Delhi Capitals looks to pull down Punjab Kings in a battle of strugglers

While Delhi Capitals is out of the reckoning for the playoffs, Punjab Kings also seem headed for a bottom-half finish

The first team to go out of reckoning for a place in the playoffs, Delhi Capitals will look for company when it takes on struggling Punjab Kings twice in the space of five days in their ‘Northern Derby’.

A win for Capitals at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground on Saturday will end Punjab Kings’ chances of going beyond the league.

So far, Kolkata Knight Riders and Capitals are the ones certain of missing the ‘cut’ for the playoffs after suffering seven losses. In a 10-team league, where each team plays 14 times, a minimum of 16 points is considered enough to be in the top-four bracket.

Notwithstanding the fact that this clash involves non-champion sides from the bottom-three of the points table, two players with most fours in IPL — left-handed openers and rival captains Shikhar Dhawan (748) and David Warner (624) — will be around to add to these numbers.

This season, Capitals has paid heavily for its inconsistency. From the non-availability of Rishabh Pant to the lack of batting form hurt the team. As the campaign headed towards the business-end, Capitals relied on four overseas batters at the top of the order and a home-grown bowling unit to stay alive in the race for the playoffs.

But the familiar batting debacle, against host Chennai Super Kings, returned to dash Capitals’ qualifying prospects.

Punjab Kings, too, appears headed for a bottom-half finish on the points table. Though Dhawan, Jitesh Sharma and Prabhsimran Singh contributed with the bat, the team expected more from Sam Curran, acquired at ₹18.50 crore. With just 196 runs and seven wickets to show from 11 matches, this England all-rounder has not proved true value-for-money this season.