Former India off-spinner Pragyan Ojha is eagerly waiting to watch the contest between Ravichandran Ashwin and Chris Gayle when Delhi Capitals lock horns with Kings XI Punjab for the second time in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 on Tuesday.
The last time these two teams met, DC clinched victory in the Super Over as both were tied on the same score (157 for 8) after 20 overs in Dubai. The venue for their second clash is the same but the team lineups have changed since their previous meeting on September 20.
Also, the position in which the two teams are on the points table currently, are very different as well.
Shreyas Iyer’s side has gone from strength to strength with every game and sit comfortably at the top of the table with 7 wins from 9 matches. KL Rahul’s team hasn’t been as consistent as DC and therefore, are languishing in 7th place with 3 wins.
But Ojha is of the opinion that KXIP will actually be more confident of facing DC this time around, having beaten defending champions Mumbai Indians in their previous game and that too, after playing out 2 Super Overs with them.
“Last time when these two teams (DC & KXIP) met it was a Super Over. Mayank Agarwal, who got out on a full-toss which forced the game into a Super Over, will be itching to go out there again and win the game for this team.
“KXIP will get lot of confidence going into this game because they have beaten one of the best sides (Mumbai Indians) in their last game. They had taken on DC as well but because of a slight error (on Mayank’s part) they could not cross the line last time but this time they will be very confident and it will be a very good competition. And mind you, they have got Chris Gayle now, so it’s a very different side,” Ojha told Sports Today.
KXIP need to win almost all of their remaining matches to stay in the race for the playoffs. They have certainly pulled up their socks and returned to winning ways after a tough first month in which they came close to winning on numerous occasions but pressure got the better off them.
Ojha however, feels that with two back-to-back wins in their last 2 matches, KXIP are hitting form at the right time in this tournament.
“Not only the Kings XI team but also everybody watching had a soft corner for them because they have played good cricket somehow they have missed out. Little bit of luck factor was not there but they are coming good at the right moment. With DC, I have a feeling we will see the return of Rishabh Pant and Shimron Hetmyer so even they will be a gun side.
“Also when talking about individual competitions, R Ashwin vs Chris Gayle will be a great one. It really excites me, top class off-spinner against a top-class left-handed T20 batsman,” Ojha said.