With 5 wins and 6 losses in 11 outings, Punjab Kings have seen extra downs than ups to date in IPL 2023 and are presently eighth on the factors desk. But such is the mid-table logjam {that a} win of their subsequent outing might probably catapult them to fifth. Their web run fee, nevertheless, is -0.441, the third-worst within the league, so that they want huge wins of their remaining video games to have a real likelihood of constructing the playoffs.
First up, they should get previous Delhi Capitals, who're languishing on the backside of the factors desk and have their playoffs possibilities hanging by a thread. Capitals are on eight factors from 11 video games, and to make it to the highest 4, they not solely must win all their remaining video games however may even require different outcomes to go their method. A loss will convey the curtains down on their IPL 2023 marketing campaign.
Teams batting second have gained 4 of the 5 video games this yr in Delhi, so the toss could possibly be an element.
Rilee Rossouw and Phil Salt are prone to be a part of Delhi's overseas-player-heavy prime order•Associated Press
Capitals have recently picked 4 abroad top-order batters - of whom Mitchell Marsh provides a bowling possibility - and fielded an all-Indian bowling assault. Batting was Capitals' weaker entrance by the primary half of the season, and with David Warner, Phil Salt, Marsh and Rilee Rossouw doing effectively, they're going to seemingly follow that abroad mixture, particularly with Anrich Nortje having travelled again to South Africa for private causes.
Delhi Capitals: LWWLW (final 5 matches, most up-to-date first)Punjab Kings: LLWLW
Delhi CapitalsManish Pandey and Khaleel Ahmed are prone to stay Capitals' batting and bowling Impact Subs, respectively.
Probable XII: 1 David Warner (capt), 2 Phil Salt (wk), 3 Mitchell Marsh, 4 Manish Pandey, 5 Rilee Rossouw, 6 Axar Patel, 7 Aman Hakim Khan, 8 Lalit Yadav, 9 Ripal Patel, 10 Kuldeep Yadav, 11 Ishant Sharma, 12 Khaleel Ahmed
Sam Curran is essential to Punjab Kings' depth and stability, however his bowling type has been a fear•Associated Press
Punjab KingsKings went with three abroad gamers of their beginning XI of their final recreation, with Nathan Ellis coming in for Rajapaksa within the second innings. They might retain an analogous sample within the subsequent recreation. If not, it's seemingly Prabhsimran Singh swaps with a bowler, as has been the case for many of their video games this season.
Probable XII: 1 Prabhsimran Singh, 2 Shikhar Dhawan (capt), 3 Bhanuka Rajapaksa/Matthew Short, 4 Liam Livingstone, 5 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 6 M Shahrukh Khan, 7 Harpreet Brar, 8 Rishi Dhawan, 9 Sam Curran/Kagiso Rabada, 10 Rahul Chahar, 11 Arshdeep Singh, 12 Nathan Ellis
Delhi is one in every of solely three venues this season, together with Lucknow and Guwahati, which might be but to supply a 200-plus whole. While circumstances in Delhi haven't been as bowler-friendly as these in Lucknow, the place groups have scored at a median run fee of seven.10, they have not been essentially the most batter-friendly both. Only Lucknow, Hyderabad and Chennai have produced a decrease run fee than Delhi's 8.65 to date.
Should Kagiso Rabada exchange Sam Curran within the Kings line up?
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Ashish Pant is a sub-editor with ESPNcricinfo
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