In the 64th match of the Indian Premier League 2023, Punjab Kings will host Delhi Capitals at HCA Cricket Stadium in Dharamshala on Wednesday. Without their regular skipper, Rishabh Pant DC has failed to put up a show in the ongoing IPL 2023. However, in their second last game of the season, the team can dent the possibility of Punjab Kings qualifying for the playoffs. In a do-or-die game, Shikhar Dhawan-led Punjab Kings would like to repeat their heroism against DC.
In the reverse fixture last week, PBKS beat DC by 31 runs as Prabhsimran Singh hammered a brilliant century to lead his team. Another Youngster Harpreet Brar also shined with the bowl for PBKS as he clinched four wickets to derail DC’s run chase. Punjab would like to repeat their performance and clinch two points to stay alive in the race playoffs. On the other hand, DC would like to avenge the previous defeat and knock PBKS out of the tournament.
PBKS vs DC: Pitch Report
The Dharamshala Stadium underwent a renovation and it will host its first competitive game after a year. PBKS will play their first IPL game here, too. However, speaking about the track one can consider it a batting paradise. The pitch has a history of high-scoring games and one can expect the same. However, in the early hours, it helps pacers due to moisture and cold weather. If a batter sustains in the powerplay, he can be deadly in middle overs. It’s worth noting that there is zero per cent prediction for rain so one can expect a good game of cricket here.
PBKS vs DC: Head-to-head records
Delhi and Punjab are geographically closest franchises in the Indian Premier League. Their closeness replicates their head-to-head record in the cash-rich league as well. Both of the teams have faced each other 31 times in the league and with a victory in the last game PBKS prevails in the record book. They have clinched 16 games while DC have won 15 games against them. This match will come up with a golden opportunity for DC to get the biggest revenge from PBKS by knocking them out of the tournament.
Total Matches: 31
PBKS won: 16
DC won: 15
PBKS vs DC: Players to watch out for
#David Warner: Delhi Capitals skipper David Warner has been a lone warrior for them in the batting department this year. He has been scoring runs consistently but struggling to build partnerships with others. However, he has been phenomenal against Punjab Kings and has scored a lot of runs against them. In their last encounter, he scored 54 runs and would like to continue his magic with the bat.
#Axar Patel: Star India allrounder Axar Patel has been phenomenal for DC in the ongoing tournament. He is the best all-rounder for the franchise in the ongoing season with 10 wickets and 268 runs in the league. His performance decides the fate of Delhi Capitals and the team would expect him to get some fire in the last few games of the ongoing tournament.
#Shikhar Dhawan: PBKS skipper Shikhar Dhawan is currently struggling to find his form. He was looking in good touch before the injury and after that is struggling with poor form. However, in the last two games, he has scored more than 80 runs at an average of 40+ and would like to continue his dominance with the bat. He also loves DC and likes to score runs against them.
#Liam Livingston: In the game against Mumbai Indians, Livingston smashed a brilliant half-century and led his team to a respectable total. He has been hot and cold this season and the team would expect him to continue his amazing performance in a do-or-die game.
