Will Rahul's PBKS defeat the DC juggernaut? | Punjab Kings vs Delhi Capitals SWOT Analysis

The win against RCB still doesn’t mean much if the Punjab Kings are unable to carry on the momentum and win this match

Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals will be looking to continue their winning form when they clash against one another in match 29 of IPL 2021 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Here is the analysis of the two teams.

SWOT for PBKS

Strengths: PBKS' batting is improving as the tournament is progressing. KL Rahul is the top run-scorer and has four fifties. Gayle has come close to scoring fifties twice in the last three matches. Mayank Agarwal and Deepak Hooda have one fifty each. If Nicholas Pooran gets going then he can hit plenty of sixes in one go. And in Harpreet Brar, PBKS may have finally found a batter who can hit big in the death overs.

Weaknesses: Chris Gayle batting at no. 3 makes no sense. Gayle for the longest time has been a natural opener. So, with Mayank Agarwal absent in the match against RCB, Gayle should have opened the batting alongside KL Rahul. Rahul's reluctance to give Gayle the chance to open the innings is baffling. In two of the last three matches, Gayle has come close to getting a fifty. Right now, Gayle needs to bat at the top of the order and bat during the powerplay otherwise he is being underutilised. Also, Nicholas Pooran's no-show is hurting the team. Pooran now has four ducks this year. So, for most of the matches thus far, the team has played with one batsman short.

Opportunities: Harpreet Brar and Ravi Bishnoi have the opportunity to further extend their credentials as match-winners. Brar ripped apart the much-famed RCB batting lineup, picking the wickets of Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, and AB de Villiers. He has also played a useful batting cameo of 25 from 17. He could be the all-rounder that PBKS were in search of to bring balance to the side. Bishnoi has picked 4 wickets in 3 matches has become the team’s third-highest wicket-taker. Bishnoi is bowling at an average of 14.25 and has an economy of 4.75. Bishnoi is also an excellent fielder in the deep and has picked two of the best catches in this year’s tournament.

Threats: The win against RCB still doesn’t mean much if the team is unable to carry on the momentum and win this match. PBKS have lost three of their past five matches. If the team’s wayward form continues, then PBKS may fail to qualify for the playoffs.

SWOT for DC

Strengths: The left-right opening combination of Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw is one of the best opening pairs this season. Dhawan’s experience bodes well with Shaw’s youthful audacity. Dhawan gets fours and Shaw gets the sixes. It is very likely that either of these two batsmen will click in a particular match.

Weaknesses: The bowling resources look a bit thin. Only Avesh Khan is in wicket-taking form. Amit Mishra’s participation in this match remains uncertain. Ravichandran Ashwin is no longer available. Kagiso Rabada is looking like a shadow of his former self. Rishabh Pant has preferred to play an overseas batsman in place of Anrich Nortje. Last year, a lot of DC’s success was built around the bowlers having a great time. If the bowlers don’t improve their form then DC could soon be having a tough time.

Opportunities: Avesh Khan is fast closing the gap to RCB’s Harshal Patel in the race for the Purple Cap. It would take a special bowling performance from Avesh but if he does manage to pick four wickets, he will overtake Patel in the race for the Purple Cap.

Threats: It has almost become a pattern now. If DC captain Rishabh Pant wins the toss he has no hesitation in opting to bowl first and then chase down the target. Except for the win in the Super Over, the four other wins for DC have come when the team has chased down the target. It clearly highlights that the team is not comfortable batting first. But champion teams don’t depend on the outcome of the flip of the coin. If this remains the case, then sooner or later, DC could be asked to bat first and be put under pressure.

Head-to-Head

Matches played: 27

PBKS: 15

DC: 12

What happened in the match between the two teams earlier in the season?

At Wankhede, batting first, PBKS scored 195/4 thanks to 61 off 51 balls from KL Rahul, and 69 from 36 balls by Mayank Agarwal. DC chased the total down in just 18.2 overs thanks to 92 from 49 balls by opener Shikhar Dhawan.

Form Guide (last five matches)

PBKS: W-L-W-L-L

DC: W-L-W-W-W

Team News

Mayank Agarwal missed PBKS’ previous match versus RCB due to an injury. There has been no update on his match fitness at the time of writing this.

From the DC camp, Amit Mishra had missed the team’s previous game owing to an injury. There has not been any update on his fitness either.

Deccan Herald’s Dream XI

Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Chris Gayle, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Marcus Stoinis, Axar Patel, Avesh Khan, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Shami

Impact player for PBKS

KL Rahul: KL Rahul has been the most consistent run-scorer in IPL for the past three years. This season again, Rahul is in a prolific run-scoring form. Rahul has hit four fifties and is averaging 66.20. His strike rate was slightly better against RCB. It is becoming tougher and tougher for bowlers to pick Rahul’s wicket. Rahul could be the difference between his team winning or losing this match.

Impact player for DC

Prithvi Shaw: The young opener has three fifties so far, the most for a DC batsman. Shaw is a fearless batsman. If there is a ball that is meant to be hit then it is very likely that the ball will be dispatched for a boundary. With a strike rate of 165.03, Shaw is having the best strike amongst the top-five leading run scorers this season. Shaw is combing well with Dhawan. PBKS bowlers need to come up with a plan to stop Shaw.