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Delhi Capitals vs Punjab Kings Preview: Battle of inconsistent sides

By Sridhar Bhamidi

17 Apr 2021

Sridhar Bhamidi 17 Apr 2021

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Delhi Capitals will take on Punjab Kings in match #11 of IPL 2021 on Sunday
This match will be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai
Punjab Kings have won 5 of the last 7 matches against Delhi Capitals
Punjab Kings have scored more 6s than Delhi Capitals in 3 of their last 4 matches
Kagiso Rabada has taken at least 2 wickets in 11 of his last 18 matches

Can Delhi lift themselves up after an indifferent start? (Getty Images)

It’s the first double header of the Indian Premier League 2021 and the second of the matches on Sunday will see Delhi Capitals take on Punjab Kings. This match #11 of the campaign will be played at the Wankhede Stadium.

Both teams have a 1-1 win-loss record with identical progressions. Delhi started the season with a seven-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings but soon fell to a three-wicket loss to Rajasthan Royals. Punjab started with a four-run win over the Royals, but lost by six wickets to Chennai.

Delhi Capitals Form

Delhi will look to regroup quickly and the bulk of their batting effort is expected to come from Shikhar Dhawan (94 runs, SR 144.61) and Rishabh Pant (66 runs, SR 150.00) who have started well in the season.

Chris Woakes (four wickets, ER 5.71) has been the surprise package with the ball, while Avesh Khan (five wickets, ER 6.87) continues to impress. The return of Kagiso Rabada has made up the deficiencies of Tom Curran’s poor season.

Delhi Capitals News

Anrich Nortje has re-joined the squad after three negative tests but it remains to be seen if he plays this match. Mumbai all-rounder Shams Mulani has been signed as a short-term replacement for Axar Patel.

Punjab Kings Form

Punjab started the season well with a 220+ score, but collapsed to 106 in their second match. All eyes will be on captain KL Rahul (96 runs, SR 168.42) to lead them out of the woods. Youngster Shahrukh Khan has done well with an aggressive 47 against Chennai and will be the one to watch out.

Bowling has been a massive disappointment for Punjab, with big-money purchases Jhye Richardson (ER 10.85) and Riley Meredith (ER 9.13) struggling to settle.

Punjab Kings News

Mayank Agarwal and Murugan Ashwin will be under threat, as Punjab will also look at Dawid Malan shoring up their brittle middle-order.

Delhi Capitals vs Punjab Kings Head-to-Head

The head-to-head record stands at 15-11 in favour of the Punjab Kings, who also have won five of the last seven matches against the Capitals.

Last season, the Capitals won the first match via a ‘Super Over’ after a contentious short run overshadowed the 40-over action where both teams ended up scoring 157. In the reverse match, Nicholas Pooran smashed 53 off 28 to lead the Kings to a five-wicket win overpowering Shikhar Dhawan’s 100 for the Capitals.

Delhi Capitals vs Punjab Kings Match Up

Both teams have struggled for batting consistency, although in case of the Kings it is more prominent. Poor starts have robbed them of momentum in the first six overs, while Delhi have struggled for consistency in the middle-order. The bowling units of both sides remain top-notch which means the side batting better could be in with a big chance to win.

Delhi Capitals vs Punjab Kings Stats

Kagiso Rabada has taken at least two wickets in 11 of his last 18 matches for Delhi Capitals.
Delhi Capitals have conceded the most 6s of the match in 3 of their last 4 matches against Punjab Kings.
Mohammed Shami was Punjab Kings’ best bowler in both the matches against Delhi Capitals last season.
Punjab Kings have won 5 of the last 7 matches against Delhi Capitals.
Punjab Kings have scored more in the powerplay in 3 of their last 4 matches against Delhi Capitals.

Prediction

Delhi Capitals will be smarting from the loss to Rajasthan Royals, as they dominated the match for three-quarters of the game. They will fancy their chances against Punjab Kings, who continue to remain one of the most inconsistent sides around. Kagiso Rabada’s bowling form makes him our quick pick, while Mohammed Shami from the Kings could return the favour.