Delhi Capitals take on inconsistent Punjab Kings as Mayank Agarwal-led side won the toss and elected to bowl first in their Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, Mumbai, on Monday (May 16).
"I think we were looking to bowl but toss is not in our control. We have two changes - Khaleel comes back in place of Sakariya, Sarfaraz comes in for KS Bharat. There were so many things going around," DC captain Rishabh Pant said before the match.
"We would like to bowl first. I don't think the wicket is going to change much and last time we played there was dew. We are playing the same team. We have definitely found the right combinations. It is important to take it is just another game," PBKS skipper Mayank said after winning the toss.
Meanwhile, Punjab are seventh on the points table with 12 points and a Net Run Rate of +0.023. The Capitals also have a dozen points and are fifth thanks to a healthy NRR of +0.210, which will benefit them if two or more teams end on the same number of points.
The Capitals head to the fixture high on confidence after an eight wicket-win over Rajasthan Royals while Punjab pummelled RCB in their previous game.
Pitch Report
"The key point tonight is one side is short, 66 meters. That is going to come into play as we have seen good pace and bounce especially in the evening games. The line has to be nice and straight, if you get it wrong then we will see a lot of upper cuts and pick-up pulls. Always a lovely grass covering here but underneath it is very dry. You can still see the red soil and you can expect spin to play a part but as the breeze comes in the short ball has been effective. Both captains will want to chase to know what they are chasing," Graeme Smith analyses the pitch.
Delhi Capitals' Playing XI:
David Warner, Sarfaraz Khan, Mitchell Marsh, Rishabh Pant(w/c), Lalit Yadav, Rovman Powell, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Anrich Nortje, Khaleel Ahmed.
Punjab Kings' Playing XI:
Jonny Bairstow, Shikhar Dhawan, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Liam Livingstone, Mayank Agarwal(c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Harpreet Brar, Rishi Dhawan, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh.
