IPL 2023 Playoff Qualification Scenario: How Can Delhi Capitals, Punjab Kings Advance?

13.05.2023 - 13:01 sports.ndtv.com

Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings will both be looking to boost their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 playoff qualification chances as they face each other on Saturday.

Punjab Kings lost their last game against Kolkata Knight Riders with Rinku Singh producing another last-over miracle. Similarly, DC have also not been in good form with their last match ending in defeat against Chennai Super Kings.

A win will be valuable for both sides as they are still very much in the race for the top four. Punjab Kings benefitted from KKR's nine-wicket loss to Rajasthan Royals and with three matches to go in the competition, the Shikhar Dhawan-led has the chance to go up to 16 points – a mark that can guarantee playoffs for them.

However, they may face tough challenge from Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad if the results go in their favour.

cricket Delhi Capitals David Warner Shikhar Dhawan Punjab Kings India Delhi Kolkata Hyderabad Chennai Bangalore

Rajasthan Royals (RR) star batter Jos Buttler registered an unwanted batting record on Friday, becoming a player with the most ducks in a single season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The batter registered this record during the match against Punjab Kings in Dharamshala. In the match, he was dismissed by Kagiso Rabada for a three-ball duck. This is his fifth duck in this season. There are some batters who have scored four ducks in a single IPL season: Herchelle Gibbs (Deccan Chargers, 2009), Mithun Manhas (Pune Warriors India, 2011), Manish Pandey (Pune Warriors India, 2012), Shikhar Dhawan (Delhi Capitals, 2020), Eoin Morgan (Kolkata Knight Riders, 2021) and Nicholas Pooran (Punjab Kings, 2021).

"Definitely Underperformed": PBKS Batting Coach Wasim Jaffer Left Frustrated After Shikhar Dhawan-led Team's IPL 2023 Exit

Punjab Kings batting coach Wasim Jaffer has been left frustrated with the performance of his bowlers, saying they "didn't live up to the expectations" this IPL season. The Punjab franchise began their campaign promising a lot but ended up making an early exit, winning just six of the 14 matches they played. The former India cricketer's dissatisfaction with the bowlers' performance came to the fore following a four-wicket loss to Rajasthan Royals here on Friday, which ended PBKS' slim hopes of making it to the playoffs despite have a potent bowling attack, including Arshdeep Singh, Kagiso Rabada and Sam Curran.

Watch: PBKS Star Liam Livingstone Is All Smiles After Getting Bowled vs RR In IPL 2023 Game. Ex-India Players Unimpressed

Punjab Kings on Friday became the third team to be knocked out of the IPL 2023 after losing to Rajasthan Royals in a home match in Dharamsala on Saturday. Batting first, they set a 188-run target for RR before the visiting team reached the target in 19.4 overs. The start to PBKS' innings was poor as their top-order batters misfired. Much was expected from the big-hitting Liam Livingstone but he failed to deliver. He fell on just nine while trying to go for a hoick against Navdeep Saini and got bowled. He could be seen smiling after getting bowled. Former India cricketers Yusuf Pathan and Harbhajan Singh were clearly not impressed with the act. Yusuf went to the extent of saying that had they been in the PBKS set up, they would not have picked for laughing after playing a poor shot.

IPL 2023: "Why Has Arshdeep Singh Been Marginalised" - Ex India Opener's Tough Question

Former Indian cricket team opener Aakash Chopra was not pleased with how Punjab Kings have used Arshdeep Singh in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 and he took to social media to question the team management about their strategy during the loss against Punjab Kings on Wednesday. At the start of the competition, Arshdeep enjoyed a brilliant run of form and he currently has 16 wickets to his name. However, the promising fast bowler was not given the ball for more than two overs in Dharamsala and even as bowlers went for plenty in the death overs, skipper Shikhar Dhawan did not consider Arshdeep.

IPL 2023: Delhi Capitals Skipper David Warner Sets Unique Batting Record Against Punjab Kings

Delhi Capitals (DC) skipper David Warner set a unique batting record in his side's Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Punjab Kings, achieving the record of most runs against an opponent in the history of the league. In the match, Warner scored 46 off 31 balls. His knock consisted of five fours and two sixes. His strike rate was 148.39. In 25 matches against PBKS, Warner has scored 1,105 runs at an average of 50.22 and a strike rate of 144.44. He has scored 13 half-centuries against the North Indian side, with the best score of 81. These are the most runs by a batter against any opponent in IPL history.

Watch: Ricky Ponting, Kuldeep Yadav Left Fuming As Delhi Capitals Drop Multiple Catches Against Punjab Kings

Delhi Capitals pulled off a thrilling win over Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 on Wednesday but their fielding effort left a lot to be desired. After posting a mammoth total on the board, DC looked disciplined in their bowling but their blunders on the field allowed PBKS to claw back in the game. Liam Livingstone was dropped by Anrich Nortje at deep mid-wicket while Yash Dhull could not complete an easy catch in the deep to dismiss Atharva Taide. Even a run-out chance went begging as both batters were left stranded but the throw from the fielder was totally wayward.