Delhi Daredevils vs Kings XI Punjab prediction: A look at how the first IPL 2016 game at Kotla could go

Delhi Daredevils are set to host the Kings XI Punjab in an IPL 2016 match at the Feroz Shah Kolta Stadium in Delhi on Friday. DD, who will be led by the experienced Zaheer Khan, will want to play quality cricket in front of their home fans, while Kings XI will want to silence the crowd with some superior cricket.

There is a serious need for both teams to pick up a win in Kotla, as they are yet to register their first points of the season.

Here is a prediction of how the Delhi Daredevils vs Kings XI Punjab IPL 2016 game might pan out.

If Delhi Daredevils bat first: The toss is going to play a crucial role under the Kotla conditions, which has assisted the slower bowlers in the past. Out of the last ten IPL matches played in the venue, the team batting second have won the game nine times. So it is quite clear that the captains will want to chase. Let's assume, David Miller, Kings XI Punjab skipper, wins the toss, and decides to field.

Axar Patel opens the bowling for Kings XI, a smart move, but Quinton de Kock gives Delhi a flying start, alongside Mayank Agarwal, who does not see much of the strike in the early phase. Mitchell Johnson uses his experience to dismiss De Kock, and soon Delhi lose Agarwal as well. Sanju Samson shows his class with some exquisite shots, but is pegged down by Pardeep Sahu, who gets the ball to grip the surface. But Carlos Brathwaite, who failed in his first outing, comes out all guns blazing, scoring 30 runs from 17 balls to help Delhi reach a decent total of 145 runs.

Delhi misses the trick, once again, as they open the bowling with Zaheer Khan and Chris Morris, when the first innings clearly reflected that the ball was stopping on the batsmen. Though, Zaheer dismisses Manan Vohra early, Murali Vijay and David Miller take the attack to the seamers. Tahir comes in to the scene and dismisses both the batsmen, and Glenn Maxwell starts in an uncharacteristic style, scoring runs in singles. But he, along with Wriddhiman Saha, play their stroke after getting set, to help Kings XI script their first win in IPL 2016.

If Kings XI Punjab bat first: The Kings XI get off to a solid start, scoring 50-plus runs in the Powerplay, but Tahir contains the run flow, and dismisses Vijay, who was threatening to run away with the game. After a solid start, Kings XI promote Maxwell, who goes for a rash shot, and fails to even trouble the scorers. Considering Saha is a good player of spin, Miller drops down the order and allows the wicketkeeper-batsmen to bat at No. 4. It proves to be a brilliant decision as he scores 30-odd runs. Miller gets into the act, after Saha walks back to the pavilion, and powers his team to a total of 150 runs.

Daredevils openers -- De Kock and Agarwal -- get off to a decent start with the left-hander scoring runs in boundaries. The pair gives a solid start as required, while chasing a total of 150 runs. Though Agarwal is dismissed by Patel, De Kock is unperturbed as he completes his half-century to set the home team on course for a win. After Samson scores 20-odd runs, Carlos Brathwaite is promoted up the order, and he finishes the match in the 17th over along with De Kock.