The Covid-affected Delhi Capitals take on the Punjab Kings in a battle of strong hitters.

The Punjab middle order will have to take on more responsibility and find significant runs.
 By Navhind Express News Desk Apr 19, 2022, 12:58 IST
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The Delhi Capitals must put the COVID scare behind them when they face a hot and cold Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League on Wednesday.

Mitchell Marsh, an Australian all-rounder, was hospitalized after testing positive for COVID, bringing the total number of cases in the Capitals' camp to four.

The other squad members, on the other hand, returned negative tests on Monday, and all IPL stakeholders will be hoping that continues when another round of testing is undertaken on Tuesday.

Warner, Prithvi Shaw, and skipper Pant lead a potent DC team against a Punjab squad that includes Shikhar Dhawan, Liam Livingstone, and Shahrukh Khan.

As both teams want to get back on track, the hitting unit that performs well might be the deciding factor.

The return of regular skipper Mayank Agarwal, who missed the game against Sunrisers Hyderabad due to a toe injury, might help Punjab.

Dhawan was in his element against the Mumbai Indians, but consistency has been a problem for the veteran opener.

The southpaw, who struggled against SRH, will be aiming to get the team off to a good start, along with Mayank, who will be looking to take the diverse Delhi bowling attack to the task.

The Punjab middle-order will have to take on more responsibility and find significant runs.

Jitesh Sharma has already demonstrated that he has the potential to become a strong finisher. However, with the exception of Livingstone, who struck a quick 33-ball 60, the rest of the squad struggled against SRH, and the team management expected more from them.
However, Dhawan and the company will face an uphill job as they face the in-form Kuldeep Yadav, who has taken 11 wickets thus far.

Along with speedster Khaleel Ahmed, Axar Patel and pacer Shardul Thakur, who has four wickets, may raise concerns them.

Muztafizur Rahman, who gave up 48 runs against RCB, must make amends.

Punjab's bowlers, headed by Kagiso Rabada, have performed admirably. But there are players like Vaibhav Arora, Arshdeep Singh, and Rahul Chahar, who have nine wickets.

The contribution of pace-bowling all-rounder Odean Smith, who has not been at his best in the IPL so far, will be as important.


From six games, Punjab has three wins and as many losses.

Meanwhile, Delhi has had a tumultuous season. The Pant-led team hasn't looked very dangerous, and two wins in five games isn't exactly a testament to their abilities.
Warner and Shaw's contributions will be critical.

Warner comes into the game off a 38-ball 66 against RCB and has brought flamboyance at the top for the club.

Likewise, Shaw, who had a failure in the final game following back-to-back fifties. The Capital's administration is hoping that the two fire at the same time.

A lot will depend on Pant's performance for Delhi. He appeared at ease when he scored 34 off 17 balls against RCB, but the true test is still to come.


In the absence of Marsh, they will need to find a suitable number three, who may be Mandeep Singh or Sarfaraz Khan.

Teams (From): Punjab Kings: Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal, Arshdeep Singh, Kagiso Rabada, Jonny Bairstow, Rahul Chahar, Harpreet Brar, Shahrukh Khan, Prabhsimran Singh, Jitesh Sharma, Ishan Porel, Liam Livingstone, Odean Smith, Sandeep Sharma, Raj Angad Bawa, Rishi Dhawan, Prerak Mankad, Vaibhav Arora, Writtick Chatterjee, Baltej Dhanda, Ansh Patel, Nathan Ellis, Atharva Taide, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Benny Howell.

Delhi Capitals: Rishabh Pant (Captain), Ashwin Hebbar, David Warner, Mandeep Singh, Prithvi Shaw, Rovman Powell, Anrich Nortje, Chetan Sakariya, Khaleel Ahmed, Kuldeep Yadav, Lungi Ngidi, Mustafizur Rahman, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Lalit Yadav, Mitchell Marsh, Pravin Dubey, Ripal Patel, Sarfaraz Khan, Vicky Ostwal, Yash Dhull, KS Bharat and Tim Seifert.

The contest will begin at 7.30 p.m.

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