DC vs PBKS IPL 2023 Match Preview & Prediction | Match 59

DC vs PBKS is the first fixture between the two teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season. Delhi Capitals (DC) face elimination if they fail to pick up two points at home, while Punjab Kings, too, could be on their way out if they leave Delhi without maximum points.

The match will take place at Arun Jaitley Stadium on Saturday at 7:30 PM.

Delhi Capitals

DC fans would have been disappointed after their top order failed in the must-win fixture against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Wednesday. David Warner, Phil Salt, and Mitchell Marsh were dismissed in the powerplay. Manish Pandey and Rilee Rossouw raised their hopes, but CSK spinners piled pressure on the duo and ended a 59-run stand, eventually ending DC’s hopes of two points.

Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav impressed in spin-friendly conditions in Chennai. The duo took three wickets and didn’t let the CSK batters dominate them. However, DC’s death bowling remains a concern as MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja added valuable runs to the total in the last four overs. If Anrich Nortje is unavailable, DC could struggle again in the pace bowling department.

Punjab Kings

PBKS batters, apart from Shikhar Dhawan and Jitesh Sharma, haven’t been consistent enough this season. Against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Monday, PBKS lost the wickets of Prabhsimran Singh, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, and Liam Livingstone in the powerplay. Dhawan’s half-century and low-order contributions helped them post a competitive total at Eden Gardens.

Arshdeep Singh will want to bounce back after disappointing outings in the last two games. The left-arm pacer and Nathan Ellis have been two of the bright sparks in PBKS’ pace attack this season. Meanwhile, Rahul Chahar was excellent in the defeat against KKR. The 23-year-old grabbed the key wickets of Venkatesh Iyer and Nitish Rana. The franchise think-tank will be hoping that the spinner can make inroads in the middle overs against DC.

DC vs PBKS Head to Head

In the 30 meetings between the two teams, DC and PBKS have won 15 matches each. Mitchell Marsh struck a half-century the last time the all-rounder played against PBKS. Also, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav took two wickets each.

DC vs PBKS Last Five Meetings

Date	Winner	Margin
May 16, 2022	DC	Won by 17 runs
April 20, 2022	DC	Won by 9 wickets
May 2, 2021	DC	Won by 7 wickets
April 18, 2021	DC	Won by 6 wickets
October 20, 2020	PBKS	Won by 5 wickets

DC & PBKS IPL 2023 Stats

Top Run-scorer: David Warner – 330 runs (DC); Shikhar Dhawan – 349 runs (PBKS)

Most Wickets: Mitchell Marsh – 12 wickets (DC); Arshdeep Singh – 16 wickets (PBKS)

Most Sixes: Axar Patel – 14 sixes (DC); Jitesh Sharma – 18 sixes (PBKS)

DC vs PBKS – Who Will Win?

Both teams have quality players at their disposal, and their recent form suggests that it could be an evenly-fought clash. While it is difficult to predict the outcome of this match, one can expect PBKS to edge past DC.