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Player of the Match
Player of the Match

Pant's return eclipses all else as Kings vs Capitals launches IPL's 36th venue

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Sthalekar: Pant could get a bigger roar than Dhoni and Kohli (1:01)

Lisa Sthalekar says that it is a huge boost for Rishabh Pant that he has been cleared to wicket keep at the IPL. (1:01)

Match details

Punjab Kings (PBKS) vs Delhi Capitals (DC)
Mullanpur, 3.30pm IST (1030 GMT)

Big picture - Rishabh Pant is back

The first afternoon match of IPL 2024 will be dominated by just one storyline in the lead up: the return of Rishabh Pant, who survived a car crash in December 2022. He had three ligament reconstructions in his right knee, told his surgeon he would recover six months sooner than expected, walked on crutches, accelerating his rehab, and is now hours away from walking out as Delhi Capitals' captain on Saturday.

The question is whether he can find his match fitness quickly. While Pant played several practice matches at the BCCI's National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru before getting the clearance to play the IPL, coming back from what he has is never easy. Can he play with the fearlessness that has defined his career? Saturday will not provide all the answers, but it could set the tone for a remarkable comeback.

As for Punjab Kings, it is their first match at their new home base in Mullanpur. Kings' previous home ground was the IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali, where they won just one of their five games in IPL 2023. Overall, Capitals have won 15 of the 32 matches they have played against Kings, but in the last two years, they have won five of six.

Team news - Will Pant keep wickets?

While Jonny Bairstow, who missed IPL 2023 because of an injury, has returned to strengthen Kings' top order, the absence of a power-hitter in the lower order - apart from Jitesh Sharma - was a weak point for them last year. They can plug the hole by playing either Shashank Singh or Ashutosh Sharma, who are both aggressive batters with a penchant for hitting sixes.

Based on the training session on match eve, Pant will play as wicketkeeper. There is a toss-up likely between Jake Fraser-McGurk and Tristan Stubbs, who showed his prowess as a finisher in the SA20. Jhye Richardson is with the squad but recovering from a side strain, which Capitals co-owner Parth Jindal had said might rule him out of the initial few games. Capitals will also be without Anrich Nortje, who is still in South Africa.

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Toss and Impact Player strategy

Punjab Kings: Kings are likely to utilise the same Impact Player combination as last year by benching Prabhsimran Singh when they bowl and having one of their bowlers sit out while batting.

Probable XII: 1 Shikhar Dhawan (capt), 2 Jonny Bairstow, 3 Prabhsimran Singh, 4 Liam Livingstone, 5 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 6 Ashutosh Sharma/Shashank Singh, 7 Sam Curran, 8 Rahul Chahar, 9 Harpreet Brar, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Harshal Patel, 12 Arshdeep Singh

Delhi Capitals: Khaleel Ahmed will start if Capitals bowl first, while Ricky Bhui, who could bolster the lower order, could come in when they bat

Probable XII: 1 David Warner, 2 Prithvi Shaw, 3 Mitchell Marsh, 4 Rishabh Pant (capt, wk), 5 Jake Fraser-McGurk/Tristan Stubbs, 6 Abishek Porel, 7 Ricky Bhui/Kumar Kushagra, 8 Axar Patel, 9 Lalit Yadav, 10 Kuldeep Yadav, 11 Ishant Sharma, 12 Khaleel Ahmed

Stats that matter

  • Arshdeep Singh's economy of 8.48 at the death in the last two IPL seasons is third-best for any bowler who bowled at least 100 balls in that phase

  • Since the start of 2020, Axar Patel (6.90) is the third-most economical bowler after Rashid Khan (6.74) and Sunil Narine (6.85), in the IPL

  • Across all T20s, Ishant Sharma has dismissed Shikhar Dhawan three times in 31 balls while giving away only 36 runs. Dhawan has a strike rate of 88.5 against Khaleel Ahmed (23 runs in 26 balls, one dismissal)

  • David Warner has taken Harshal Patel for 86 runs in 45 balls without being dismissed even once. Warner has a great record against Rahul Chahar as well: 65 runs in 40 balls, no dismissal

Pitch and conditions

In the 2023-24 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Mullanpur ranked fourth on the list of venues with highest overall scoring rates at 8.51 (with a cut-off of five matches). It will be the 36th venue in the IPL and the straight boundaries are roughly 81 yards long, but it is the long square boundaries - around 74 yards - which could play a key factor, given the two-bouncer rule that will be in play in this IPL. The central pitch is likely to have good bounce, though it could be two-paced. The afternoon temperatures will hover in the early 30 degrees (Celsius).

Quotes

"The bowlers have complained a lot over the years that everything is in the batters' favour, so they've got something in their favour now. It'll be interesting to see how it goes."
Liam Livingstone on the two-bouncer rule

"Jittery, nervous, excited - all of it, but at the same time, just happy, being able to come back to professional cricket. I'm just looking forward to playing my first game tomorrow."
Rishabh Pant on his comeback after 14 months

PBKS 2nd innings Partnerships

WktRunsPlayers
1st34S DhawanJM Bairstow
2nd8JM BairstowPrabhsimran Singh
3rd42SM CurranPrabhsimran Singh
4th16SM CurranJM Sharma
5th67LS LivingstoneSM Curran
6th0Shashank SinghLS Livingstone
7th10LS LivingstoneHarpreet Brar

Indian Premier League

TeamMWLPTNRR
KKR1493201.428
SRH1485170.414
RR1485170.273
RCB1477140.459
CSK1477140.392
DC147714-0.377
LSG147714-0.667
GT145712-1.063
PBKS145910-0.353
MI144108-0.318