Punjab Kings (PBKS) Captain Shikhar Dhawan won the toss and elected to field first against Delhi Capitals (DC) in the second match of the ongoing IPL 2024 season on Saturday, March 23, at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur. Both teams are commencing their campaign this season and are eager to begin with a strong performance.
PBKS vs DC Playing XI are as follows:
PBKS: Jonny Bairstow, Shikhar Dhawan (c), Jitesh Sharma, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Shashank Singh, Harshal Patel, Rahul Chahar,, Harpreet Brar, Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh
DC: David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Shai Hope, Ricky Bhui, Rishabh Pant (c), Tristan Stubbs, Axar Patel, Sumit Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Kuldeep Yadav, Khaleel Ahmed
This game marks Punjab's first IPL match at their new stadium, where they aim to turn around their fortunes from the previous season where they finished eighth on the points table. With new additions to their squad, Punjab Kings are determined to leave behind past disappointments and commence the 17th edition of the IPL on a positive note. Although they have reached the finals once in 2014, they are yet to lift the coveted trophy.
On the other hand, Delhi Capitals had a challenging run in the 2023 season, ending at the ninth position under David Warner's leadership. Rishabh Pant, who returns after recovering from an injury that kept him sidelined for over a year, is eager to make a strong comeback. Despite reaching the finals in 2020, Delhi Capitals have never clinched the championship title.
The pitch at Mullanpur, being officially inaugurated with this match, has seen some domestic games recently, indicating that its conditions may evolve as more matches are played. It is expected to provide support to bowlers, especially those skilled in slower ball change-ups. Considering this, teams might prefer bowling first on this new pitch.
In terms of their head-to-head record, Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals have faced each other 32 times, with both teams winning 16 matches each. Their first encounter dates back to April 28, 2008, and their most recent clash occurred on May 17, 2023.
