Daredevils to miss Nehra against Kings XI

Mohali:

Delhi Daredevils will miss the service of pace spearhead Ashish Nehra when they open their Indian Premier League campaign taking on Kings XI Punjab here on Saturday.

Nehra has been ruled out of the match due to an injury and Daredevils coach Eric Simmons on Friday admitted that absence of the left-arm paceman may disturb their bowling calculations.

"Losing Ashish is going to be difficult for us as he held the perfect balance in our bowling attack. He was definitely the biggest player we had," Simmons said at a press conference.

Simmons also said that it would be difficult to predict at this moment when Nehra would be available.

In Nehra's absence, Australian Dirk Nannes will have to shoulder the responsibility of the team's pace attack.

Meanwhile, Daredevils batsman Dinesh Karthik hoped that the batting top-order will fire in unison to help the team perform well in the cash-rich event.

"This year, we are hoping that our top order and middle order fire so that we can put the opposition under pressure," he said.

"Both the teams are well balanced and we should have a keen contest. Our gameplan is to win and keep the momentum going," Karthik said while asked about Saturday's match.

Meanwhile, addressing a separate press conference, Kings XI Punjab middle-order batsman Mohammad Kaif, who is making a comeback in the third edition of the event, said he was very excited and looking forward to all the actions.

"It's really great to be a part of the team where you have players like Yuvraj Singh and Irfan Pathan on your side," Kaif said.

Asked if he felt any pressure on him, he said: "I have no pressure on mind and I would just try to continue my form in the upcoming matches. My focus will be only on playing my part successfully in the team."

Winner of the IPL-I Rajasthan Royals had dropped Kaif from their squad ahead of the IPL-II, which was held in South Africa last year.

"It all depends on the franchisee owner who has invested the money. I cannot say anything on this as it is their right to pick and choose or to drop anybody," he said.

"But now it is a good opportunity for me to make a strong comeback. However, one thing is sure that life does not end after this. If I contribute then it is good, if not then also life goes on," he added.