Preview:

The last time Punjab Kings took on Delhi Capitals, the game ended in an unprecedented manner due to unforeseen circumstances. Shreyas Iyer's men were in pole position to put up a monstrous total that could have guaranteed them two points. The good news for PBKS is that those points weren't shared and they have a rematch to claim it. The bad news is that the kind of momentum they gained that day against DC doesn't come every day, particularly when you contrast the conditions on offer from Dharamsala to Jaipur.

A lot has changed, however, since that fixture on May 8. For instance, the Capitals were a playoffs contender at that point but have now been eliminated after their loss to Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday. With all the playoffs spots sealed, the question that remains is around which teams will lock the coveted top-two spots. On form and the brand of cricket that they have played, PBKS will feel that they deserve to be one of those teams but even a win against DC might not be enough to assure that. Ultimately, a lot of it could all boil down to the PBKS-MI clash, which would be the season's penultimate game.

However, that is for later as the Kings would need to tick the first box, which is to get past a DC side that might feel liberated from the pressures of contesting for a playoffs berth. That pressure certainly told on them at the Wankhede where they lost the plot after making a strong start to the game. Skipper Axar Patel's absence was also a major factor but even then, DC had the chance to get the job done. Despite having a squad filled with talent, they have had an inconsistent season but with nothing to lose, they could upset Punjab's party plans in Jaipur. PBKS' batting approach and the depth that they have in power-hitting is unmatched this season and it will once again be their USP in this clash.

DC's bowlers might still be reeling from the insane finish that Suryakumar Yadav and Naman Dhir provided on an unusually tricky Wankhede surface. They'll need to be on their money because this PBKS batting line up has already decimated many a bowling attack this season. With all their overseas contingent now available, the Kings look primed to pocket the two points in Jaipur but Delhi would dearly love to put a spanner in the works of their northern neighbours.

When: Punjab Kings vs Delhi Capitals, Saturday, May 24 at 7.30 PM IST

Where: Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur

What to expect: Another good batting surface as has been the norm this season. The bounce could be on the lower side and more skiddy in nature but batters have still been able to trust the pitches for their strokeplay. Bowlers will need to rely on pace variations to stay afloat. Jaipur is witnessing peak summer with temperatures in the high 40s, which could mean dry pitches but so far, the curator has done well to prevent them from deteriorating.

Head to head: PBKS 17-16 DC.

Team News

Punjab Kings

Injuries/Availability issues: The uncertainty around Josh Inglis, Marcus Stoinis and Aaron Hardie is over as the Aussie trio linked up with the squad on Tuesday, and are available for selection. So is the injury replacement Kyle Jamieson.

Tactics/Matchups: Harpreet Brar has been excellent against the left-handed batters despite being a left-arm spinner. He has picked four wickets against these type of batters in 30 balls with an average of 11 and a dot-ball percentage of 40%. He could be effective against the left-handed duo of Abishek Porel and Axar Patel of the Capitals.

Probable XII: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Shreyas Iyer (c), Josh Inglis(wk), Nehal Wadhera, Marcus Stoinis, Azmatullah Omarzai, Shashank Singh, Marco Jansen, Harpreet Brar/Vijaykumar Vysakh, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal.

Delhi Capitals

Injury/Availability issues: Axar Patel missed the last game due to fever and there isn't any clarity over the all-rounder's availability with such a short turnaround between games. There is also a cloud over Vipraj Nigam's fitness, given that the all-rounder was hobbling while batting. Mukesh Kumar was also battling cramps in that game but should be fine for this fixture.

Tactics/Matchups: Kuldeep Yadav has been key to his team's success in the IPL. Across all his wins in the IPL, he has averaged 19.36 at a strike-rate of 16.5. Even in the first five games, when DC were on a winning run, he picked 10 wickets at an average of 11.2 and an economy of 5.6. DC will hope the version of the Kuldeep at the start of the IPL turns up.

Probable XII: KL Rahul, Faf du Plessis, Abishek Porel (wk), Sameer Rizvi, Tristan Stubbs, Ashutosh Sharma, Axar Patel (c)/Madhav Tiwari, Vipraj Nigam, Kuldeep Yadav, Dushmantha Chameera, Mustafizur Rahman, Mukesh Kumar.

Did You Know?

KL Rahul is the only batter whose century came in a losing cause this IPL season, out of the six centurions so far this season

Vipraj Nigam is in an elite company of all-rounders this season with 142 runs at a strike rate of 179.75 and having picked up nine wickets so far. He is only one among five other all-rounders this IPL to have scored more than 100 runs and picked over 8 wickets.

KL Rahul has scored over 500 runs in seven of the last eight seasons, missing out only in 2023 when he scored 274 runs and had his season cut short due to injury.

PBKS have scored over 200 runs six out of eight times when they have batted first. The only team to have scored as many 200+ scores batting first was KKR in IPL 2014.

Squads:

Punjab Kings Squad: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh(w), Shreyas Iyer(c), Shashank Singh, Nehal Wadhera, Mitchell Owen, Azmatullah Omarzai, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Harpreet Brar, Praveen Dubey, Suryansh Shedge, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Musheer Khan, Josh Inglis, Marcus Stoinis, Yash Thakur, Kyle Jamieson, Vishnu Vinod, Aaron Hardie, Kuldeep Sen, Harnoor Singh, Pyla Avinash

Delhi Capitals Squad: Faf du Plessis(c), Abishek Porel(w), Sameer Rizvi, Tristan Stubbs, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Madhav Tiwari, Kuldeep Yadav, Dushmantha Chameera, Mustafizur Rahman, Mukesh Kumar, KL Rahul, Mohit Sharma, Karun Nair, Axar Patel, T Natarajan, Ajay Jadav Mandal, Darshan Nalkande, Sediqullah Atal, Donovan Ferreira, Tripurana Vijay, Manvanth Kumar L