3 player battles to watch out for in PBKS vs DC, Match 64 of IPL 2023
Match 64 of IPL 2023 will take place on Wednesday, May 17, in Dharamsala, where the Punjab Kings (PBKS) will square off against the Delhi Capitals (DC). It is the penultimate league game of the season for both franchises.
Punjab Kings are eighth in the IPL 2023 points table right now, having registered six wins from 12 matches. The Mohali-based franchise are still alive in the race to the playoffs. They need to win their remaining two league games by big margins to seal a place in the top four.
On the other side, the Delhi Capitals have already been eliminated from the competition. DC will aim to try out some of their benched players before the IPL 2023 league stage ends.
It is an important match for the Punjab Kings, and here's a look at the three player battles which may decide the result of the IPL 2023 match at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium.
#1 Mitchell Marsh vs. Rahul Chahar
Delhi Capitals hosted Punjab Kings for a match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium last Saturday. DC had the upper hand in that contest before the spin duo of Harpreet Brar and Rahul Chahar destroyed the home team's batting lineup by taking six wickets.
Chahar bagged two crucial wickets and conceded only 16 runs off his four overs. One of his two victims was Mitchell Marsh. The hard-hitting Australian all-rounder was trapped in front of his stumps by the Punjab Kings leg-spinner.
The two players will likely go head-to-head in the middle overs of the Delhi Capitals innings. It will be interesting to see if Chahar can dismiss Marsh for the second time in the space of four days.
#2 David Warner vs. Rishi Dhawan
Delhi Capitals captain David Warner has been the highest run-getter of the season for his franchise. The left-handed batter has aggregated 384 runs in 12 matches so far.
In the previous match against the Punjab Kings, Warner blasted a 27-ball 54 at the top of the order. However, his knock ended in a losing cause.
Warner will look forward to playing a similar innings in Dharamsala. Meanwhile, the Punjab Kings will hope that Rishi Dhawan dismisses Warner cheaply. Dhawan conceded 10 runs off the only over that he bowled in the previous game against DC.
The conditions in Dharamsala will help the pacers a bit. Hence, Dhawan will have the onus of scalping Warner's wicket early.
#3 Prabhsimran Singh vs. Khaleel Ahmed
Prabhsimran Singh won the Player of the Match award in the previous game between the Delhi Capitals and the Punjab Kings. The uncapped PBKS batter slammed his maiden IPL ton to help his team beat DC by 31 runs.
Prabhsimran Singh joined the elite list last night 🔥👌
#DCvPBKS #Cricket #IPL2023 https://t.co/sFLRA7vT3X
Singh will aim to play another big knock for the Kings on Wednesday in IPL 2023. Meanwhile, DC will expect that their new-ball bowler Khaleel Ahmed takes advantage of the pace-friendly conditions in Dharamsala and dismisses the PBKS opener cheaply. Ahmed bowled a spell of 0/36 in his last game against PBKS.