We will host Delhi Capitals (DC) in our penultimate league match of TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium in Dharamshala on May 17.
We return to the HPCA Stadium with some great memories. Our team registered a 50-run victory over Mumbai Indians (MI) in our last match at this venue in 2013.
Led by our talismanic captain Shikhar Dhawan, our Shers will aim to secure back-to-back wins over DC in the ongoing T20 tournament. We recorded a comprehensive 31-run win against our Northern rival in our previous meeting on May 13.
With 12 points from as many matches, we stand in eighth place on the points table. Our boys will be desperate to bag two crucial points on Wednesday to remain in contention for the playoffs.
On the other hand, the David Warner-led team has been eliminated from the race for the playoffs. They have won four of their 12 matches and are at the bottom of the standings with eight points.
Ahead of another crucial clash, let’s look at some stats and numbers.
PBKS vs DC Head-to-Head:
We have won 16 of the 31 matches against DC.
Our boys have won five of nine matches at the HPCA Stadium in the TATA IPL and won two of three matches against the Capitals.
| Competition | Total Matches | Won by PBKS | Won by DC |
| Overall | 31 | 16 | 15 |
| At Dharamshala | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Pacer-friendly Pitch:
Fast bowlers have bagged 75 of the 102 wickets taken at this venue.
Pace VS Spin At Dharamshala In TATA IPL
| Pace | Spin | |
| 260.2 | Overs | 88.3 |
| 75 | Wickets | 27 |
| 28.4 | Average | 25.0 |
| 8.2 | Economy | 7.6 |
| 20.8 | SR | 19.8 |
In this campaign, our batters have performed better against pacers when compared to DC batters.
PBKS and DC Batters Vs Pace In TATA IPL 2023
| PBKS | DC | |
| 12 | Innings | 12 |
| 1346 | Runs | 1003 |
| 28.0 | Average | 20.9 |
| 153 | SR | 129 |
| 48 | Dismissals | 48 |
Time To Shine:
Captain Shikhar Dhawan has scored the most runs for us this season. He has amassed 356 runs in nine innings at an average of 50.86 and a strike rate of 143.54.
Dhawan is ably supported by Prabhsimran Singh and Jitesh Sharma.
Most runs for PBKS in TATA IPL 2023
| Player | Innings | Runs | Average | SR |
| Shikhar Dhawan | 9 | 356 | 50.9 | 144 |
| Prabhsimran Singh | 12 | 334 | 27.8 | 154 |
| Jitesh Sharma | 12 | 265 | 24.1 | 159 |
Considering the pace-friendly conditions, Dhawan will play a significant role in our must-win match against DC.
Best Strike Rate For Shikhar Dhawan against Pacers in TATA IPL
| Year | Innings | Runs | SR |
| 2023 | 9 | 235 | 154 |
| 2019 | 16 | 307 | 143 |
| 2020 | 17 | 328 | 138 |
The 37-year-old has enjoyed batting against pacers in the ongoing season. He has a strike rate of over 150 against both, right-arm and left-arm pacers.
| Bowler Type | Innings | Runs | SR |
| Left Arm Fast | 6 | 81 | 150 |
| Right Arm Fast | 8 | 154 | 156 |
| Right Arm Leg Break | 5 | 85 | 149 |
| Right Arm Off Break | 5 | 33 | 94 |
| Left Arm Orthodox | 1 | 3 | 100 |
Prabhsimran’s Swashbuckling Ton vs DC:
Our dynamic opener, Prabhsimran Singh, slammed his first TATA IPL hundred against DC in our last encounter.
The 22-year-old scored 62% of the team's runs in the last match, which is the third-best by a batter this season so far.
| Batter | Runs | Team Total | % of Runs | Venue |
| Shikhar Dhawan | 99* | 143 | 69 | Hyderabad |
| Yashavi Jaiswal | 98 | 151 | 65 | Kolkata |
| Prabhsimran Singh | 103 | 167 | 62 | Delhi |
Harpreet Brar’s Key Role:
Our left-arm spinner, Harpreet Brar, has the best average in the middle overs of the ongoing tournament. The 27-year-old has scalped seven wickets in this phase at an average of 13.
Best average in Middle Overs in TATA IPL 2023 (Min: 15 Overs)
| Player | Innings | Wickets | Average |
| Harpreet Brar | 9 | 7 | 13.0 |
| Rashid Khan | 12 | 14 | 16.0 |
| Varun Chakravarthy | 13 | 10 | 16.0 |
Brar also has the joint second-best dot ball percentage in the middle overs this year.
| Players | Innings | Overs | Dot Balls % |
| Alzarri Joseph | 6 | 15 | 40.0 |
| Harpreet Brar | 9 | 15 | 38.9 |
| Noor Ahmad | 8 | 21 | 38.9 |
Some More Mind-Boggling Numbers Ahead Of The Northern Derby:
→ Arshdeep Singh is 1 match away from 50 matches in the TATA IPL.
→ Sam Curran is 2 sixes away from 100 sixes in TATA IPL.
→ Shikhar Dhawan is 6 fours away from 100 boundaries for PBKS in TATA IPL.
→ Jitesh Sharma is 1 run away from 500 runs in TATA IPL
→ Shikhar Dhawan is 3 sixes away from 150 sixes in TATA IPL.
→ Liam Livingstone is 6 sixes away from 50 sixes for Punjab Kings in TATA IPL.
