New Delhi: The capital is experiencing a heat wave for the last couple of days as the maximum temperature has touched the 40 degree Celsius mark. And matters may get hotter on the cricket field when the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Delhi DareDevils clash in an IPL X match at the Kotla, on Monday.
Both the teams have won their respective last matches - the Knight Riders overcame Sunrisers Hyderabad by 17 runs, while the DareDevils blew away Kings XI by 51 runs. Both, in fact, have won back-to-back matches and would like to get a 'hat-trick' of wins on Monday.
It is still early in the tournament, but is here where teams look to gain some advantage over rivals as things get tense in the business end. So both the Knight Riders and the DareDevils would be eager to finish Monday's match on a high.
On Sunday afternoon, when the Knight Riders checked into a hotel here, their players looked confident, spirited and ready to resume the battle.
After a few of them obliged some fans with selfies and autographs at the hotel lobby, the players straightaway headed for their rooms, though a few preferred to spend some time at the swimming pool. Sunday being a 'no practice' day, it was time for the team to relax.
Monday's match will be a 'homecoming' for Knight Riders captain Gautam Gambhir. The Delhi cricketer, however, has had a troublesome year with his Ranji team.
After a forgettable season as the Delhi Ranji captain, Gambhir was accused of getting into an altercation with the coach. It prompted the court appointed administrator of the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) to order an enquiry, the report of which is yet to be made public.
One isn't sure if those things will play on Gambhir's mind when he takes the field on Monday, but a good outing in front of the 'home' crowd is something he will surely look forward to. The left-handed opener is in fine form these days and with his team winning three of the four matches they have played so far, he would be doubly confident.
Having said that, the DareDevils are no pushovers. The hosts have two victories from three games, including the convincing win over Kings XI on Friday night.
But the Knight Riders, the two-time champions, do hold a slight edge, with a more balanced line-up. While the DareDevils batting strength is more dependent on youngsters, the Knight Riders boast of some seasoned campaigners like Gambhir, Robin Uthappa, Manish Pandey, Yusuf Pathan and Suryakumar Yadav. Such is their confidence at the moment, that they didn't hesitate to promote Sunil Narine, not even known as a good all-rounder, to open the innings with Gambhir.
The gamble paid off in one match, while against the Sunrisers it flopped. It remains to be seen if the Knight Riders continue with Narine as an opener.
