IPL 2025: Can DC spoil PBKS's top-two qualification chances?
What's the story
Match 66 of the Indian Premier League 2025 will witness Punjab Kings (PBKS) facing off against Delhi Capitals (DC) at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on May 24.
While PBKS have already qualified for the playoffs, DC's recent loss to Mumbai Indians has knocked them out of the final four race.
Although the remaining matches won't affect DC's future, PBKS are aiming to finish in the top two.
Here we look at the preview.
Details
Pitch conditions and streaming details
The Sawai Mansingh Stadium is famous for its high-scoring matches, courtesy of a hard pitch with good grass cover.
This makes the ball come onto the bat nicely, especially in the early stages of an innings.
The venue has seen a fair contest between batters and bowlers, with the team batting first winning 23 times and chasing sides 39 times, as per ESPNcricinfo.
The match will be live-streamed on JioHotstar (app and website) and Star Sports Network (7:30pm IST).
Team update
PBKS have a lot to play for
PBKS are riding high after breaking a decade-long streak of underachievement. They currently own 17 points from 12 games.
Victories in their remaining two games will guarantee PBKS a top-two berth.
Notably, teams finishing in these positions will have an additional chance to qualify for the final.
Moreover, the arrival of overseas players Marcus Stoinis, Josh Inglis, Aaron Hardie, and Kyle Jamieson has boosted PBKS's confidence.
H2H
Head-to-head record
The upcoming clash is a rematch of the PBKS vs DC contest on May 8, which was abandoned midway due to the border tensions between India and Pakistan.
In their IPL history, PBKS and DC have met 33 times. The Kings have claimed 17 wins besides losing 16.
One of DC's wins came in the Super Over.
DC
DC to play for pride
DC started the season well but lost momentum midway.
The absence of their regular skipper Axar Patel hurt them during the MI clash. The all-rounder was down with sickness.
It would be interesting to see if he returns for DC's final game of this campaign.
The team currently owns six wins and as many defeats (NR: 1).
XIs
Here are the probable XIs
PBKS (Probable XI): Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, Josh Inglis (wk), Shreyas Iyer (c), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Azmatullah Omarzai, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh. Impact sub: Vijaykumar Vyshak.
DC (Probable XI): Faf du Plessis (c), Abishek Porel (wk), Sameer Rizvi, Tristan Stubbs, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Madhav Tiwari/Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Dushmantha Chameera, Mustafizur Rahman, Mukesh Kumar. Impact sub: KL Rahul.
Stats
Here are the key performers
PBKS stars Prabhsimran Singh, Shreyas Iyer, and Priyansh Arya have hammered 400-plus runs each this season.
Arshdeep Singh has scalped 16 wickets for the Kings (ER: 8). Yuzvendra Chahal trails him with 14 scalps.
With 504 runs at a strike rate of 148.67, KL Rahul is DC's leading run-getter in IPL 2025.
Kuldeep Yadav has taken 13 wickets as his economy rate is a sensational 6.85.
Poll
