DC VS PBKS
DC VS PBKS: As the playoff race heats up, they have only won two of their last five games.
DC VS PBKS Big picture: Have DC sorted out their openers?
DC VS PBKS: There have been two washouts in IPL 2025. One deprived Punjab Kings (PBKS) of a possible win, and the other gave Delhi Capitals (DC) a lifeline. And on Thursday, two out of three teams with an odd number of points will clash in a decisive match in the battle to the playoffs.
Though a victory for PBKS will raise their hopes for a top-two spot, two points for DC will return them to the top four, above Mumbai Indians on points and equal with PBKS — and given how little between the two teams there is on net run rate at the moment, DC could even leapfrog them and go third as well.
DC also require the victory to regain momentum. Having won their first four games, they have won only two of their last five, one of them a Super Over win. At the center of their woes has been the absence of stability in their batting lineup.
In contrast to their rivals, who are part of three sides that have retained the same opening combination, DC have experimented with six at the top of the order — the highest number by any side this season. With Jake Fraser-McGurk rested, DC rearranged their line-up in the previous match to send Abishek Porel to No. 3, bumping Karun Nair up top, but the experiment did not work as they could only muster 133 against Sunrisers Hyderabad before rain rescued their blushes.
Playing in Dharamsala, where Arshdeep Singh blew Lucknow Super Giants away with new-ball pace, the attention on DC’s top order will only be further magnified.
DC VS PBKS: KL Rahul and Marcus Stoinis are in the spotlight.
DC VS PBKS: DC’s slump has gone hand in hand with a decline in KL Rahul’s performances. Rahul first opened in the absence of du Plessis against Chennai Super Kings and scored 77, and also scored an unbeaten 93 from No. 4 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, but since then his performances have declined, and even when he has scored runs, they’ve been with poor strike rates. With DC’s batting appearing wobbly in recent times, the responsibility will fall on the veteran Rahul to hold his ground and deliver
With Glenn Maxwell being out of the IPL, Marcus Stoinis will take on a bigger role for PBKS. He was dropped from the squad for two games after the loss to RCB, but scored an unbeaten 15 off 5 when he was back against Lucknow Super Giants. PBKS will be hoping Stoinis can get back in form with the bat because he is one of the team’s key overseas batters.
DC VS PBKS Team update: Is Nigam surplus to DC needs?
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
DC VS PBKS 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.
