DC seek to get back to winning ways in match against Punjab | IPL 2021 Delhi Capitals vs Punjab Kings: SWOT Analysis

Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings will look to get back to winning ways as they lock horns in Match 11 of the IPL 2021 at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Here is the analysis of the two teams.

SWOT for DC

Strengths: The South African pace-bowling pair of Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje can cause some serious damage to the opposition’s batting unit. Radaba fetched 30 wickets last season and bagged the coveted Purple Cap. Nortje, on the other hand, was fourth on the leading wicket-takers list with 22 wickets in his kitty. Nortje bowls a hard length at swift pace at the top of an innings. Rabada with his toe-crushing yorkers is preferred in the death overs. Wankhede’s deck could assist the two bowlers. It requires exceptional batting performance to take on the Rabada-Nortje challenge.

Weaknesses: Tom Curran, who started in the first two matches for DC, has not bowled as expected. Against CSK, Curran conceded 40 runs in his 4 overs and went home with just a wicket. Against RR, Curran was hammered for 35 runs in his 3.4 overs. He was picked to bowl the decisive last over against RR and Chris Morris hit the all-rounder for two sixes. Curran’s form would not have inspired much confidence in the team. But Curran is very likely to make way for Anrich Nortje for this game.

Opportunities: For all the hype around star players in the team, Avesh Khan has quietly gone about doing his job as the team’s third fast bowler in the absence of veteran Ishant Sharma. He has picked five wickets. In this match, Avesh has room to share the stage with Rabada and Nortje. It could be a learning curve for him.

Threats: Inconsistency. DC are showing a unique trait of displaying a shoddy show after an electric performance. DC’s record in its last four games of the previous season read: Loss, Win, Loss, Win. The pattern is on course to repeat this season too, with a disappointing loss against RR after an impressive win over CSK. Such inconsistency doesn’t bode well for a side that is aiming for its first-ever IPL title.

SWOT for PBKS

Strengths: Punjab Kings can still bank on the batting exploits of KL Rahul and Chris Gayle. Moreover, with Mayank Agarwal failing to click, Rahul should think and take the bet of opening with Gayle, which would result in a left-right opening combination. While Rahul can play the role of an anchor, Gayle can go after the bowlers. If it works, the Rahul-Gayle combo could be a mouth-watering prospect for the team.

Weaknesses: Many players seem out of form. Three players who have high stakes on them but have not proved themselves this season are Mayank Agarwal, Nicholas Pooran and Riley Meredith. Mayank’s last five IPL scores read: 0, 14, 26, 5 and 11. Pooran has got out on ducks in the two matches. Meredith has conceded 70 runs from 7.4 overs he bowled while picking just one wicket.

Opportunities: With Mayank, Pooran and Meredith misfiring, PBKS management may give the players on the bench a few matches to play. And the squad does possess good backups. Chris Jordan could replace Meredith. Moises Henriques or Fabian Allen could replace Pooran and play as handy all-rounders. Dawid Malan can bat at the top of the order. One of these players is very likely to get a chance in the playing XI soon.

Threats: Absence of a good all-rounder is affecting the team’s balance. Against CSK, when the top-order collapsed, they could’ve used an all-rounder to orchestrate a cameo but alas, there were none. Jhye Richardson batted at No. 7 against CSK, but it felt like he was batting one spot higher for the skills that he possesses with the bat. The team needs to rectify this shortcoming urgently.

Head-to-Head

Matches played: 26

DC: 11

PBKS: 15

Form Guide:

DC: L-W-L-W-L

PBKS: L-W- L-L-W

Team News:

Team’s South African speedster Anrich Nortje has joined the bio-bubble after testing negative for the coronavirus. His previous Covid-19 report was a false-positive. DC has also announced the signing of Mumbai all-rounder Shams Mulani as a short-term replacement for Axar Patel (out due to Covid). DC have also signed Karnataka's right-handed middle-order batsman, Aniruddha Joshi as a replacement for their original skipper, Shreyas Iyer.

Punjab Kings have no fitness concerns.

Deccan Herald’s Dream XI

Prithvi Shaw, KL Rahul (c), Chris Gayle, Rishabh Pant (wk), Shahrukh Khan, Marcus Stoinis, R Ashwin, M Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje

Impact Player for DC

Kagiso Rabada: Kagiso Rabada picked two wickets on his return to the team. Moreover, Rabada picked four wickets against Punjab Kings last season and bowled the decisive Super Over of the tied game between these two teams. With Anrich Nortje back in the side, Rabada could be expected to bowl with much more freedom.

Impact Player for PBKS

Chris Gayle: Punjab Kings can once again bank on Chris Gayle to deliver goods for the team. Gayle is experienced and the not-so-big Wankhede ground would excite him to charge after DC bowlers and get big numbers.