Delhi Capitals (DC) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) will fly to Dharamsala, as they both lock horns with each other for the second time in the ongoing season in match number 64 of the Indian Premier League 2023 at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium on May 17.
Delhi Capitals will be coming into the contest on the back of a 31 run-loss against Punjab Kings in their previous game at Arun Jaitley Stadium. With their loss in the previous game, they stand eliminated from the playoff race, becoming the first team to get eliminated in IPL 2023, three games after DC got eliminated, SRH too joined them after their recent loss against GT.
Punjab Kings, on the other hand, will be heading into the game after defeating Delhi in their own den in the last game. With 6 wins and losses apiece, they are placed in eighth position on the points table due to a poor Net Run Rate compared to other teams. To stand alive in the tournament, they need to win their remaining two games comprehensively and expect other results to go their way since they have very bad NRR.
For DC, David Warner has been their go-to batter as he has so far aggregated 384 runs at an average of 32.00 in 12 games, while Axar Patel has managed to score 268 runs at an average of 29.77 and has a strike rate of 137.43.
In the bowling department, Mitchell Marsh holds the key, as he has picked 12 wickets so far, while Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel both have managed to pick 10 wickets each. DC after their elimination would be playing for pride and will look to spoil PBKS’ party.
For PBKS, Shikhar Dhawan tops the batting chart with 356 runs in 9 games at an average of 50.85, while Prabhsimran Singh has scored 334 runs in 12 games at an average of 27.83, his runs include a century in the previous game against KKR, Jitesh Sharma too has been impressive down the order with 265 runs in 12 games at a phenomenal strike rate of 158.68.
In the bowling department, Arshdeep Singh holds the key with 16 wickets in 12 games, while Nathan Ellis has managed to pick 12 wickets. PBKS will look to carry the winning momentum in the upcoming games, so as to seal a playoff berth in IPL 2023.
