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As fag end approaches, Punjab, Delhi aim to bring life back to faltering campaigns

article_imagePRE MATCH ANALYSIS
Last updated on 15 May 2022 | 04:47 PM
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As fag end approaches, Punjab, Delhi aim to bring life back to faltering campaigns

Two teams with high level of inconsistencies come face-to-face against each other with little hopes of playoffs spot hanging by threads

Both Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals have six wins each in 12 games. Tomorrow, one of them will race past the other on the points table and leave Kolkata Knight Riders behind in their pursuit of belligerence. Rest assured, it would almost be the end of the road for the losing party to have hopes of a playoff spot.

Yes, we are in that stage of the tournament where things get spicier and take a turn for good or worse, depending on the schism you stand on. As Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals have realized, just being a good starter can only take you so far and the shifty weird thing called momentum eventually catches the fire. How else would you define the shifting strategy of Mayank Agarwal, relying on going bonkers throughout the innings to Delhi Capitals nosediving just after having one of the best-ever auctions? That’s the thing about IPL. 

As both sides play, what eventually has turned out to be a crucial game, each other on Monday, beating the blues wouldn’t just be a style statement but rather a much-needed necessity to get the evening Royce rolling. Therein, the focus will be on things that have largely controlled their fate so far.

Bairstow-Livingstone to decide Pubjab’s fate

There is no doubt that Punjab Kings are a batting-heavy side. However, there is a lack of productive output at the top with Mayank Agarwal’s faltering form not helping the side. Among players to have scored more than 150 runs this season, Mayank’s average of 19.5 has been the 4th lowest. Even though he switched roles to play in the middle order in this season, that one inninsg of impact is still missing, hence a lot of focus will still be on Jonny Bairstow and Liam Livingstone.

Bairstow wasn’t at his destructive best while batting in the middle order, but when he returned to the opening role, he scored back-to-back fifties while opening the innings. The returns were so contrasting that Bairstow failed to hit even a single six when he batted in the middle order. His role becomes more Buttler-esque because he has a certain Liam Livingstone to pacify the cause in the middle order. 

It would have been a big punt but given the fact that Livingstone is in splendid form this year, hitting 4 scores of 50+ this season. The interesting part is that Livingstone is the only player to have hit a fifty as a non-opener for Punjab Kings this season and for the side to have some sort of impact in the middle overs, the Lancashire batter needs to strike gold yet again.

Chahar’s faltering returns a cause for concern

Rahul Chahar started the IPL 2022 on a great note, having picked 10 wickets in the first seven games at an average of 19.4 and an economy rate of 7.3. However, the story has taken a completely new turn since the halfway mark of the tournament, with the Rajasthan spinner picking just four wickets in the next five games, conceding runs at 36.8 per wicket whereas giving away over 9 runs per over. In such a situation, Punjab Kings can only count on their fate and resigned to the amalgamation of their premier spinner returning to form and playing a crucial role in the bowling department.

This season, batters seem to have targeted Rahul Chahar’s first over in his spell – he has conceded runs at 10.1 RPO in his first over of the spell. One of the things that goes in his favour going into this game is the fact that he will be playing at DY Patil Stadium, a venue where he has had decent success in this year’s IPL. A reversal in fortune will accelerate what Punjab hopes are a season-defining win to land them in the playoffs.

Punjab to face the wrath of Warner’s dream run?

David Warner and Prithvi Shaw form a lethal opening pair for Delhi Capitals and the way they formulated their powerplay strategy was a dream fundamental that every analyst can think of. However, Shaw’s injury brought a halt to the pair’s dominance but on an individual level, it hasn’t stopped the Aussie to go about things the way only he can.

In 10 innings he has played so far in IPL 2022, Warner has shown why he is amongst the best batters in the history of the competition as he has crossed the 400-run mark at an average over 60 and an SR over 150. That is some otherworldly performance. While batting alongside Prithvi Shaw, David Warner was at his fluent best as he took the attack to the opposition from the word go and has given DC some good starts this season. But in Shaw’s absence, Warner has resorted to starting slow and his SR has fluctuated a lot throughout his innings. 

That might work for Punjab Kings to get Warner’s number early in the innings but a lot of things will be a matter of how Warner decides to turn up on that day. A bull who can take anyone down on his horns, Warner might have the last laugh for Delhi Capitals with a little bit of luck thrown his way.

Probable XIs:

Punjab Kings: Jonny Bairstow, Shikhar Dhawan, Bhanuka Raajpaksa, Liam Livingstone, Mayank Agarwal (C), Jitesh Sharma (wk, Harpreet Brar, Rishi Dhawan, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Ashdeep Singh

Delhi Capitals: Mandeep Singh, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Rishabh Pant ©, Lalit Yadav, Rovman Powell, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Anrich Nortje

Date and Time: May 16, 2022, 7:30 PM IST

Venue: Dr. DY Patil Sports Academy, Mumbai

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