The first doubleheader of the 17th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will be played today. The first match of the day will see Punjab Kings take on Delhi Capitals at 3:30 PM in Mohali. The toss for this match will take place at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium at three in the afternoon. Through this match, Rishabh Pant will make his comeback in competitive cricket. Pant was injured in a car accident on December 30, 2022. Since then, he hasn’t played for either Team India or Delhi in the IPL.
This match will not be played at the old ground in Mohali (IS Bindra International Cricket Stadium). The new stadium, Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Stadium, will host the match. This match will be played here for the first time in the IPL.
In the second match, two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders will face the 2016 champions Sunrisers Hyderabad. Let’s delve into details about the first match…
Both teams are aiming for their first title
Delhi and Punjab are in search of their maiden title. Both teams have participated in the previous 16 seasons. Each has played one final. In 2014, Punjab defeated Kolkata by three wickets to reach the final. In the 2020 title clash, Delhi lost to Mumbai by five wickets.
Return of Rishabh Pant
🔙 to the game I love the most 🫶#RP17 #DelhiCapitals pic.twitter.com/yVtEwhLtZy
— Rishabh Pant (@RishabhPant17) March 16, 2024
Rishabh Pant met with a car accident on the night of December 29, 2022. Following this, he is making his comeback in cricket through the IPL. Consequently, all eyes will be on his performance. Besides IPL, there is also the T20 World Cup this year. BCCI Secretary Jay Shah has mentioned that if Pant performs well in wicketkeeping and batting in the IPL, he could be considered for the World Cup plans.
Both teams have a similar record
In IPL, Punjab and Delhi have played 32 matches against each other so far. Punjab has won 16, and Delhi has won 16.
Dhawan has scored the most runs against Delhi
Punjab’s team also includes bowlers like Arshdeep, Rabada, Nathan Ellis, Woakes, and Sam Curran. Harshal Patel’s inclusion has made the team’s bowling lethal in death overs. For batting, the team has Shikhar Dhawan, Riley Meredith, Liam Livingstone, Jonny Bairstow, Prabhsimran Singh, and Jitesh Sharma.
Captain of Punjab Kings, Shikhar Dhawan, has scored 557 runs against Delhi Capitals in 19 matches. Sam Curran, the left-arm medium-fast bowler, has taken the most wickets for the team. He has taken eight wickets in seven matches.
David Warner scored more than 1000 runs against Punjab
David Warner has scored more than 1000 runs against Punjab
For Delhi Capitals, there are excellent batsmen like David Warner, Prithvi Shaw, Marcus Stoinis, Rishabh Pant, Tristan Stubs, Kumar Kushagra, and Riki Bhui. They can fulfill the role of an anchor, but there are few finishers for the death overs. In terms of quick bowling, they have Enrich Nortje, Mukesh Kumar, and Zee Richardson. Lungi Ngidi is out of the tournament due to injury. Additionally, spinner Kuldeep Yadav is in good form.
Delhi’s batsman David Warner has scored more than 1000 runs against Punjab. He is the highest run-scorer against Punjab in the team. He has scored 1105 runs in 25 matches. Meanwhile, Axar Patel has taken 11 wickets against PBKS, which is the most for the team.
Weather Conditions
There’s good news regarding the weather in Mohali on Saturday. It will be warm, with no chance of rain. The wind speed will be around 11 km/h.
Expected Playing XI for Both Teams
Delhi Capitals: Rishabh Pant (Captain), Prithvi Shaw, David Warner, Marcus Stoinis, Harry Brook, Kumar Kushagra, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, and Enrich Nortje.
Impact Player – Lalit Kumar.
Punjab Kings: Shikhar Dhawan (Captain), Prabhsimran Singh, Jonny Bairstow, Atharva Taide, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (Keeper), Sam Curran, Harshal Patel, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, and Arshdeep Singh.
Impact Player – Rishi Dhawan.