IPL 2023, DC vs PBKS: Decoding the key player battles
What's the story
Delhi Capitals will host Punjab Kings in search of their fifth win of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season. PBKS will expect their superstars to shrug off the defeats and start afresh, whereas DC aim to finish as high as possible. Therefore the clash between the two teams will spark many individual battles. Here are the much-anticipated battles from match number 59.
Key battle
David Warner vs Arshdeep Singh
David Warner has a brilliant record against PBKS and they will look to get him early. Arshdeep Singh may trouble the Australian early on with the new ball. However, he has never dismissed the Australian in five IPL innings. Warner, in fact, has slammed 45 runs against him (SR: 150). The DC skipper has been dismissed four times in the Powerplay this season.
Key battle
Axar Patel vs Sam Curran
Axar Patel has plied his trade as a finisher for DC this season. He has been effective in the death overs (17-20), and in that phase, he will face PBKS all-rounder Sam Curran. Axar boasts a death overs strike rate of 178.08 this season and is the fourth-highest run-scorer (130) in this phase. Whereas, Curran has snapped six wickets in this phase (Economy: 10.98).
Key battle
Shikhar Dhawan vs Khaleel Ahmed
Shikhar Dhawan has been the pillar of strength for PBKS. Therefore, Khaleel Ahmed will look to dismiss him as early as possible. In six IPL meetings, Khaleel has dismissed Dhawan once and also restricted him from scoring freely. Dhawan could only manage 22 runs against him at a paltry strike rate of 95.65. He has been dismissed thrice in the Powerplay this season.
Key battle
Liam Livingstone vs DC spinners
Liam Livingstone has had a lukewarm season. He has struggled against spinners this season as his strike rate is only 88.63 against them (three dismissals). Livingstone's main challenge will be against Kuldeep Yadav and Axar. He has fallen once to Axar in two IPL meetings and could only score two runs. Whereas Kuldeep dismissed him the last time they met in IPL 2022.
Match details
Pitch report, timing, and streaming details
Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium will host the fixture and just like other games, the pitch here will be slow and will assist the bowlers. Batters will get runs once they get set. 8.36 is the average run rate for teams batting first here in the IPL. Star Sports will telecast the match, fans can also live-stream it on JioCinema on May 13 (7:30pm IST).
Poll