The second encounter of blockbuster Sunday will see Delhi Capitals lock horns with Punjab Kings at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Both teams led by wicket-keeper captains are coming from the back of a defeat and will hope to bounce off the blocks and return to winning ways.
For both teams, the steep fall from the strong batting performances in their opening games (Punjab Kings had made 221 while DC chased down 188 comfortably) exposed vulnerabilities against the new ball, and in the powerplay, which will be the primary cause of concern. While Delhi Capitals’ lack of firepower in the lower middle-order stood exposed against Rajasthan Royals, an excellent spell from Deepak Chahar left the KL Rahul-led side stranded.
However, the bowling attack can prove to be the differentiator between the two teams. It is expected that Anrich Nortje, who joined the squad after testing COVID-19 negative, will partner will Kagiso Rabada. England’s Tom Curran, who had a poor outing with the ball in the last game, is likely to make way. On the other hand, Punjab Kings will hope their Aussie duo of Jhye Richardson and Riley Meredith to fire and breach Delhi’s star-studded top-order.
IPL 2021: Delhi Capitals vs Punjab Kings from 7:30 PM IST at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai
Match Prediction – Who will win?
Toss could be a crucial factor as – three of the four games at the venue have been won by teams chasing so far. Batting second has looked easy in the Wankhede wicket and the team winning the toss will look to chase. So far in IPL, Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings have locked horns in 26 encounters, with Punjab having the edge with 15 wins under their belt.
The upcoming tie will be an exciting encounter with both teams desperate for a win. However, Delhi Capitals will start as the favourites to win the match considering they have a strong bowling attack comprising Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje along with Ravichandran Ashwin.
