Despite a rocky start to the season, the Delhi Capitals managed to keep their hopes of qualifying for the playoffs alive by playing excellent cricket in the middle. However, a recent loss to the Chennai Super Kings has left them in a position where they need to win all their remaining matches and also rely on other teams’ results. Although skipper David Warner began the season brilliantly with the bat, he has struggled in recent matches. Phil Salt and Rilee Rossouw have made decent starts but have not been consistent enough to convert them into bigger scores. However, their previous performance in the capital may provide them with some confidence going into this match. The Indian batsmen in the squad, such as Prithvi Shaw, Manish Pandey, and Sarfaraz Khan, have all had a poor run of form. Despite making it to his best season in terms of runs scored, Axar Patel has not been able to take wickets regularly, despite being economical. Similarly, Kuldeep Yadav has only taken 9 wickets in 11 matches. While the seamers have done a decent job, with Mitchell Marsh leading the way with 12 wickets, Khaleel Ahmed and Ishant Sharma will need to step up as they face another strong batting line-up. Overall, the Delhi Capitals have a strong squad on paper, but their performance has fallen short at times, and their strategies have been lacking.
The Punjab Kings have been putting up some excellent batting performances in their recent matches, but their efforts have not translated into favorable outcomes, as they have lost four of their last six games. As a result, the team finds itself in the eighth position on the points table, and they must perform exceptionally well in their next three games to keep their playoff hopes alive. The opening pair of Shikhar Dhawan and Prabhsimran Singh has been consistent in providing a good start to the team, with Dhawan being the most reliable batsman, scoring three half-centuries in eight innings. The other batsmen, including Jitesh Sharma, Sam Curran, and Liam Livingstone, have contributed on multiple occasions, helping the team to score big totals. PBKS has scored 200 or more on four occasions this season, which is their best performance since the 2014 season. Although the team has a definite advantage in power-hitting through the middle and depth in the lineup, the bowling department has been a weak link. The team’s top seamers, Arshdeep Singh and Sam Curran, have been expensive so far, conceding around 10 runs per over. Although Nathan Ellis has bowled well in patches, his efforts have not been enough to contain the opposition batsmen. Arshdeep, in particular, seems to have lost his confidence and is being hit hard in the death overs. The spin department also presents similar concerns, with Rahul Chahar and Harpreet Brar picking up only ten wickets between them so far. In addition, the team’s captaincy has been questionable, with Shikhar Dhawan following set-patterns and struggling to react to game situations quickly enough. More today ipl match prediction can be obtained from the link provided.
