All but out of reckoning for a place in the play-offs, Delhi Capitals will expect a more purposeful approach from its Indian batting unit as it plays for pride against Punjab Kings, in the IPL 2023 match, in New Delhi, on Saturday.
With four wins from 11 games, Delhi are staring at an unceremonious exit as winning the next three matches will only take them to 14 points, which might not be enough to earn them a place in the top four, leaving their fate in the hands of other teams.
The specialist Indian batters have hardly contributed and it has all been about either skipper David Warner, keeper-batter Phil Salt or all-rounder Mitchell Marsh, who have given the team some momentum with willow.
The likes of Indian batters including Manish Pandey, Ripal Patel and Aman Hakim Khan have lacked the killer punch as they have not been able to change their game according to the match situation. The inability of the middle-order to rotate the strike or find big hits has put paid to their hopes.
As a result, once the top-order caves in, they lack the wherewithal to finish a chase, something which was on display against Chennai Super Kings.
Skipper Warner, who looked good during the first half of the season, has struggled in the last five innings with single digit scores in three of them.
Salt sizzled with two whirlwind innings but he also was dismissed cheaply in three matches, including two ducks.
Marsh exploded once against Sunrisers Hyderabad with the bat but couldn't do much in the rest. However, the Australian has chipped in with regular wickets in the last three games.
The bowlers have fared better with spin duo of Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav bowling a good line, while pacers Ishant Sharma and Khaleel Ahmed getting wickets most times. The absence of speedster Anrich Nortje, who had to return home due to personal reasons, however, was felt in the last match.
Axar has been the lone bright spot in an otherwise disappointing campaign for Delhi. The spin all-rounder has picked up nine wickets in 11 matches at an economy rate of 6.8, while scoring 267 runs at a strike rate of 138.
Punjab Kings, with 10 points from 11 games, too are looking at a must-win game, following back-to-back defeats against Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders respectively.
Punjab have blown hot and cold this season. In the last two matches, their bowlers have failed to defend totals as Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders out-batted them.
Punjab had a chance to get into the top three in their last game but it was Rinku Singh, who slammed a four off the last delivery to take KKR to victory. The Shikhar Dhawan-led team are in the must-win zone with three games to go.
Captain Dhawan remains their best batter and has done the job at the top but the same can't be said about his opening partner Prabhsimran Singh, who has played a couple of good knocks but hasn't been consistent.
Bhanuka Rajapaksa's return from injury was marked by a three-ball duck and his form will be important. The ever-improving Jitesh Sharma and all-rounder Liam Livingstone produced some sensational hitting to get them to good scores.
In the bowling attack, Arshdeep Singh has been their best bowler with 16 wickets from 10 games, but he along with Nathan Ellis and Sam Curran have leaked runs off late.
Leg-spinner Rahul Chahar has lacked consistency going at above eight per over, while left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar too has taken just five wickets in 10 games but the absence of a quality off-spinner has hurt their cause..
Squads:
Punjab Kings: Shikhar Dhawan (captain), Shahrukh Khan, Matthew Short, Prabhsimran Singh (w/k), Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Jitesh Sharma, Gurnoor Singh Brar, Rishi Dhawan, Liam Livingstone, Atharva Taide, Arshdeep Singh, Baltej Singh, Nathan Ellis, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Harpreet Brar, Sam Curran, Sikandar Raza, Harpreet Bhatia, Vidwath Kaverappa, Mohit Rathee, Shivam Singh.
Delhi Capitals: David Warner (captain), Prithvi Shaw, Mitchell Marsh, Sarfaraz Khan, Aman Hakim Khan, Abhishek Porel (w/k), Axar Patel, Khaleel Ahmed, Kuldeep Yadav, Rovman Powell, Rilee Rossouw, Anrich Nortje, Mustafizur Rahaman, Chetan Sakariya, Mukesh Kumar, Phil Salt (w/k), Lungi Ngidi, Praveen Dubey, Lalit Yadav, Ripal Patel, Vicky Ostwal, Ishant Sharma, Manish Pandey, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Yash Dhull.
Match: Starts at 7.30pm IST.
Where to watch: The IPL contest can be watched Live on Star Sports Network and can be live streamed on Jio Cinema.
