As the Indian Premier League (IPL) caravan returns to the picturesque Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium after a 10-year hiatus, Punjab Kings (PBKS) will make a last push for a Playoffs spot when it hosts bottom-placed Delhi Capitals (DC) in a must-win recreation on Wednesday.
With its marketing campaign coming to a grinding halt following a 31-run defeat to the identical opposition 4 nights in the past, DC will hope to play party-spoiler and make amends. Chasing a middling 168, David Warner began off just like the clappers within the PowerPlay earlier than DC’s middle-order was swept away by the spin duo of Harpreet Brar and Rahul Chahar.
DC’s woeful season with the bat has lowered the ‘bowlers win you tournaments’ adage to an anodyne chorus. While DC is the one workforce to not have conceded 200 or extra in a match this season, the batters have didn’t even breach the 190-run mark.
The harrowing type of its Indian batters has pressured DC to depend on all-rounder Axar Patel as an anchor and finisher and pack its prime 4 with abroad gamers, who’ve been out of their depth on sluggish pitches within the final couple of video games. DC misplaced its 4 abroad gamers within the area of 16 balls in opposition to PBKS.
A normal view of the HPCA stadium.
| Photo Credit: Dhruva Prasad
“We just lost six wickets in four [sic] overs. We are pretty disappointed. It was a game that was there to be won. The conditions got a little bit tough in the second innings, but we were so far ahead of the game that we just needed two batters to stay out there… We are still trying to find the best combination. When you are not winning, it’s never easy. For any franchise, when Indian players don’t have a good season, it’s always tough, no matter how good your overseas players are,” DC’s assistant coach Ajit Agarkar mentioned on the eve of the match.
On the flipside, PBKS registered 4 consecutive totals in extra of 200 however its bowlers let it down in two of these video games. Profligacy on the demise and the shortage of wickets within the PowerPlay have highlighted the travails of Arshdeep Singh, Sam Curran and Kagiso Rabada.
Meanwhile, Punjab’s batters have tailored to the exigencies of the trendy recreation. Barring skipper Shikhar Dhawan, no PBKS batter averages even 30 however 5 of them boast a strike price of 150 (minimal 100 runs).
With the fourth spot within the standings at stake, it will likely be attention-grabbing to see if Punjab persists with its thrill-a-minute method in opposition to DC’s disciplined bowling as Prabhsimran Singh’s coming-of-age hundred spared it the blushes final time.
With nothing to lose and lots to study, Delhi might look to promote Axar Patel up the order to counter the spin menace. However, after seeing the beneficiant smattering of grass on the wicket and the plush inexperienced outfield on the venue on Tuesday, the trio of Phil Salt, Mitchell Marsh and Rilee Rossouw would breathe a little bit simple whereas the out-of-favour Rabada, from the opposition camp, can be smacking his lips.
Source: sportstar.thehindu.com