Punjab eye big finish
Kings confident of big runs
Delhi a disaster zone
Vipraj up the order
Stoinis strong on match-ups
Punjab Kings v Delhi Capitals
Saturday 24 May, 15:00
TV: Live on Sky Sports
Punjab Kings v Delhi Capitals IPL team news
Punjab have an opening for a top-two slot after Gujarat’s surprise defeat by Lucknow. A win here would put them in a strong position. And they should be close to full-strength.
Marcus Stoinis, Aaron Hardie and Josh Inglis were expected to return in time for the clash while Kyle Jamieson has also arrived from PSL. Mitchell Owen is likely to miss out while Xavier Bartlett may be unlucky. Skip Shreyas Iyer is unlikely to field with a finger problem.
Possible Punjab bat XI: Arya, Prab Singh, Inglis, Wadhera, Iyer (Harpreet sub) , Stoinis, Shahshank, Omarzai, Jansen, Arshdeep, Chahal
Delhi’s play-off hopes were ended by Mumbai last time out. They have suffered a disastrous collapse in form winning just two of their last eight.
There have been changes in their XI with Axar Patel, the skipper, struggling with injury and Karun Nair left out. Vipraj Nigram was moved up the order as a result against MI, a game they were bossing until they lost their composure at the death.
Possible DC bat XI: Rahul, Du Plessis, Porel, Rizvi, Vipraj, Stubbs, Ashutosh (Mukesh sub), Tiwari, Kuldeep, Chameera, Mustafizur
Delhi Capitals v Gujarat Titans pitch report
Scores of 219, 217 and 209 in the last three games in Jaipur have been trend busters. Previously seven times in the last 14 first-dig runs have come between 170-185. Given that Punjab were responsible for 219 it would not be a surprise if big runs were in the offing again. They are more reliable that DC with the bat so Sportsbook’s 5/61.84 that they go over 185.5 will have appeal. They have done it in seven of their 11 matches which have been unaffected by rain. Delhi have conceded that number six times in 13.
Punjab Kings v Delhi Capitals IPL match prediction
Punjab are 1.705/7 for the win that they need to keep the hammer down. Surely Delhi, demoralised and with nothing to play for, find it hard to keep an explosive batting line-up quiet enough to pinch the win.
Any sort of drift in Punjab’s price is one to get involved with. A strategy could be waiting until the break if Delhi bat first as there could be something chunky available for Punjab in the chase.
As hinted at, Punjab are not hugely efficient with the ball. They average 9.4 runs per over. A repeat would be enough to make this a choice affair. Delhi, likewise, are hurting and low on confidence in the field having failed to even take a wicket defending 200 against Gujarat.
Delhi Capitals v Gujarat Titans IPL player bets
Vipraj batted at No 5 last time for Delhi and considering he did well with 20 from 11, we have to take the 17/118.00 about a top-bat win with Sportsbook. He’s a decent hitter and has been creeping up the order this season. At No 7 against KKR he hit 38 from 19.
For Punjab, Stoinis is overdue on win rate and we have been consistent in showing faith. After a re-set it would be remiss to forget him and then feel the burn if he wins. There is the chance of an onslaught from the Aussie because his match-up against the possible DC attack reads: 64 runs, 37 balls, two outs and a strike rate of 173. Sportsbook go 10/111.00.
