Indian Premier League (IPL) outfit Delhi Capitals (DC) will need to push aside their Covid problems when they take on the inconsistent Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Wednesday, (April 19).
On Monday, their Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh tested positive for the virus, along with other members of DC's support staff. Although all the players tested negative for the virus, the match that was scheduled to be played in Pune will now take place at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai following another set of tests that will be taken before the game.
The Warner-Shaw show
The Capitals will be happy with the recent performances of their openers David Warner and Prithvi Shaw, who have been scoring crucial runs for their team in the opening overs. Warner heads into the game at the back of a 38-ball 66 against RCB. Same goes for Shaw, who after back-to-back fifties, had a failure in the last game.
But their bowlers have leaked runs in crucial moments. Leading their bowling attack is Kuldeep Yadav, who has 11 wickets this season. But the spinner has an economy rate of 8.24, which might hurt DC's chances against Punjab. DC spinner Axar Patel has only one wicket this season. Pacer Shardul Thakur, who has four wickets, can also pose questions to them along with speedster Khaleel Ahmed.
Inconsistent Punjab
Meanwhile, Punjab could be bolstered by the return of regular skipper Mayank Agarwal, who missed the game against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) due to a toe injury. Shikhar Dhawan, PBKS' stand-in skipper has only one big score this season as the southpaw struggles for consistency. He will look to give the side a solid start along with Mayank, who would be eager to take on the varied Delhi bowling attack.
A lot of their batting has depended on Liam Livingstone, who scored a 33-ball 60, while wickets fell around him during the side's loss to SRH. He will expect more from the likes of Jonny Bairstow and Shahrukh Khan, who are yet to fire on all cylinders this season.
The Punjab bowlers led by Kagiso Rabada have fared well. But Vaibhav Arora, Arshdeep Singh, and Rahul Chahar, who has nine wickets, would need to be at their possible best, especially against the openers. Also equally crucial will be the role of pace-bowling all-rounder Odean Smith, who has not been at his best so far in the IPL.
Punjab have three wins and as many losses from six games, and the Capitals have two wins from five games isn’t a testimony to their skills.
Punjab Kings Squad
Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal, Arshdeep Singh, Kagiso Rabada, Jonny Bairstow, Rahul Chahar, Harpreet Brar, Shahrukh Khan, Prabhsimran Singh, Jitesh Sharma, Ishan Porel, Liam Livingstone, Odean Smith, Sandeep Sharma, Raj Angad Bawa, Rishi Dhawan, Prerak Mankad, Vaibhav Arora, Writtick Chatterjee, Baltej Dhanda, Ansh Patel, Nathan Ellis, Atharva Taide, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Benny Howell.
Delhi Capitals Squad
Rishabh Pant (Captain), Ashwin Hebbar, David Warner, Mandeep Singh, Prithvi Shaw, Rovman Powell, Anrich Nortje, Chetan Sakariya, Khaleel Ahmed, Kuldeep Yadav, Lungi Ngidi, Mustafizur Rahman, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Lalit Yadav, Mitchell Marsh, Pravin Dubey, Ripal Patel, Sarfaraz Khan, Vicky Ostwal, Yash Dhull, KS Bharat and Tim Seifert.
