Delhi Capitals hope to break out of their funk against Punjab Kings
They've won just two of their last five games at a time when the playoffs race is heating up
Abhimanyu Bose
07-May-2025 • 15 hrs ago
Big picture: Have DC sorted out their openers?
There have been two washouts in IPL 2025. One denied Punjab Kings (PBKS) a potential win, and the other handed Delhi Capitals (DC) a lifeline. And on Thursday, two of three teams with an odd number of points will face off in a crucial encounter in the race to the playoffs.
While a win for PBKS will boost their hopes for a top-two finish, two points for DC will see them back in the top four, ahead of Mumbai Indians on points and level with PBKS -- and with very little to separate the two teams on net run rate right now, DC might just shoot ahead of them as well and go third.
DC also need the win to wrestle back momentum. After winning their first four matches, they have won just two of their last five games, with one of those wins coming through a Super Over. At the heart of their struggles has been the lack of stability in their batting order.
Unlike their opponents, who are among three teams to have stuck with the same opening partnership, DC have tried six at the top of the order -- the most for any team this year. With Jake Fraser-McGurk dropped, DC shuffled their line-up in the last game to bring Abishek Porel down to No. 3, pushing Karun Nair to the top, but the move didn't help as they only managed 133 against Sunrisers Hyderabad before rain saved their blushes.
Playing in Dharamsala, where Arshdeep Singh blew Lucknow Super Giants away with new-ball swing, the focus on DC's top order will only be further intensified.
Form guide
Punjab Kings: WWLWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Delhi Capitals: LLWLW
Delhi Capitals: LLWLW
The big question
In the spotlight: KL Rahul and Marcus Stoinis
DC's downward spiral has coincided with a drop-off in KL Rahul's returns. Rahul opened in du Plessis' absence against Chennai Super Kings and made 77, and then scored an unbeaten 93 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru from No. 4, but since then his form has dwindled, and even when he has got runs, it's been with sub-par strike rates. With DC's batting looking shaky in recent times, the onus will be on the experienced Rahul to stand tall and deliver
With Glenn Maxwell ruled out of the IPL, Marcus Stoinis is set to play a more important role for PBKS. He was left out of the team for two matches after the defeat to RCB, but hit an unbeaten 15 off 5 when he came back against Lucknow Super Giants. PBKS will hope Stoinis can find his form with the bat since he is one of the team's primary overseas batters.
Team news: Nigam surplus to DC requirements?
After a resounding win in their last game in Dharamsala, PBKS are unlikely to tinker with their combination.
Punjab Kings (likely XII): 1 Priyansh Arya, 2 Prabhsimran Singh, 3 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 4 Josh Inglis (wk), 5 Nehal Wadhera, 6 Shashank Singh, 7 Marcus Stoinis, 8 Marco Jansen, 9 Arshdeep Singh, 10 Azmatullah Omarzai, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal, 12 Vijaykumar Vyshak
DC have opted to leave Ashutosh Sharma on their bench even when they batted first in the last few games, bringing him on only if needed. But with the conditions better suited to pace, they could look to playing him ahead of Vipraj Nigam, and keep the option of bringing on an extra seamer in Mohit Sharma or Mukesh Kumar.
Delhi Capitals (likely XII): 1 Faf du Plessis, 2 Abishek Porel, 3 Karun Nair, 4 KL Rahul (wk), 5 Axar Patel (capt), 6 Tristan Stubbs, 7 Ashutosh Sharma, 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Dushmantha Chameera, 10 Kuldeep Yadav, 11 T Natarajan, 12 Mohit Sharma/Mukesh Kumar
Pitch and conditions: Seam and swing on offer
It rained in Dharamsala on the eve of the game, delaying the teams' practice and there is a chance of rain on match day as well. With tensions escalating between India and Pakistan, the Dharamsala airport has been closed, but the match is set to be held as planned.
In the first game there this season, there was plenty of swing available, so new-ball bowlers are likely to play an important role, while spinners will have to deal with little assistance.
Stats and trivia: PBKS' in-form openers
- Mitchell Starc enjoys bowling against PBKS, with seven wickets in four matches at an average of 13.28 and economy of 6.64. However, all these matches came before 2015
- DC have suffered nine run-outs in IPL 2025, while no other team have more than five
- Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya have the third-most partnership runs this year in the IPL (406), only behind Gujarat Titans' Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan (634) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal (453)
- Arya has a strike rate of 188.05 in the powerplay, the best among all batters having faced 100 balls.
- Yuzvendra Chahal has dismissed Faf du Plessis three times in 12 T20s and the South African strikes at just 88 against the legspinner
Quotes
"I think Yuzi has been very consistent. He is the highest wicket-taker in the IPL and he is one such magician who has come back very strong every time people have raised their eyebrows at him."
PBKS spin-bowling coach Sunil Joshi on Yuzvendra Chahal
PBKS spin-bowling coach Sunil Joshi on Yuzvendra Chahal
Abhimanyu Bose is a sub-editor with ESPNcricinfo