Overview
Both these teams are now seated in the Last Chance Saloon. Both Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals have such poor net run rates that finishing on 14 points may not be enough to make the playoffs. Delhi must win their last three matches and hope for other results to go their way, while Punjab – despite having two points more – are in a similar situation.
Delhi deserve some credit for the manner in which they’ve rebounded from a 0-5 start to the season, but their thrashing at the hands of MS Dhoni and Chennai Super Kings leaves them with no wiggle room. Lose to Punjab, and the season is over. The absence of the injured Rishabh Pant has been keenly felt, and some of their high-profile foreign stars haven’t delivered. The bowling of Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav, two very different left-arm spinners, has been the saving grace, but the fact that Axar is also their second-highest run-scorer tells you just how poor the batters have been.
Punjab are capable of explosive hitting, right through the batting order, but their bowlers have also been terrible at stemming the runs. Kagiso Rabada may well be recalled given how expensive Sam Curran has been in recent matches, and it would be a surprise if Sikandar Raza didn’t play in conditions that suit his all-round skills.
Venue and time
Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi. 7:30 PM IST
Head-to-Head
This is that rare rivalry that has seen the teams play each other twice every IPL season. After 30 games, they cannot be separated, with 15 wins apiece. Delhi hold a 6-5 edge on home turf.
Expected conditions and toss
The temperature will still be around 38C at the start of play. But with little humidity, dew is unlikely to be a factor. Having said that, on a slow pitch where run-scoring hasn’t been easy, teams may still prefer to chase later in the evening. Four of the five matches in Delhi this season have been won by the chasing side.
Likely Playing XIs and Impact Player
Delhi Capitals will most likely start Manish Pandey while batting, and replace him with Khaleel Ahmed when they take the field. Punjab could recall both Rabada and Matthew Short, with Nathan Ellis coming in as the Impact player when they bowl. Either Prabhsimran Singh or Short will make way.
Delhi Capitals: David Warner (C), Phil Salt (WK), Mitchell Marsh, Rilee Roussouw, Manish Pandey, Axar Patel, Aman Hakim Khan, Ripal Patel, Lalit Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Ishant Sharma.
Punjab Kings: Shikhar Dhawan (C), Prabhsimran Singh, Matthew Short, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar, Rishi Dhawan, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh.