Highlights IPL 2017, DD vs KXIP, cricket scores and updates: Delhi hammer Punjab by 51 runs

IPL 2017: Delhi Daredevils register 2nd straight win with all-round show against Kings XI Punjabhttp://www.firstpost.com

So two bad losses in a row for Kings XI Punjab, both on the road against strong teams. These losses have exposes some weaknesses for KXIP which appeared to be there pre-tournament. With their drafting in of a plethora of overseas batsmen Kings XI were always going to be reliant on their Indian bowlers, and while they started the IPL well they have been exposed in the last two matches, especially at the death. Whilst spinners Axar Patel and KC Cariappa have been impressive, the seamers are an area of concern – particularly Mohit Sharma and Varun Aaron. 

​KXIP didn’t fare much better with the bat and need to find a way to score more freely. Bringing in Martin Guptill could be an option to give them better starts and make use of the powerplay.

Corey Anderson chosen as the Man of the Match for scoring an unbeaten 39 off 22 balls and taking a wicket for 23 runs in three overs.

Fantastic Performance by DD Team under #ZaheerKhan 's captaincy in #IPL 2017, other Side 2 Back to back loss for KXIP.

— Rajesh Khilare (@Cricrajeshpk) April 15, 2017

Happiness Is Watching Smile On Delhi Daredevil's Mentor Rahul Dravid's Face. #DDvKXIP #KXIPvDD #DDvsKXIP #KXIPvsDD #IPL #IPL2017 #Dravid pic.twitter.com/uodJ1nD51Q

— Sir Jadeja fan (@SirJadeja) April 15, 2017

After 20 overs,Kings XI Punjab 137/9 ( Sandeep Sharma 2 , )

Chris Morris bowls the last over and it is his turn now to come up with a perfect yorker. Cariappa is cleaned up. That brings Sandeep Sharma to the crease. The last ball also produces a wicket. A good length delivery. Axar takes a wild swing and misses it completely. The bails are dislodged. That is it then. A 51-run win for Delhi. Massive in T20 terms. Morris ends with magnificent figures of 3/23.

Capital show by Delhi. Playing with daredevilry at long last...

— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) April 15, 2017

Largest wins for DD in IPL: (By runs)

97 v RPS at Pune in 2017
67 v RR at Delhi in 2010
51 v KXIP at Delhi in 2017*
40 v KKR at Delhi in 2010

so a team from punjab comes to delhi and loses badly not long after a team from delhi went to punjab and lost badly #DDvKXIP

— Gaurav Kalra (@gauravkalra75) April 15, 2017

OUT! Axar bowled for 44 by Morris off the last ball of the match.

Axar b Chris Morris 44(29)

OUT! Cariappa bowled now. Another perfect yorker, this time from Morris.

Cariappa b Chris Morris 1(2)

After 19 overs,Kings XI Punjab 134/7 ( Axar Patel 43 , KC Cariappa 1)

Cummins in for the penultimate over. Mohit could have been run out on the first ball itself. A direct throw would have had him. Cummins bowls a good wide yorker then. No run. A yoreker right on the money at 145kmph. Mohit has no chance. KC Cariappa is the new man in. It could not have been more perfect from Cummins. Cummins ends his quota of overs conceding only 23 runs while taking 2 wickets.

OUT! Mohit bowled by a top class yorker from Cummins.

Mohit Sharma b Pat Cummins 13(14)

After 18 overs,Kings XI Punjab 130/6 ( Axar Patel 41 , Mohit Sharma 12)

Morris bowls the 18th over. Mohit Sharma is not getting his timing right at all. Last rites of the KXIP being performed now really. The writing is on the wall. Only a miracle can win it for them now.

Kings XI have been very poor tonight and credit to Delhi they’ve been very good. It’ll be back to the drawing board for Maxwell and Sehwag to turn around the team’s form. They might want to look at bringing in Kiwi duo Martin Guptill and Matt Henry, but that will mean dropping two out of Amla, Miller and Morgan. Unfortunately Kings XI seem to lack depth in their local talent, particularly batsmen with Murali Vijay being injured. Plenty to think about for the King’s XI brains trust after two very poor performances in a row.

After 17 overs,Kings XI Punjab 124/6 ( Axar Patel 38 , Mohit Sharma 9)

Zaheer to Axar and hits that full length. A fine yorker and Axar squeezes it out. Who said yorkers were out of fashion in the IPL. Mohit hits one in the air, but the ball falls just short. Axar slams a six off the last ball. Zaheer got the length wrong there.

After 16 overs,Kings XI Punjab 112/6 ( Axar Patel 28 , Mohit Sharma 7)

Anderson to Axar. Six. An atempted yorker gone wrong and hammered down the ground. Anderson induces a leading edge off Mohit Sharma’s bat, but the ball falls just short of the diving fieldsman at extra cover. Good comeback by Anderson after conceding a six off the first ball. A strategic timeout taken at the end of that over. KXIP need 77 runs from the last four overs.

Twice now, DD have batted first, put up a big score and choked the opposition.

Can they sustain it for 14 games?#DDvsKXIP #IPL2017 #ipl10

— Suneer (@suneerchowdhary) April 15, 2017

That’s an awful shot by skipper Maxwell earlier in the innings, this match currently is all over. Really, really poor from Maxwell and that’s been the story of the night for Kings XI. They’ve been outplayed and struggled to deal with some good bowling from Delhi. Batsmen have struggled to rotate the strike and get themselves in which has created pressure and then a bad shot to get out.

After 15 overs,Kings XI Punjab 103/6 ( Axar Patel 20 , Mohit Sharma 6)

Zaheer back into the attack. Bowls to Axar, who gets a couple off the first ball and a four off the next ball. Sort and wide and Axar slashes it to the third man fence. Another boundary off the last ball. Mohit Sharma gets his first four.

DID YOU KNOW?

Amit Mishra becomes the second Indian bowler to take 50 wickets on a single ground in T20s. He has achieved the feat at Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi. Harbhajan Singh was the other bowler to achieve the milestone and he achieved at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.

Quite surprised by their decision not to play Rabada and yet, Cummins has done his job.#DDvsKXIP #IPL2017 #ipl10

— Suneer (@suneerchowdhary) April 15, 2017

Glenn Maxwell v Amit Mishra in IPL: (Including today)

Runs – 55
Balls – 29
Dismissals – 4
Average – 13.75
SR – 189.65

After 14 overs,Kings XI Punjab 90/6 ( Axar Patel 12 , Mohit Sharma 1)

Anderson to Miller. The third delivery is full and raps Miller on the pads. Adjudged out by the umpire. An uncharacteristically patchy innings from Miller comes to an end. Mohit Sharma comes in at the fall off that wicket.

OUT! Miller is caught in front of the stumps by Anderson..

Miller lbw b Corey Anderson 24(28)

After 13 overs,Kings XI Punjab 85/5 ( David Miller 23 , Axar Patel 9)

Mishra in for his third over. A couple of googlies  by Mishra keeps the batsmen in check. Only four runs from that over. KXIP have a mountain to climb now.

After 12 overs,Kings XI Punjab 81/5 ( David Miller 20 , Axar Patel 8)

Corey Anderson into the attack now. Four runs off the first four balls, and Miller gets an inside edge, which runs away to the fence. A last ball is driven hard and Zaheer dives, gets two hands to it, but spurns that opportunity. A genuine chance, but it was hit with some power. A big respitre for KXIP. Miller going now would have effectively been curtains for them. Miller can still play a blinder, but DD has a foot in the door.

After 11 overs,Kings XI Punjab 72/5 ( David Miller 13 , Axar Patel 6)

Amit Mishra continues and gets the better of Maxwell with the third ball of the over. An away-spinning delivery. Maxwell hits against the spin, doesn’t get the timing at all and ends up offering a catch at mid wicket. Maxwell departs for a duck. Punjab losing control of this now. Axar Patel joins Miller in the middle. Axar sends one into the stands with a slog sweep off the last ball of the over.

OUT! Maxwell holes out in the deep. The game is slipping from KXIP’s hands now.

Maxwell c Billings b Mishra 0(2)

After 10 overs,Kings XI Punjab 64/4 ( David Miller 11 , )

Cummins to Morgan. That ball moving away with the angle. A fine cover drive. Four. Cummins to Morgan omn the fifth ball of the over. A fierce square cut sends the ball racing to the fence. A valiant attemt at the fence by the fielder but the ball wins. Morgan however fails to keep the ball down off a cut on the next ball. The ball goes straight to Karun Nair at backward point, who takes the catch with glee. At the halfway stage, KXIP is all sorts of trouble.

OUT! Morgan departs caught at backward point as he fails to keep a square cut on the ground. Another big blow for KXIP

Eoin Morgan c Nair b Pat Cummins 22(20)

After 9 overs,Kings XI Punjab 53/3 ( Eoin Morgan 13 , David Miller 9)

Amit Mishra inrt the attack for the first time. The third delivery of the over is a beautiful googly. Miller totally bamboozled. Only four runs from that over. The equation is getting more difficult for Punjab with ecery passing over and we are approaching that stage where the batsmen have to throw their bats at almost everything.

After 8 overs,Delhi Daredevils 64/2 ( Sam Billings 39 , Shreyas Iyer 1)

Cummins continues. Drummed up some good pace in that over. Only two runs from that over. Delhi keeps Punjab under a tight leash.

After 7 overs,Kings XI Punjab 47/3 ( Eoin Morgan 11 , David Miller 6)

Morris continues. Morgan hammers the first ball to long off. Good diving stop by Nadeem on the boundary saves a certain boundary. Good changes of pace from Morris in that over. Seven runs from that over agai. KXIP need 142 runs from 78 balls. A long way still to go. Miller and Morgan and Maxwell after them would have to anchor KXIP’s chase now. There is still some fuel in the KXIP tank, make no mistake.

After 6 overs,Kings XI Punjab 40/3 ( Eoin Morgan 9 , David Miller 2)

Cummins into the attack now. Concedes a boundary off the first ball as Morgan pulls from outside off and sends the ball through the gap bertween mid wicket and mid on. Seven runs off that over. After the first six overs KXIP in a bit of trouble.

After 5 overs,Kings XI Punjab 33/3 ( Eoin Morgan 3 , David Miller 1)

Chris Morris into the attack. Amla just moves a touch away from the stumps on the off side and flicks the ball to the fine leg boundary. Brilliant that! Amla as Sachin  Tendulkar said, is an underartyed player. He can make this his match. But no, he can’t. Perishes off a full toss, caught at long leg. Could have gone left or bright off that fielder, but desperately unlucky to have picked him up. David Miller is the new man in. Morgan almost gets himself run out in the next ball. A good over for Delhi.

Terrible start for Kings XI. Once again Vohra’s shot selection leaves a lot to be desired. The required rate is above ten now which means there is no time for the new batsman to settle. With Vohra, Amla, and Saha back in the sheds all the pressure is on Morgan, Maxwell and Miller to go big from ball one and chase down this big total. Not looking good for Kings XI.

OUT! Amla goes now, caught at deep square leg. Big blow for KXIP

Amla c Billings b Chris Morris 19(12)

After 4 overs,Kings XI Punjab 26/2 ( Hashim Amla 15 , Eoin Morgan 1)

Nadeem to Saha. The KXIP wicketkeeper-batsman backs away and sends the ball over backward point and into the boundary. There is a soft dismisal after that though. Saha plays on the up and Zaheer takes a good low catch at extra cover. He is claiming the catch, but there is some lack of clarity on whether the catch was clean. Replays show it was. Punjab lose their second wicket for 21, a big one at that. That brings Eoin Morgan to the crease. One would remember his exploits for England during the limited overs series against India. He had been in good form in Big Bash and PSL too. Another huge batsman foir KXIP. Amla gets a four at wide mid off to get a boundary off the last ball.

OUT! Saha is caught by Zaheer at extra cover. Punjab lose their second wicket with 21 on the board.

Saha c Zaheer b Nadeem 7(5)

After 3 overs,Kings XI Punjab 17/1 ( Hashim Amla 11 , Wriddhiman Saha (W) 3)

Zaheer to Saha. A single. The next ball is pulled over midwicjet by Amla for the first boundary of the KXIP innings. A knuckle ball from Zaheer, but Amla picked it up well. Amla gets another boundary off the last ball to end the over on a high.

After 2 overs,Kings XI Punjab 6/1 ( Hashim Amla 2 , Wriddhiman Saha (W) 1)

Shahbaz Nadeem bowls the second over. The fourth ball catches Vohra on the thigh pad. Nadeem goes up in a spectacular appeal. Out given. Punjab lose their first wicket. Looked pretty adjacent in the end. That pitched in line and was hitting the batsman in line. Would have crashed onto the stumps. Wridhhiman Saha comes out to bat. He is one of KXIP’s main batsmen and need to fire if KXIP are to chase down this big total.

Now for some Maxi Madness. He has handled Tahir, Chahal, Chawla and Narine exceptionally well so far. Very impressive.

— Alagappan Vijayakumar (@IndianMourinho) April 15, 2017

#RishabPant reminds me of young @YUVSTRONG12 in 2000 #ChampionsTrophy.Fearless,dynamic,flambuoyant,Yuvraj was exciting to watch & so is Pant

— Mikkhail Vaswani (@MikkhailVaswani) April 15, 2017

OUT! Vohra goes. Punjab lose their first wicket. KXIP 5/1 

Vohra lbw b Nadeem 3(6)

With @chopraanjum and Pagarehh in the Comm Box - @DelhiDaredevils #IPL #DDvKXIP pic.twitter.com/ep94vJZky1

— Ravi Shastri (@RaviShastriOfc) April 15, 2017

After 1 over,Kings XI Punjab 2/0 ( Manan Vohra 1 , Hashim Amla 1)

The first ball is on a good length and comes slightly back. Vohra plays it back to the bowler. Zaheer to Amla. Fullish delivery. Amla drives it straight. Good fielding by Samson at mid off saves a certain boundary. The last ball is full and Vohra almost yorks himself. Good start by Zaheer.

Hashim Amla and Manan Vohra starts Punjab’s innings, Zaheer Khan starts for Delhi.

Some fantastic late hitting by Morris, Anderson and Cummins has got Delhi to a very good score. At least 20 more than what Kings XI would have been hoping to chase. KXIP’s death bowling was poor once again, and Varun Aaron was a weak link going for 10 runs per over during the middle overs. While Delhi lost regular wickets they were saved by Anderson’s lusty hitting. For Kings XI their spinners were certainly their best, despite Axar’s last over getting some tap. 

Kings XI decided to strengthen their batting by adding Eoin Morgan to the line-up and they will need all his experience and skill to chase down this score. It will be crucial, once again, for Vohra and Amla to provide a fast start and set the game up for Maxwell, Saha, Miller and Morgan. A different batsman has been used at three in each match, I wonder who will be sent in tonight! It should be either Saha or Morgan.

Ferozeshah Kotla is holding its first match of the season and earlier in the day, Yami Gautam regaled the spectators. Images from a spectacular opening ceremony. 

.@yamigautam has set the stage on fire #IPL #DDvKXIP pic.twitter.com/puSNjb54b0

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 15, 2017

Corey Anderson showing why he was a brilliant buy, and a bargain at Rs. 1 crore (base price). Along with Chris Morris and Pat Cummins has helped the score to originally estimated 180-odd (188/6), just above par score here. And DD have a good bowling attack with an optimal balance between pace and spin. Game on here!

After 20 overs,Delhi Daredevils 188/6 ( Corey Anderson 39 , Pat Cummins 12)

Sandeep to bowl the last over. A wide yorker. Cummins squeezes it past backward point and to the fence. The next ball is short and is slapped between midwicket and long on for four. The last four balls – last two of the previous ovber and the first two of this over have produced 20 runs. Sandeep to Anderson for the fifth ball of the over and he is hit straight quite forcefully to the boundary. Sandeep didn’t get the yorker right and Anderson takes full toll. The last ball also goes the distance. Anderson clobbers it towards deep square leg; the fielder at the fence got a hand to it, but can’t prevent the six. Massive last two overs for Delhi. 16 runs in rthe last over and 19 in this one. That is 35 runs in two overs. Substract that from Delhi’s final score of 188 and it would still be a manageable 153. Even a score of 165 would have made Punjab happy. But this is a formidable score now by Delhi. They end strongly.

Some utter filth in the last 2 ruined it for KXIP.

— Alagappan Vijayakumar (@IndianMourinho) April 15, 2017

Amla will be licking his lips at this target... #ipl

— Innocent Bystander (@InnoBystander) April 15, 2017

Spin at the death...will they ever learn...? #ipl

— Innocent Bystander (@InnoBystander) April 15, 2017

After 19 overs,Delhi Daredevils 169/6 ( Corey Anderson 29 , Pat Cummins 3)

Axar back into the attack. A big penultimate over, as Anderson gets two sixes off the last two balls of that over. The first one is a pick up shot over long leg and the next a flat six over long on. Morris may be out, but Anderson is as dangerous.

After 18 overs,Delhi Daredevils 153/6 ( Corey Anderson 14 , Pat Cummins 2)

Sandeep back in the attack. Another attempted yorker gone awry. Ends up being a full toss. Anderson goes over the in-field and gets a boundary at point. The ball lostt some steam at the end but had enough on ut to still reach the fence. But this is poor from the KXIP bowlers. Sandeep then drops one short. That begged to be hit. Morris goes hard at it, but doesn’t get either the placement or timing and Mohit Sharma pouches it at deep square leg. That is a massive wicket for KXIP, given that he could have really hurt them with lusty blows in the final few overs. Nine runs from that over. Pat Cummins is the new man in.

OUT! Morris hits a short one straight to Mohit Sharma at deep square leg. DD 151/6 

Chris Morris c Mohit Sharma b Sandeep Sharma 16(8)

Of course it would help if Corey called for his hitting bat and not the balsa wood bat... #ipl

— Innocent Bystander (@InnoBystander) April 15, 2017

After 17 overs,Delhi Daredevils 144/5 ( Corey Anderson 8 , Chris Morris 15)

Mohit Sharma back into the attack. Bowls a high full toss almost the head of the batsman. An attempted yorker gone wrong. Morris tries to guide it past the keeper, but does not connect. No ball called. Free hit. A slower ball and Morris absolutely smokes it straight. It went miles into the crowd and almost out of the stadium. That’s how you make use of a free hit. That’s emphatric. The next ball is on middle and leg and is flicked for two. More slower stuff from Mohit. But where is a good yorker. KXIP getting some stick. There is only that much you can do with a limited arsenal.

After 16 overs,Delhi Daredevils 131/5 ( Corey Anderson 7 , Chris Morris 5)

Aaron back in the attack and he produces the wicket of Pant. A bit impatient from the young wicketkeeeper-batsman. Plays one shot too many and throws his wicket away in the end. A bit rash, but he would learn. Chris Morris comes in. He had carted the Pune bowlers all over the park in the earlier match, and here gets off the mark with a four. Steers that shortish one behind square. Corey Anderson adds an emphasis with a fierce slap back past the bowler to the straight fence. That ball travelled at the rate of knots.

KXIP fielders to take three catches in an IPL match:
 

Piyush Chawla v RCB at Durban in 2009
David Hussey v RCB at Dharamsala in 2011
Mandeep Singh v DD at Delhi in 2013
Glenn Maxwell v DD at Delhi in 2014
David Miller v KKR at Kolkata in 2014
Gurkeerat Singh v MI at Visakhapatnam in 2016
EOIN MORGAN v DD at Delhi in 2017*

A flurry of wickets and all momentum sucked out of DD’s innings here. Target expectations have come way down from 180 obviously. Can they breach 150 though? Even so, it might not be enough. 170-180 is usually the par score at Feroz Shah Kotla.

Pant falls, Delhi in spot of bother. Need 180 to defend even with their fine bowling attack. Anderson, Morris & tail have a task ahead

— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) April 15, 2017

OUT! Pant departs, holing out to Morgan. The third catch in the innings for Morgan 

Pant c Eoin Morgan b Aaron 15(9)

After 15 overs,Delhi Daredevils 120/4 ( Rishabh Pant (W) 15 , Corey Anderson 3)

Cariappa into the attack. A straight delivery first up. Pant goes back in the crease and hits it straight back at the bowler, but Cariappa fails to hold on. Would it prove costly? You don’t drop players like Pant. And he shows exactly why as the next ball is cut forcefully to the fence at backward point. A wide delivery that asked to being hit. Pant mistimes one on the next ball. One hand comes off the handle, but the ball races to the boundary at long on, where Morgan misfields and lets the ball roll to the boundary. Pant then comes down the track, and gets an inside edge but the ball misses the stumps.

#Dilliboy #RishabhPant walks back to the dug out as he fails to time the ball right.
DD 120/5#DDTweets #DDvKXIP #DilDilliHai

— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) April 15, 2017

After 14 overs,Delhi Daredevils 110/4 ( Rishabh Pant (W) 6 , Corey Anderson 2)

Maxwell brings himself on. Maxwell to Pant and the Delhi batsman bludgeons it over cover and sends the ball to the boundary. Seven runs off that over.

Glenn Maxwell must thank his lucky stars he has Axar in his side, he knows he can always turn to his left arm spinner to tighten the screws and now Axar gets the big wicket of Billings. Axar is a very limited bowler, but he is extremely effective in limited overs cricket due to his accuracy — he bowls tight lines and doesn’t allow batsmen to free their arms. While he doesn’t turn the ball much, if it all, he fires the ball in quickly and cramps the batsmen making it difficult to get him away. What he lacks in turn and flight he makes up for with cricket smarts, adjusting his length accordingly which is how he got rid of Billings.

After 13 overs,Delhi Daredevils 103/4 ( Rishabh Pant (W) 1 , Corey Anderson 0)

Axar to Billings. Fires it wide as he saw Billings advancing, but Billings extends his arms and lofts the ball inside out to the cover fence. He doesn’t stay at the crease for long thereafter though. Comes down the track agai to the spinner. Doesn’t control that away spinning delivery, gets the toe end of the bat, trying to hit against the spin. The ball goes way up in the air, and Miller takes the catch on the long on fence. That brings Corey Anderson to the crease. Strategic timeout taken.

OUT! Billings dowesn’t get all of that and is caught on the boundary by Miller. DD 103/4 

Billings c Miller b Axar 55(40)

Rousing reception for Rishabh Pant shows how his stock has grown. Always a joy to see him bat. And runs from him important too for Delhi!

— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) April 15, 2017

After 12 overs,Delhi Daredevils 97/3 ( Sam Billings 50 , Rishabh Pant (W) 0)

Mohit back into the attack. A fullish slower ball to start with. A single taken in front of cover. Drags one short then and Billings gives it the treatment it deserves. Picked up the legth early and sent the ball hurtling to the long on fence. Mohit’s length are not correct in this innings one feels, but Billings is playing a gem of an innings. Iyer though squanders a good start and throws his wicket away, holing out to Morgan at long on. That brings the hard-hitting Rishabh Pant to the centre. Billings notches up his fifty with a single on the last ball.

DID YOU KNOW? This is the second fifty in IPL for Sam Billings after hitting a fifty on debut in IPL while playing for DD against KKR in 2016.

Shreyas Iyer’s wicket has come at the right time for DD, odd as it may sound. They would want Sam Billings to bat deep and hold one end. So Iyer had to go for the big shot or perish. Now it opens up one end for the likes of Rishabh Pant, Chris Morris and Corey Anderson. DD will be targeting 180 here with all that firepower.

OUT! Iyer hits one high up in the air and Morgan at long on positiones under that to take an easy catch 

Shreyas Iyer c Eoin Morgan b Mohit Sharma 22(17)

After 11 overs,Delhi Daredevils 90/2 ( Sam Billings 44 , Shreyas Iyer 21)

Axar back into the attack. Ones and twos in that over. A shout for LBW off the last ball as Iyer misses a sweep. Looks to have hit him outside off. Not out given.

After 10 overs,Delhi Daredevils 83/2 ( Sam Billings 42 , Shreyas Iyer 17)

Aaron continues. Strays on the leg side. A short on on the pads and Iyer turns it around the corner for a boundary. An attempted leg cutter gone wrong. Aaron strays down the leg side again and Iyer cashes in on that gift, flicking it behind square. Wonderful placement. There were two fielders in the deep, but no one gets even close. Aaron has to get his line and length better. Iyer meanwhile ha hit the ground running this season. Delhi going strong  at the halfway stage.

Sam Billings is pretty good. Just that makes a lot of these 20s and 30s.

— Bharath Ramaraj (@Fancricket12) April 15, 2017

Shreyas Iyer in IPL:
2015: Innings-14, Runs-439, Ave.-33.77, HS-83, SR-128.36
2016: Innings-6, Runs-30, Ave.-5.00, HS-19, SR-69.76

After 9 overs,Delhi Daredevils 71/2 ( Sam Billings 41 , Shreyas Iyer 6)

Cariappa continues. Iyer, who is back after an illness-induded layoff, announces himself with a wonderfully timed boundary past point. Seven runs from that over.

After 8 overs,Delhi Daredevils 64/2 ( Sam Billings 39 , Shreyas Iyer 1)

Varun Aaron back in the attack. Short-pitched one to Nair. The batsman tries to turn it round the corner and Saha takes a blinder behind the stumps. The KXIP and Team India glovesman has been in top form and had taken some brilliant ones in India;s home season, and continues the good work here. Delhi meanwhile have lost two wickets in quick succession, which would check their progress a bit. That brings the very promising Shreyaas Iyer to the crease. Aaron to Billings, and Billings extends his bat at that wide delivcery. Gets just enough bat, or more of an edge, to take the ball past Saha and into the boundary. A couple of wides and a no ball in that over. Billings failed to take full toll of the free hit offered, but KXIP will have to cut down on the extras being conceded.

Karun Nair since his triple century v England across formats:

14, 12, 28, 7, 14, 12, 4, 26, 0, 23, 5, 4, 0 (Today)

Varun Aaron is very lucky to get that wicket thanks to Saha’s brilliant keeping. Saha moves well and has good hands, arguably the best gloveman on the international scene. 

Aaron’s tendency to slide down the leg side, and his pace being down can be attributed to his poor wrist position. His wrist is falling down the left hand side of the ball, so the ball rolls out almost like a leg cutter. From here the ball will always angle down leg and he won’t be able to bowl and outswinger. Not having his wrist behind the ball also limits his pace, which tonight seems to be under 140kph. 

I certainly don’t remember Aaron struggling with his wrist previously so it seems to be a bad habit that has crept in.

Karun No-run-yaar!#IPL

— Nikhil 🏏 (@CricCrazyNIKS) April 15, 2017

Surprising that DD team management decided to send Karun Nair at no.3. With nine wickets in hand, would have liked to see Rishabh Pant coming instead and making the start count. Nair is woefully short of confidence, and runs, and gone now for a three-ball duck. These sort of decisions cost Daredevils regularly. And now they have lost momentum again.

OUT! A short one from Aaron and Nair tries to turn it round the corner, only to offer a catch behind the wicket. A fine catch by Saha. 

Nair c Saha b Aaron 0(3)

After 7 overs,Delhi Daredevils 55/1 ( Sam Billings 34 , Karun Nair 0)

Cariappa into the attack now. Three runs from the first three balls. Billings attempts a reverse sweep off the fourth ball. Gets beaten and Saha whips the bails off. An appeal for a stumping. The umpires go upstairs. Replays show Cariappa may have overstepped. Yes, he has. Called a no ball. What KXIP thought would be a wicket turns out to be free hit. Billings goes the aerial route on the free hit, but couold manege to get only a single. There is a wicket in the over though after all as Samson mistimes one from Cariappa to Morgan at long on. Karun Nair is the next man in.

OUT! Samson mistimes one from Cariappa and gives a simple catch to Morgan at long on

Samson c Eoin Morgan b Cariappa 19(18)

I've known a few Samsons in my life. None has been as lean, but Sanju lacks nothing in punch. Glorious hit over long on for 6!

— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) April 15, 2017

In the end it’s been a good powerplay for Delhi. Kings XI would have been desperate for an early wicket or two, and Sandeep usually delivers, but the rest of the pace attack looks weak. Varun Aaron seems down on pace and his control is just not good enough for this level of cricket. A real shame for Indian cricket the way he has stagnated. 

Sanju Samson is in great form and Billings is looking ominous. If Kings XI don’t grab a couple of wickets soon they could be chasing a very big score.

After 6 overs,Delhi Daredevils 49/0 ( Sanju Samson 18 , Sam Billings 30)

Mohit Sharma comes back into the attack and Samson on strike. He has not had a lot of the strike. Plays a good-looking straight drive on the first ball but it goes straight to the bowler. A bit uppish from Samson on the third ball towards long on. One run. Meanwhile Billings keeps on moving across the track putting the bowlers off. Mohit drops it short and gets hit for a six off the last ball. That deserved the treatment. Delhi looking robust after the first six overs. A timeout taken.

A slow start for DD, but more importantly, they haven’t lost a wicket. Sam Billings looking to go big now with three boundaries on the trot. Also, a case for Rishabh Pant to come up the order, if they keep wickets in hand.

Gambhir and Narine got away from Kings XI and threw the bowlers off their line and length early in the last game so Kings XI will be pleased how they have started with the ball tonight. Once again Axar Patel will be the man Maxwell will turn to to keep the batsmen quiet. 

Will need an improved effort from Varun Aaron and Mohit Sharma tonight, especially against an inform Delhi batting line up.

Head to Head in IPL: (DD v KXIP)
Matches – 18
DD won – 8
KXIP won – 10 

At Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi:
Matches – 8
DD won – 4
KXIP won – 4

Not surprising that Delhi Daredevils have opted for Shreyas Iyer as soon as was fit and available. Aditya Tare didn’t do enough to hold that spot. Like Sanju Samson, Iyer too would like to score big at the very outset and improve on his patchy run last season.

Kings XI will be looking to bounce back from their bad loss against KKR. Dehi Daredevils have a good side so it will be a test for Kings XI. 

Despite losing the toss Kings XI still get to chase, which they prefer. Dropping Ishant for another spinner is a good move I feel and Morgan in for Stoinis strengthens the batting.

After 5 overs,Delhi Daredevils 41/0 ( Sanju Samson 11 , Sam Billings 29)

Varun Aaron into the attack now. Billings hops down the track and turns the second ball of the over into a half volley and gets a straight boundary. Gives the charge again and sends the next ball to the midwicket fence. Aaron had dropped that ball quite short and it asked to be hit. The next ball is on the pads and is turned around the corner past 45 degrees for a hat-trick of boundaries in that over. Aaron’s line and length is going all awry at the moment. 14 runs from that over. A big one for DD.

After 4 overs,Delhi Daredevils 27/0 ( Sanju Samson 10 , Sam Billings 17)

Axar Patel into the attack now. Billings is looking to use his feet against the left-arm spinner. An overthrow conceded by KXIP. Billings continues to use his feet to Axar. The DD batsmen milks the bowling for five runs in that over.

After 3 overs,Delhi Daredevils 22/0 ( Sanju Samson 8 , Sam Billings 14)

Sandeep to Billings. The batsman walks down the track and plays the ball towards midwicket. Sandeep then strays on the pads of Billings, who turns it imperiously towards midwicket, where Amla pulls off a brilliant stop. Saved a certain boundary. The next ball is abolutely dismissed by Billings to the boundary. Bends down and sweeps it to the square leg fence. That was destructive.

After 2 overs,Delhi Daredevils 17/0 ( Sanju Samson 8 , Sam Billings 9)

Mohit bowls the next over. No run off the first three balls. There is a hint of swing. Mohit drops it a bit short at a friendly pace and Billings takes the aerial route. Gets a boundary at long on. The next ball is short again. Billings pulls through mid on and mid wicket and gets consecutive fours. Mohit will have to do something about the length. This is clearly a gift for the Delhi batsmen. Nine runs from that over. Delhi have started well.

After 1 overs,Delhi Daredevils 8/0 ( Sanju Samson 8 , Sam Billings 0)

Sandeep Sharma gets some swing at the outset. Gets one swinging in, but it is onto Samson’s pads. The young Delhi batsman is in fantastic touch. Turns it past the man at 45v degrees for Delhi’s first boundary of the over. Plays a strong punch off the back foot to point. No run, but he is looking very good. Gets one in the gap on the last ball as and gets another four. A bit on the shorter side that from Sandeep and wide, Samson extends his arms and plays on the up, timing it beautifully. Eight runs from the first over.

All set for the ‘North Indian derby’

Sam Billings and the centurion from the last match Sanju Samson starts the Delhi innings. Sandeep Sharma sends down the first over for Punjab

Here's our playing XI for tonight's first home game. C'mon Dilli! #DDTweets #DDvKXIP #DilDilliHai pic.twitter.com/liDEHlchSQ

— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) April 15, 2017

DD XI: S Iyer, S Billings, S Samson, K Nair, R Pant, C Morris, C Anderson, P Cummins, A Mishra, Z Khan, S Nadeem

​KXIP XI: H Amla, M Vohra, G Maxwell, D Miller, E Morgan, W Saha, A Patel, KC Cariappa, M Sharma, V Aaron, Sandeep Sharma

Delhi Daredevils captain Zaheer Khan wins the toss and elects to bat.

Changes for KXIP –  Marcus Stoinis makes way for Eoin Morgan and KC Cariappa comes in place of Ishant Sharma. 

Change of Delhi Daredevils: Shreyas Iyer comes in place of Aditya Tare.

Play Hard, Play Fair - Spirit of Cricket at #IPL - @ImZaheer and @Gmaxi_32 #DDvKXIP pic.twitter.com/rJnSHAz9gh

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 15, 2017

#DilliBoys are set to play the first home game of the season.
The excitement is unreal!#DDvKXIP#DilDilliHai pic.twitter.com/G8gRTGBcrP

— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) April 15, 2017

Hello and welcome to Firstpost’s live coverage of IPL 2017 match 15 between Zaheer Khan’s Delhi Daredevils and Glenn Maxwell’s Kings XI Punjab. Get ready to cheer for your team as we bring to you all the live updates and scores from this exciting tie!