IPL 2021: Match 11, DC vs PBKS Match Prediction – Who will win today’s match?

Preview

Delhi Capitals (DC) couldn’t get over the line after Chris Morris’ blitz robbed them of a victory after the win over Chennai Super Kings (CSK). But going into their next game in the 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL) against Punjab Kings (PBKS), Rishabh Pant and Co are set to be bolstered.

Their premier fast bowler Anrich Nortje has been deemed fit after he finished his mandatory quarantine period. PBKS, on the other hand, closely got over the line against Rajasthan Royals (RR), but then slumped to a defeat against the Super Kings after getting restricted to 106 in their 20 overs.

But KL Rahul’s men can take heart from the fact that they are 15-11 ahead of the Capitals on the head-to-head count. Against an in-form Capitals’ bowling unit, the Punjab batters need to bring forth their A-game.

Match Details

Match – Delhi Capitals vs Punjab Kings – 11th match

Venue – Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

Time – 7:30 PM IST, 02:00 PM GMT

Where to watch live – Star Sports Network, Hotstar

Pitch Report

The pitch at the Wankhede Stadium turned out to be batting paradises in the first two games. But in the last two matches, the bowlers, especially the fast bowlers, have extracted a lot from the surface. There have been quite a few mini-collapses. Batting second should be the way forward. The temperature will be around 31 degrees Celsius with the humidity mostly in the 60s.

Avg first innings score: 166 (4 matches in IPL 2021 at the Wankhede)

Record of chasing teams: Won – 3, Lost – 1, Tied – 0

Probable Playing XIs:

Delhi Capitals

Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant (C & WK), Marcus Stoinis, Lalit Yadav, Chris Woakes, Ravi Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Tom Curran/Anrich Nortje, Avesh Khan

Bench: Shimron Hetmyer, Steve Smith, Lalit Yadav, Shams Mulani, Axar Patel, Tom Curran/Anrich Nortje, Aniruddha Joshi, Vishnu Vinod, Sam Billings, Ripal Patel, Amit Mishra, Ishant Sharma, Lukman Meriwala, Praveen Dubey, Umesh Yadav

Punjab Kings

KL Rahul (C & WK), Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Deepak Hooda, Nicholas Pooran, Shahrukh Khan, Jhye Richardson, Riley Meredith, Murugan Ashwin/Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh

Bench: Mandeep Singh, Dawid Malan, Sarfaraz Khan, Moises Henriques, Jalaj Saxena, Fabian Allen, Harpreet Brar, Saurabh Kumar, Prabhsimran Singh, Murugan Ashwin/Ravi Bishnoi, Ishan Porel, Chris Jordan, Utkarsh Singh

Head-to-Head

Overall

Played – 26 | Delhi Capitals – 11 | Punjab Kings– 15 |N/R – 0

At neutral venues

Played – 8 | Delhi Capitals – 4 | Punjab Kings– 4 |N/R – 0

Probable best batsman of the match

KL Rahul – Punjab Kings

KL Rahul was run out in the last game after Ravindra Jadeja’s direct hit accounted for his dismissal. Rahul doesn’t have overly great records against the Capitals, having scored only 211 runs at an average and strike rate of 154.01. But keeping in mind the fact that he averages 78.75 at the Wankhede Stadium, DC won’t be dropping their guard by any means while bowling to him.

Probable best bowler of the match

Kagiso Rabada– Delhi Capitals  

The Punjab batters have mostly found Kagiso Rabada tough to pounce on. The South Africa speedster has eight wickets against them in 18 overs. His economy of 7.11 suggests that he doesn’t give away many runs either. In the last encounter, he was hit for two sixes by Morris, but he also went on to pick up the wickets of Sanju Samson and Rahul Tewatia at the crucial stages.

Today’s match prediction: Delhi to win the match.

Scenario 1

Delhi win the toss and bowl

Powerplay score: 45-50

First innings score: 150-170

Delhi win the match

Scenario 2

Punjab win the toss and bowl

Powerplay score: 50-55

First innings score – 170-190

Delhi win the match

Disclaimer: This prediction is based on the understanding, analysis, and instinct of the author. While making your prediction, consider the points mentioned, and make your own decision.