Punjab Kings will be hungry for a big win to keep their hopes alive against Wooden Spoon Delhi Capitals in the IPL play-off
Post Date – 06:20 AM, Wednesday – 5/17/23
Dharamshala: The Punjab Kings will be hungry for a big win to keep their hopes alive in the IPL play-off against Wooden Spoon Delhi Capitals, who will be proud when the two teams face off here on Wednesday.
It’s been a rollercoaster ride for PBKS, with six losses and as many wins. They are in eighth place with 12 points and still qualify for the qualifiers. However, they need to improve their net run rate (NRR), which is -0.268. A 31-game winning streak against the Capitals last week boosted their NRR and morale, and the Shikhar Dhawan-led side will be hoping for another win and then hope that other results come their way.
Punjab will have to work harder with the bat. Against Delhi, opener Prabhsimran Singh went solo. Apart from Dhawan who has been their best batsman and Prabhsimran Singh to some extent, few PBKS batsmen have contributed enough to their total score. Their bowlers also need to pull up their socks. PBKS has an excellent bowling attack with Nathan Ellis, Sam Curran and Arshdeep Singh but is often unable to defend.
Derry Capitals, on the other hand, have been knocked out of the play-offs after a season of nightmares. Hitters have been disappointing all season. Delhi’s Indian batsmen, save for Axar Patel, have been flattered to cheat and underperform. Defeats by Prithvi Shaw and Sarfaraz Khan have contributed significantly to Delhi Capitals’ woes this season, forcing the think tank to place all overseas players at the top.
Captain David Warner, goalkeeper batsman Phil Salter and all-rounder Mitchell Marsh gave the team some momentum. But as soon as they disappear, the intermediate order collapses. In their previous match against Punjab, the Capitals hoped for an easy win but then conceded eight wickets for 67.
The Indian bowlers on the edge weren’t doing as badly as the batsmen. Three of DC’s four victories have come in bowling. Veteran steed Ishant Sharma did his job and the return of Khaleel Ahmed helped. Anrich Nortje returned home for personal reasons, but it remains to be seen whether Delhi will continue their lead with four overseas batsmen or allow the South African infantry to step up their bowling attack. The spinning duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel has been financially successful.
