Match 2 of the 2024 Indian Premier League sees Punjab Kings take on Delhi Capitals at the Mahara Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur on Saturday afternoon. Both sides had disappointing campaigns in 2023 with Punjab Kings finishing ninth and Delhi Capitals in eighth. Read on as we preview this match which sees the venue host an IPL contest for the first time! This game begins at 15:30 local time on March 23rd.
Pitch Report
Newly constructed Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur is set to be officially inaugurated with this match. A few domestic games have been played at the venue and it is expected that the pitch and conditions might change after a few games are played on this surface. It provides ample support for bowlers, particularly those adept at utilising slower ball change-ups. Teams may prefer bowling first at the new deck.
PBKS vs DC Probable Playing XIs
Punjab Kings:
Shikhar Dhawan (C), Prabhsimran Singh (WK), Jonny Bairstow, Harpreet Singh Bhatia, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Sam Curran, Harshal Patel, Rahul Chahar, Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh
Delhi Capitals:
Prithvi Shaw, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Rishabh Pant (c/wk), Yash Dhull, Tristan Stubbs, Axar Patel, Anrich Nortje, Kuldeep Yadav, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar
PBKS Key Players
- Shikhar Dhawan - The 38 year old left-hander has hit more fours than any other player in the history of the IPL and averaged 41.44 in last year’s tournament.
- Jitesh Sharma - The keeper-batter has caught the eye in both of the last two IPLs with his ability to score quick runs at the end of the innings.
- Kagiso Rabada - The South African right-arm pace bowler has an excellent IPL record and will be looking to make a big impact in the 2024 tournament after making only six appearances last year.
- Arshdeep Singh - The India international bowler is always used at the start and end of innings. He will swing the ball and is also renowned for landing perfect yorkers.
- Prabhsimran Singh - In the last season, Prabhsimran got the opportunity to play all 14 games and he took full advantage smashing 358 runs at an impressive strike rate of 150.42. He has the potential to go for the emerging player award for this season.
DC Key Players
- David Warner - The 37 year old opener was in fine form for Australia in the recent T20I series against West Indies with scores of 81 and 70.
- Mitchell Marsh - The batting all-rounder can lay claim to be one of the most improved players in world cricket over the last four years. He is now recognised as a match-winner with the bat.
- Axar Patel - The left-arm spinner has taken 200 T20 wickets across his career but is also a fine batter with over 2500 runs in the format.
- Kuldeep Yadav - The India all-format international wrist spinner has been in exceptional form with both the red and white ball. We expect him to enjoy the surface in this game.
- Khaleel Ahmed - Khaleel Ahmed picked 9 wickets in 9 matches last season and he had an impressive season in 2022 as well where he took 16 wickets in 10 matches. We are expecting some wickets from him in this season as well and he might get a chance to play all the fixtures in the league stage.
Scenario 1
Punjab Kings win the toss and bowl
First Innings Score - 160-165
Punjab Kings win the match
Scenario 2
Delhi Capitals win the toss and bowl
Power Play score - 50-60
First Innings Score - 165-170
Delhi Capitals win the match
Who will win Punjab Kings vs Delhi Capitals T20 Match?
Both teams have some real match-winners with both bat and ball but looking across the squads, it is Delhi Capitals who have players in better form. We have the Capitals as the top side.