by RCB, will have to play a key role while the team will bank on Rohit Sharma, back in his preferred opening position, to produce the goods.

In the last season, MI won just one game in their first five and that had a telling impact on their campaign. They did manage to keep their chances alive till the very last game but the opening few losses meant they played the second half of the tournament with no room for errors. De Kock stressed the team had taken note of the fact and the emphasis is on improving their execution under pressure. Starting troubles have hurt MI for a few seasons now and the side will be desperate to ensure that isn't the case this time.

What: RCB v MI, March 28, 20:00 IST, 1430 GMT

Where: M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru

What to expect: First up, a warm day and slightly cooler evening with no weather hindrance. The bowlers will have to bring their 'A' game with the track set to assist the batsmen. In the last T20I played at the venue, Glenn Maxwell cantered to a century against India in a game that saw the bowlers struggling because of the dew. Expect teams to chase keeping that in mind.

Team news:

RCB: Despite the disappointing performance against Chennai Super Kings, the home side will more or less stick with the same playing XI.

Probable XI: Parthiv Patel (wk), Virat Kohli (c), Moeen Ali, AB de Villiers, Shimron Hetmyer, Shivam Dube, Colin de Grandhomme, Navdeep Saini, Yuzvendra Chahal, Umesh Yadav, Mohammad Siraj.

MI: Lasith Malinga will join the squad on Thursday and is highly unlikely to play the contest. Barring any last minute issues with Bumrah, the side should go in with the same XI that took on DC.

Probable XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Quinton de kock (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Yuvraj Singh, Kieran Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Ben Cutting, Mitchell McClenaghan, Rasikh Salam, Jasprit Bumrah.

Dream11 Teams

Match prediction

AT 7.30 P.M IST

KXIP's phenomenal come-from-behind win, inspired by their two foreign bowlers, was completely overshadowed by the mankading incident R Ashwin was involved in. The Jos Buttler dismissal sparked the age old spirit-of-the-game vs it's-all-in-the-rules debate and, while the rest of the cricket fraternity is divided, the KXIP captain stood his ground calling his decision 'purely instinctive'. As much as this will stay in the news, Ashwin & Co. would look to move on and add another away win to their kitty before returning to Mohali for their first home game of the 2019 season over the weekend.

Having breached the Royal fortress in Jaipur - after five successive losses there - KXIP now have set sights on another venue of similar ilk. Their head to head against the hosts at Eden Gardens is 7-3, but one of those three wins came just last year and was inspired by KL Rahul. The in-form Karnataka batsman may have fallen cheaply in their tournament opener, but with Chris Gayle at his belligerent best, and given his track record at Eden, KXIP will throw another massive challenge at KKR's bowlers.

On Monday, Gayle turned the middle overs to death overs and KXIP never really felt the pinch, but the visitors would want to strengthen their middle-order especially with Karun Nair and David Miller now having linked up with the squad. Their bowling too lacked the edge in the absence of last edition's Purple Cap holder Andrew Tye but, in encouraging signs for the visitors, the Australian spent a couple of hours in the nets during optional training on the eve of the game.

Against SRH, Andre Russell saved KKR the blushes of a rare opening defeat at home with a blazing 19-ball unbeaten 49 that turned the game on its head in the final three overs of the evening. The once-in-a-lifetime knock, though, masked the batting department's rustiness. KKR's batting mainstays - Chris Lynn, Robin Uthappa and Dinesh Karthik - all got out to nothing shots. However, asked to open just ahead of the chase, Nitish Rana responded expertly in the face of an injury to Sunil Narine and hit a 47-ball 68 that kept his team in the hunt, before Russell took over.

As commendably as they pulled things back eventually, KKR's bowling too was all over the place in the first 16 until they managed to see off a returning David Warner. Karthik deployed as many as eight bowlers, which could partially be owed to a brief injury scare for Narine, but neither could find a way past SRH's new opening pair that put up a century stand. With Narine now passed fit, KKR are back to full strength.

It might be early stages in the tournament but the pressure would be on the hosts - and two-time champions - to shake off the rustiness and pack up this brief home schedule with a win before they hit the road for four games on the trot.

When: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Kings XI Punjab, March 27 at 8pm IST

Where: Eden Gardens, Kolkata

What to expect: An overcast, windy evening and fully under-covers Eden Gardens greeted the two teams upon arrival for their practice sessions on Tuesday. Even though rain is predicted to stay away on match day, expect a cloud cover and a breezy evening for the night fixture.

Team News

Kolkata Knight Riders: Narine's finger injury, that prevented the team from opening with their gun player as a precautionary measure, has healed and the Caribbean spinner was amongst the first few to roll their arm in the nets. In which case, do you still push Nitish Rana down the order despite how admirably he filled in? Rana himself made it clear that not opening with Narine on Sunday was a last-minute call, but his runs at the top of the order will please KKR should they need a tweak and/or a surprise element going forward in the tournament. For Wednesday, the team would likely stick with their winning combination.

Probable XI: Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, Dinesh Karthik (c/wk), Andre Russell, Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Prasidh Krishna

Kings XI Punjab: Though he bowled the game-changing 16th over in KXIP's defense of 184, Sam Curran was expensive for a frontline pacer. And if KXIP's pre-match optional nets is anything to go by, Tye is back and raring to reclaim his spot as the leader of their pace attack, as harsh as it might be on the Englishman. Miller and Karun were the other two star attractions and, by the looks of it, likely to walk into the playing XI. Nicholas Pooran and Mandeep Singh could likely be the ones making way, respectively.

Probable XI: Chris Gayle, KL Rahul (wk), Mayank Agarwal, Sarfaraz Khan, David Miller, Mandeep Singh/Karun Nair, Ravichandran Ashwin (c), Andrew Tye, Mohammed Shami, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Ankit Rajpoot

                                   Dream11Team

The erstwhile Delhi Daredevils have been an IPL enigma of sorts. They've had who's who of T20 stars at some point in the last decade but haven't quite had the fortune and the skill to translate all of that into success.

AB de Villiers once wore the red-and-black of Delhi in 2008, Glenn Maxwell spent a season with the side, Kevin Pietersen was bought for big bucks, and the money shelled out on Yuvraj Singh in 2016 - a whopping INR 16 crore - is yet to be topped, even with inflating auction purse each year.

But Ricky Ponting is insistent that the results of the past 11 years count for nothing. A rechristened Delhi, are also a reborn one, if you believe the words of the head coach.

Capitals may explicitly (or even internally) not rate history in the tournament, but the badges of success that their opponents for Tuesday wear proudly are unmissable. Over the same decade when Delhi have scrambled and scurried for an identity to forge, CSK have built their enviable legacy on the edifice of their consistency and continuity. But what even CSK seem to miss currently, is possessed by DC - a young core that can serve the side for a lot of seasons to come [provided retention rules are favourable in the future].

But for a young core to have the desirable impact - now and in the years to come - Capitals need a season filled with consistency. There may not be a better and bigger hurdle than CSK to overcome immediately and add to their opening fixture victory on the quest for this virtue.

But there's almost an air of T20 assurance with CSK that DC will have to go up against. They returned from a two-year break last season and still didn't miss a beat on their way to another title triumph. There's a very astute reading of the game, clear from Fleming stressing on the efforts that the brain trusts at the franchise put in to get their combinations right when they travel away from home.

DC bring a boisterous energy that can sometimes be too overbearing for an opposition. But CSK, with their collective grey matter and a side full of experience can be a sort of immovable force - even for the Iyers, Shaws and the Pants.

When: Delhi Capitals vs Chennai Super Kings, March 26, 2019, 8:00 PM IST

Where: Feroz Shah Kotla, New Delhi

What to expect: A hazy evening with a maximum of 26 degrees celcius. The 2018 fixture between these two teams in the national capital was played on a very sluggish wicket where the hosts defended 162. Stephen Fleming has had a look at the pitch for this year's game and concludes that it looks 'reasonably dry' on first look.

Probable XI: Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Colin Ingram, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Keemo Paul, Axar Patel, Rahul Tewatia, Trent Boult/Sandeep Lamichhane, Kagiso Rabada, Ishant Sharma

Probable XI: Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Harbhajan Singh, Imran Tahir

Dream11 Team

Dream11 Team