On Tuesday, Kings XI Punjab could have ended their campaign in the sixth edition of the Indian Premier league on a premature note. But come Thursday, they would take the field here at the HPCA stadium having gotten themselves into a three-way battle for the fourth play-off spot.
Had Kings XI failed to outdo Royal Challengers Bangalore the other day they would have been entering the clash here with Delhi Daredevils with nothing to win and nothing to lose. However, a certain Adam Gilchrist was not yet ready to surrender. His unbeaten 54-ball 85, aided well by another veteran Azhar Mahmood's 61, was enough to chase down 175 to live to fight another day.
With only Chennai Super Kings, Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians having secured a play-off berth each, Kings XI are to fight it out with Royal Challengers and Sunrisers Hyderabad for the left lone spot. Kings XI at 12 points need to win their remaining two matches and hope for Royal Challengers and Sunrisers to not add anything to their 16 each.
If Royals beat Sunrisers on Friday, Knight Riders get the better of Sunrisers in the last league stage match on May 19, and Super Kings outpower Royal Challengers, all the three — Kings XI, Royals Challengers and Sunrisers - would finish on 16 and the one with the best run-rate of the lot gets to play the second qualifier.
And, the exercise towards that for Kings XI starts with Daredevils, who are long out of the race for the next stage. Ironically, when the two sides were meeting in Dharamsala last year, though the Punjab-based side was trying its luck for a play-off berth, the Delhi bunch had already secured its advancement by the virtue of being the top finisher in the league stage.
This time, however, Daredevils just seem to be taking each passing match with a solitary aim of taking some pleasure from spoiling someone else's equation too. Though, that hasn't happened so far, caution would still keep the hosts on Thursday in good stead. For, if they happen to falter they story is all over for them. But if they manage to take those two points, they would be all set to welcome Sachin Tendulkar and his Mumbai Indians for the first time ever in Dharamsala with hopes still alive.
The track has also been suitably led for the hosts to keep fighting till the very end. The pace and bouncy pitch here would be an ideal ally for their attack, led by Praveen Kumar's pace and supported by Parvinder Awana, who took three wickets in the previous do-or-die against Royal Challengers, Manpreet Gony, Mahmood and Piyush Chawla.
Gilchrist's perfect timing to bounce back into form to keep it alive for a setting, where he had almost called it quits in 2011, is indeed the only boost that Kings XI needed. Now, if David Miller can recreate that 38-ball 101 magic once again, Kings XI won't have much to worry about. That leaves place for one from David Hussey and Shaun Marsh.
Though the hosts seem to be spoilt for choice in picking their foreign recruits, Daredevils are in a somewhat similar dilemma, albeit with the whole squad. Their top-order has failed in unison, the replacements hardly any good either.
Having won just three out of 14 matches, their batting in skipper Mahela Jayawardene, Virender Sehwag, David Warner, Unmukt Chand and Ben Rohrer hardly looks good enough to surprise Kings XI. But when it comes to their bowling, even though the likes of Morne Morkel, Irfan Pathan, Umesh Yadav and Shahbaz Nadeem have left much to desire, they might just be saving themselves for some last-moment firing.
For, Pune Warriors as the last opponents, Daredevils would like to score off some sizeable rivals to end their season with some positive. Kings XI, with everything to gain or lose now, just need to not let the Daredevils dreams take wings now.