When Kings XI Punjab clash against the Delhi Capitals in the VIVO Indian Premier League, more often than not it has produced thrilling cricket matches which have stood the test of time for most patrons of the sport. The Northern derby of the IPL has had its fair share of excitement, controversy and drama; and fans can expect for more of the same to continue when these two competitive teams contend in the future.
The two teams have faced each other 24 times in the history of the Indian Premier League, with Kings XI Punjab having a superior head-to-head record against their Northern rivals with 14 wins to their name. Casting back to those wins, one can recollect several noteworthy performances by the Shers, both past and present.
Here’s a look at the top three individual performances by Kings XI Punjab players against Delhi.
Sensational Sam
One does not need to go too far back to think of the first memorable moment for KXIP against Delhi Capitals. At a packed IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali last year, English sensation Sam Curran snacthed victory from the jaws of defeat as he ended with figures of 4/11 which included a hattrick.
Delhi Capitals looked to be in control of the game, needing just 30 from the last four overs with seven wickets in hand. KXIP’s Curran and Mohammed Shami though had other plans in their mind as they picked up a slew of wickets which triggered an unlikely collapse which gave the hosts a 14 run victory. Curran accounted for the wickets of Harshal Patel, Kagiso Rabada and Sandeep Lamichhane off three consecutive deliveries, and also dismissed the dangerous Colin Ingram earlier in his spell. For his game changing performance, the all-rounder was later credited with the man of the match award.
Record breaking Rahul
Swashbuckling opening batsman KL Rahul marked his KXIP debut in some style, as he scored the fastest fifty in the history of the IPL against Delhi Capitals, who were named the Delhi Daredevils back then. Rahul needed just 14 balls to get to his half century, in an innings which was decorated with six fours and four sixes.
The current KXIP captain went hell for leather right from the beginning, smashing New Zealand seamer Trent Boult for 16 runs in the first over. Amit Mishra faced the worst on the opener’s onslaught as he was clobbered for 24 runs in his first over with some of Rahul’s trademark cover drives and pulls being executed to perfection. Although Rahul was dismissed shortly after his fifty, his quickfire start to the innings made it light work for his colleagues, as KXIP claimed a comfortable six wicket victory in their opening game of 2018.
KL Rahul really put it beyond the Daredevils with that blistering 14 ball 50. Good beginning for Ashwin the captain. #KXIPvDD
— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) April 8, 2018
Stoinis seals the deal
In his debut season for Kings XI Punjab, Marcus Stoinis impressed all on home turf when the Delhi Daredevils came visiting with a splendid performance with the ball as well as bat. Opening the innings, Stoinis scored a quickfire half century, giving the hosts a good start to the game. Despite wickets falling at the other end, the Australian all-rounder held fort till the 14th over, hitting three fours and two sixes in his innings. KXIP then finished strong, adding 75 runs in the last six overs to give the visitors a stiff target of 182.
In reply, Delhi started off well as they scored 51 runs in the powerplay without losing a wicket. To break the partnership, KXIP captain Murali Vijay introduced Stoinis into the attack, and he delivered immediately, dismissing Quinton de Kock. The medium pacer also accounted for the wickets of the other Delhi opener Sanju Samson, as well as dismissing the dangerous Sam Billings for a single digit score. Those wickets broke the backbone of the visitors, who could never quite pick up the momentum in the final stages of the game, losing by nine runs in the end.
Apart from these three, there have been several memorable performances from Wriddhiman Saha, Sandeep Sharma, Murali Vijay and many other KXIP players.
Which has been your favourite moment in a KXIP vs DC match? Leave your answer in the comments below.
