Rishabh Pant holds the key to Delhi Capitals' fortune

Bengaluru, April 20: A COVID-19 hit Delhi Capitals take on Punjab Kings in Match 32 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 on Wednesday (April 20).

The match originally scheduled to be held at the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium in Pune has been shifted to the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai due to multiple COVID-19 cases in the Capitals camp.

Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh had to be hospitalised after testing positive for COVID-19, taking the total count to five cases in the Capitals' camp.

All squad members, who returned negative tests on Tuesday (April 19), will need to clear another round of testing on Wednesday (April 20) morning for the game to go on as scheduled.

David Warner, Prithvi Shaw and skipper Rishabh Pant headline a powerful DC line up against a Punjab unit that boasts of Shikhar Dhawan, in-form Liam Livingstone and Shahrukh Khan.

This has been a mixed season for DC.

The Pant-led side has not looked too threatening and two wins from five games is not a testimony to their skills.

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Warner heads into the game on the back of a 38-ball 66 against RCB and has provided the team with flamboyance at the top.

For DC, a lot will also rest on how Pant performs. He looked in his element when he made a 17-ball 34 against RCB, but a real big knock is yet to come.

Now in absence of Marsh, they would need to suitably find a number three and Mandeep Singh or Sarfaraz Khan could be an option.

But the task for Dhawan and company will not be an easy one as they would face the in-form Kuldeep Yadav, who has taken 11 wickets so far.

On the other hand, PBKS could be bolstered by the return of regular skipper Mayank Agarwal, who missed the game against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) due to a toe injury.

A flamboyant Dhawan was in his elements against Mumbai Indians, but consistency has been an issue for the senior opener.

The south-paw, who failed against SRH, will be looking to give the side a solid start along with Mayank, who too would be eager to take the varied Delhi bowling attack to cleaners.

PBKS middle-order will need to take greater responsibility and find substantial runs. Save for Livingstone, who made a brisk 33-ball 60, others faltered against SRH and the team management would expect more from them.

Squads (From):

Delhi Capitals: Rishabh Pant (Captain), Ashwin Hebbar, David Warner, Mandeep Singh, Prithvi Shaw, Rovman Powell, Anrich Nortje, Chetan Sakariya, Khaleel Ahmed, Kuldeep Yadav, Lungi Ngidi, Mustafizur Rahman, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Lalit Yadav, Mitchell Marsh, Pravin Dubey, Ripal Patel, Sarfaraz Khan, Vicky Ostwal, Yash Dhull, KS Bharat and Tim Seifert.

Punjab Kings: Mayank Agarwal (Captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Arshdeep Singh, Kagiso Rabada, Jonny Bairstow, Rahul Chahar, Harpreet Brar, Shahrukh Khan, Prabhsimran Singh, Jitesh Sharma, Ishan Porel, Liam Livingstone, Odean Smith, Sandeep Sharma, Raj Angad Bawa, Rishi Dhawan, Prerak Mankad, Vaibhav Arora, Writtick Chatterjee, Baltej Dhanda, Ansh Patel, Nathan Ellis, Atharva Taide, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Benny Howell.