Axar Patel looked straight at the pitch, shrugged and called correctly. Delhi Capitals’ skipper chose to bowl first against Punjab Kings in Dharamsala, a decision that runs against recent numbers but, he reckons, not against common sense. “It’s a fresh wicket and there’s help for fast bowlers early on,” he said at the toss. Since early 2023, sides batting first have taken four of five IPL games here, yet Axar wants the new ball in his seamers’ hands.
Delhi have rung the changes – five in all – as they chase a result that keeps their season alive. In come Sahil Parakh, Abishek Porel, David Miller, Madhav Tiwari and Auqib Nabi. Pathum Nissanka and Kuldeep Yadav headline the omissions, neither quite in form or fully fit, depending on who you ask.
Punjab’s one alteration is more straightforward. Left-arm seamer Ben Dwarshuis makes his first IPL appearance, replacing Lockie Ferguson, who is carrying “a slight niggle”, according to team staff. With Vijaykumar Vyshak also sitting out, Kings will almost certainly activate an Impact Player once they swap bat for ball; Harpreet Brar, Yash Thakur or Praveen Dubey look the obvious candidates.
Runs have flowed in the mountains this fortnight. Square boundaries sit at 63 and 65 metres, the straight one at 72 metres – inviting for anyone willing to trust the altitude. Still, early movement often keeps bowlers interested for three or four overs, which is all Axar is banking on.
The XIs
Punjab Kings: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (capt), Marcus Stoinis, Suryansh Shedge, Shashank Singh, Marco Jansen, Ben Dwarshuis, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal.
Impact bench: Harpreet Brar, Yash Thakur, Xavier Bartlett, Vishnu Vinod, Praveen Dubey.
Delhi Capitals: Abishek Porel, KL Rahul (wk), Sahil Parakh, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Axar Patel (capt), Madhav Tiwari, Auqib Nabi, Mitchell Starc, Lungi Ngidi, Mukesh Kumar.
Impact bench: Ashutosh Sharma, Sameer Rizvi, T Vijay, Pathum Nissanka, Vipraj Nigam.
Plenty on the line for both, then. For Delhi, defeat ends the play-off conversation. For Punjab, a win keeps them breathing, just. The first ball, and perhaps the first hint of swing, will tell us who read the surface better.
