IPL 2023: Delhi Capitals hosts Punjab Kings on Saturday. It is the final chance for both sides to come out on top, as the loser is undoubtedly on his way out of the playoff race.
All but out of playoff reckoning, Delhi Capitals (DC) will expect a more purposeful approach from its Indian batting unit as it plays for pride against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in a 12th-round Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Saturday. With four wins in 11 games, DC is staring at an abrupt exit as winning the next three matches will only take them to 14 points, which might not be enough to earn them a place in the top four, leaving its fate in the hands of other teams.
The specialist Indian batters have hardly contributed. It has all been about either skipper David Warner, keeper-batter Phil Salt or all-rounder Mitchell Marsh, who has given the team some momentum with willow. The likes of Manish Pandey, Ripal Patel and Aman Hakim Khan have lacked the killer punch as they have been unable to change their game according to the match situation.
The inability of the middle order to rotate the strike or find big hits has put paid to its hopes. As a result, once the top-order caves in, they need more firepower to finish a chase, something which was on display against former four-time champion Chennai Super Kings (CSK) the other day.
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Skipper Warner, who looked good during the first half of the season, has struggled in the last five innings, with single-digit scores in three of them. Salt sizzled with two whirlwind innings, but he also was dismissed cheaply in three matches, including two ducks. With the bat, Marsh exploded once against former champion SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) but couldn't do much in the rest. However, the Australian has chipped in with regular wickets in the last three games.
The bowlers have fared better, with the spin duo of Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav bowling a good line, while pacers Ishant Sharma and Khaleel Ahmed getting wickets most times. However, the absence of speedster Anrich Nortje, who had to return home due to personal reasons, was felt in the last match.
PBKS, with 10 points from 11 games, too is looking at a must-win game following back-to-back defeats against record former five-time champion Mumbai Indians (MI) and former two-time champion Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), respectively. PBKS has blown hot and cold this season. In the last two matches, its bowlers have failed to defend totals as MI and KKR out-batted them.
Punjab had a chance to get into the top 3 in its last game, but Rinku Singh slammed a four in the final delivery to dent Punjab's hopes as they entered the must-win zone with three games to go. Shikhar Dhawan remains their best batter and has done the job at the top, but the same can't be said about his opening partner Prabhsimran Singh.
A three-ball duck marked Bhanuka Rajapaksa's return from injury, and his form will be necessary. The ever-improving Jitesh Sharma and all-rounder Liam Livingstone produced some sensational hitting to get them to good scores. Arshdeep Singh has been their key bowler in the bowling attack, but he, Nathan Ellis and Sam Curran have leaked runs off late. The absence of a quality off-spinner has hurt their cause.
Leg-spinner Rahul Chahar has lacked consistency, while Liam Livingstone has two wickets to show in five games. Left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar has taken just five wickets in 10 games, but he had done well, taking a wicket for four runs against KKR but was given just one over.
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Squads:
PBKS: Shikhar Dhawan (c), Shahrukh Khan, Matthew Short, Prabhsimran Singh, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Jitesh Sharma, Gurnoor Singh Brar, Rishi Dhawan, Liam Livingstone, Atharva Taide, Arshdeep Singh, Baltej Singh, Nathan Ellis, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Harpreet Brar, Sam Curran, Sikandar Raza, Harpreet Bhatia, Vidwath Kaverappa, Mohit Rathee and Shivam Singh.
DC: David Warner (capt), Prithvi Shaw, Mitchell Marsh, Sarfaraz Khan, Aman Hakim Khan, Abhishek Porel (wk), Axar Patel, Khaleel Ahmed, Kuldeep Yadav, Rovman Powell, Rilee Rossouw, Anrich Nortje, Mustafizur Rahaman, Chetan Sakariya, Mukesh Kumar, Phil Salt, Lungi Ngidi, Praveen Dubey, Lalit Yadav, Ripal Patel, Vicky Ostwal, Ishant Sharma, Manish Pandey, Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Yash Dhull.
Match details
Date and day: May 13, 2023 (Saturday)
Venue: Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi
Time: 7.30 PM (IST)
Where to watch (TV): Star Sports 1 and other Star Sports regional language channels - Also available in HD
Where to watch (Online): JioCinema
