Preview by Ghcalive Staff
The Gujarat Titans became the first club to earn a spot in the IPL playoffs for 2023, but there are still three openings, and there is a tough race among five teams to advance. The Delhi Capitals, who withdrew from the competition first, will now have the opportunity to play spoiler in their last two games.
As the season’s 12th venue and the first stop for DC, Dharamsala, the home base of the Punjab Kings for their last two games, will host one IPL game. The Kings, who are now in eighth place in the rankings with 12 points, have a chance to end up with 16 points and go on to the next round, something they haven’t been able to do since finishing second in 2014, which put them in the sixth position over the previous four seasons.
The Kings have swung back and forth throughout the competition after winning two games in a row to start the tournament. However, they will enter the game against DC with a lot of confidence after defeating the same club by 31 runs a few days earlier. Prabhsimran Singh’s century and Harpreet Brar’s four-wicket haul were the primary contributors to Punjab’s success, but they’ll also be depending on the seasoned players in their roster to deliver in the 2017 IPL.
The international players for DC, who have been let down by the Indian batters, will once again be responsible for doing all the work. DC can now unwind in the knowledge that the Dharamsala surface is unlikely to give a spin test for the hitters after having trouble on slow wickets in their last two games.
When: Wednesday, May 17 at 19:30 IST
Where: Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala
What to anticipate: With the snow-capped Dhauladhar mountain in the background, the HPCA field is among the most picturesque cricket grounds in the whole globe. It wasn’t a pretty sight when the India-Australia Test had to be shifted earlier this year because of the bare places on the outfield. However, as Dharamsala prepares to host its first game in more than a year and its first IPL game since 2013, a picturesque field with lush green grass will welcome the teams. The forecast is for pleasant weather with temperatures in the mid-20s.
Teams watch
Punjab Kings
The Kings’ last game with Kagiso Rabada was on April 30. He has missed three games since then. Nathan Ellis’ omission was reportedly owing to his death bowling skills, but considering the pace of the Dharamsala wickets, the South African pacer is a likely option for this game, according to the batting coach Wasim Jaffer. He bowled for a long time during practise on the day of the game, bowling with a lot of intensity and even troubling Shikhar Dhawan, who was routinely launching the ball to the roof very frequently.
Strategy and match: Although David Warner has been bowled by Rabada three times in the IPL, the left-handed batsman has scored 89 runs off just 51 deliveries against the bowler and might be a good early pick for PBKS.
Probable XII: Prabhsimran Singh, Shikhar Dhawan (c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sam Curran, Sikandar Raza, Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar, Rishi Dhawan, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh, Kagiso Rabada.
Delhi Capitals
Similar to Dhawan, Warner too spent time in the nets while Rovman Powell routinely cleared the ropes with his speed and spin. Despite the fact that Powell hasn’t been chosen to play for more than a month, he may be able to make the lineup and replace Rilee Rossouw. It may be advantageous for DC if they choose Anrich Nortje’s quickness over a batter from outside the country. However, if they lose early wickets, they may be at the mercy of the Indian hitters, who—aside from Axar Patel—have a batting average under 14 as a whole.
Strategy and match: Ishant Sharma would make a good opponent because he has twice dismissed both Dhawan and Liam Livingstone and has a respectable economy rate against both.
Probable XII: David Warner (c), Philip Salt (wk), Mitchell Marsh, Rovman Powell/Anrich Nortje, Aman Hakim Khan, Axar Patel, Praveen Dubey, Kuldeep Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar, Manish Pandey.
Delhi Capitals Squad: David Warner(c), Philip Salt(w), Mitchell Marsh, Rilee Rossouw, Aman Hakim Khan, Axar Patel, Praveen Dubey, Kuldeep Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar, Manish Pandey, Ripal Patel, Lalit Yadav, Chetan Sakariya, Abishek Porel, Sarfaraz Khan, Lungi Ngidi, Mustafizur Rahman, Anrich Nortje, Rovman Powell, Priyam Garg, Prithvi Shaw, Yash Dhull, Vicky Ostwal
Punjab Kings Squad: Prabhsimran Singh, Shikhar Dhawan(c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma(w), Sam Curran, Sikandar Raza, Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar, Rishi Dhawan, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh, Nathan Ellis, Atharva Taide, Matthew Short, Harpreet Singh Bhatia, Mohit Rathee, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Baltej Singh, Kagiso Rabada, Vidhwath Kaverappa, Gurnoor Brar, Shivam Singh
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