Cricket Indian Premier League Prediction

Punjab Kings vs Delhi Capitals - Match Preview

🏏 17 May 2023 - 18:00 GMT +0

Now that the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) round-robin league matches are drawing to a close, and the Delhi Capitals (W4, L8) are already out of the running for a berth in the playoffs, this is a must-win match only for hosts Punjab Kings (W6, L6). What better way to bring the competition back to the picturesque Dharamshala for the first time since 2013 than with some high-stakes cricket for the hosts!

The reverse fixture on Saturday in Delhi saw the Kings hammer the final nail in the Capitals’ coffin, so the visitors will no doubt be all out to avenge that defeat, albeit having nothing further to gain than to level the overall H2H register that stands at 15-16 in favour of the Kings.

Punjab has had a topsy-turvy campaign, neither winning nor losing more than two consecutive matches along the way. Saturday’s win against the Capitals snapped a two-match losing streak and they have opener Prabhsimran Singh to thank for that victory. Having been asked to bat first on what transpired to be a very sticky wicket, the Kings lost three of their top-order batters during the powerplay with only 46 runs on the board.

Prabhsimran threw caution to the wind, riding his luck to manufacture his maiden IPL century (103, 10x4, 6x6) which more than helped his side post 167/7 off their 20 overs. Of the other eight batters who took to the crease, only Sam Curran (20) and Sikandar Raza (11) made double figures. In the Delhi chase, a late flurry of wickets from left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar (4/30) and tidy four-over spells from fellow spinner Rahal Chahar (2/16) and seamer Nathan Ellis (2/26) restricted the home side to 136/8.

Helped by 690 runs from the blades of openers Shikhar Dhawan (356) and Prabhsimran (334), Trevor Bayliss’ men have some of the best stats this season in the batting discipline, including owning the second-best average runs per match (180 as of match #62). However, things are not so rosy in the bowling department, where they are leaking 9.33rpo and conceding on average 180 runs each match, with only the Mumbai attack going for more.

It’s been a woeful campaign for the Aussie pair of Ricky Ponting (coach) and Davy Warner (captain) in charge of the Capitals, as their team look to be taking home the wooden spoon for the second time. Five successive defeats at the start of this competition set the stall out for what was to come. There was a glimmer of hope for the Delhi faithful when their team won four of the next five, but they have lost the last two and are now playing for pride and experience. In that regard, we may now see some new faces take to the field on Wednesday.

Batting has been the Achilles heel for the Capitals this season. They have the worst stats of all franchises for the fewest sixes (avg 4.17), runs per over (7.74rpo) and runs per game (avg 153). Only captain Warner - who was placed 12th in the Orange Cap (most runs) race as of Monday - can hold his head high having made 384 at an average of 32, with the nearest other top-order batter for the Capitals being Phil Salt at number 45 with 189 runs. Middle-order batter Axar Patel is the next highest scorer to Warner with 268 runs and placed 28th in the table. The Delhi bowlers, in fairness, have fared a lot better than the batters, having conceded on average 167 runs per match, with only the Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans’ attack conceding fewer.

⚡ Key battle: Kings’ opener Shikhar Dhawan has had another successful IPL, averaging 50.86 with an HS of 99*. He is likely to face Ishant Sharma, who has played only seven matches but has made a big impact for the Capitals, having aggregated figures of 8/170 from 22 overs and going at just 7.11rpo. Ishant has taken Shikhar’s wicket twice before in the IPL for just 36 runs at a strike rate of 120.

📋 Stat attack: The average first innings score at the HPCA Stadium is 175.

• The Kings own an 8–3 lead in H2Hs when playing at home.
• Five of the last seven matches played at this venue were won by the team batting first.
• David Warner has been the Capitals’ top scorer in six of their 13 matches this season.
• The Capitals have hit just 51 sixes in this edition of the IPL compared with the Kings’ 95!
• Punjab's Sam Curran has career figures of 1/107 from 83 balls bowled to David Warner or Mitchell Marsh in all-white ball cricket.
• Rahul Chahar will be one player relishing a change of scenery after picking up just one wicket (1/119) from his 16 overs in Mohali this season.