🏏IPL 2025 - Match 66: PBKS vs DC on 24th May 2025 at SMS, Jaipur🏏

🏏IPL 2025 - Match 66: Punjab Kings vs Delhi Capitals on 24th May 2025 at SMS, Jaipur starting from 7:30pm onwards🏏

PBKS and DC are all set to lock horns once again at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Saturday, May 24, in Match No. 66 of the ongoing IPL 2025.

Last time these two sides met, the game got abandoned due to security reasons amid the India-Pakistan conflict earlier this month. Punjab had raced to 122/1 in 10.1 overs in the clash in Dharamshala. However, they will now have to start from scratch against a deflated Capitals side which got eliminated after a comprehensive defeat to Mumbai Indians in a do-or-die encounter a couple of night back.

PBKS have already qualified for the Playoffs, having secured 17 points from 12 matches. They are currently stationed at No. 3 on the points table, but a win on Saturday will help them climb to the top of the table. Meanwhile, DC have secured 13 points from as many games and would want to finish their campaign on a high.

Preview:

The last time Punjab Kings took on Delhi Capitals, the game ended in an unprecedented manner due to unforeseen circumstances. Shreyas Iyer's men were in pole position to put up a monstrous total that could have guaranteed them two points. The good news for PBKS is that those points weren't shared and they have a rematch to claim it. The bad news is that the kind of momentum they gained that day against DC doesn't come every day, particularly when you contrast the conditions on offer from Dharamsala to Jaipur.

A lot has changed, however, since that fixture on May 8. For instance, the Capitals were a playoffs contender at that point but have now been eliminated after their loss to Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday. With all the playoffs spots sealed, the question that remains is around which teams will lock the coveted top-two spots. On form and the brand of cricket that they have played, PBKS will feel that they deserve to be one of those teams but even a win against DC might not be enough to assure that. Ultimately, a lot of it could all boil down to the PBKS-MI clash, which would be the season's penultimate game.

However, that is for later as the Kings would need to tick the first box, which is to get past a DC side that might feel liberated from the pressures of contesting for a playoffs berth. That pressure certainly told on them at the Wankhede where they lost the plot after making a strong start to the game. Skipper Axar Patel's absence was also a major factor but even then, DC had the chance to get the job done. Despite having a squad filled with talent, they have had an inconsistent season but with nothing to lose, they could upset Punjab's party plans in Jaipur. PBKS' batting approach and the depth that they have in power-hitting is unmatched this season and it will once again be their USP in this clash.

DC's bowlers might still be reeling from the insane finish that Suryakumar Yadav and Naman Dhir provided on an unusually tricky Wankhede surface. They'll need to be on their money because this PBKS batting line up has already decimated many a bowling attack this season. With all their overseas contingent now available, the Kings look primed to pocket the two points in Jaipur but Delhi would dearly love to put a spanner in the works of their northern neighbours.

When: Punjab Kings vs Delhi Capitals, Saturday, May 24 at 7.30 PM IST

Where: Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur

What to expect: Another good batting surface as has been the norm this season. The bounce could be on the lower side and more skiddy in nature but batters have still been able to trust the pitches for their strokeplay. Bowlers will need to rely on pace variations to stay afloat. Jaipur is witnessing peak summer with temperatures in the high 40s, which could mean dry pitches but so far, the curator has done well to prevent them from deteriorating.

Head to head: PBKS 17-16 DC.

Team News

Punjab Kings

Injuries/Availability issues: The uncertainty around Josh Inglis, Marcus Stoinis and Aaron Hardie is over as the Aussie trio linked up with the squad on Tuesday, and are available for selection. So is the injury replacement Kyle Jamieson.

Tactics/Matchups: Harpreet Brar has been excellent against the left-handed batters despite being a left-arm spinner. He has picked four wickets against these type of batters in 30 balls with an average of 11 and a dot-ball percentage of 40%. He could be effective against the left-handed duo of Abishek Porel and Axar Patel of the Capitals.

Probable XII: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Shreyas Iyer (c), Josh Inglis(wk), Nehal Wadhera, Marcus Stoinis, Azmatullah Omarzai, Shashank Singh, Marco Jansen, Harpreet Brar/Vijaykumar Vysakh, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal.

Go shreyas

Team news

Delhi Capitals

Injury/Availability issues: Axar Patel missed the last game due to fever and there isn't any clarity over the all-rounder's availability with such a short turnaround between games. There is also a cloud over Vipraj Nigam's fitness, given that the all-rounder was hobbling while batting. Mukesh Kumar was also battling cramps in that game but should be fine for this fixture.

Tactics/Matchups: Kuldeep Yadav has been key to his team's success in the IPL. Across all his wins in the IPL, he has averaged 19.36 at a strike-rate of 16.5. Even in the first five games, when DC were on a winning run, he picked 10 wickets at an average of 11.2 and an economy of 5.6. DC will hope the version of the Kuldeep at the start of the IPL turns up.

Probable XII: KL Rahul, Faf du Plessis, Abishek Porel (wk), Sameer Rizvi, Tristan Stubbs, Ashutosh Sharma, Axar Patel (c)/Madhav Tiwari, Vipraj Nigam, Kuldeep Yadav, Dushmantha Chameera, Mustafizur Rahman, Mukesh Kumar.

Did You Know?

KL Rahul is the only batter whose century came in a losing cause this IPL season, out of the six centurions so far this season

Vipraj Nigam is in an elite company of all-rounders this season with 142 runs at a strike rate of 179.75 and having picked up nine wickets so far. He is only one among five other all-rounders this IPL to have scored more than 100 runs and picked over 8 wickets.

KL Rahul has scored over 500 runs in seven of the last eight seasons, missing out only in 2023 when he scored 274 runs and had his season cut short due to injury.

PBKS have scored over 200 runs six out of eight times when they have batted first. The only team to have scored as many 200+ scores batting first was KKR in IPL 2014.

In the spotlight: Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul

Shreyas Iyer is the first captain to lead three IPL teams into the playoffs. He did it with DC in successive seasons, in 2019 and 2020, and led Kolkata Knight Riders to the title last year. Now he has done it with PBKS. With the bat, he has 435 runs at a strike rate of 174.69, which is almost 30 points higher than his strike rate last season. His strike rate of 182.19 in the non-powerplay overs is second only to Nicholas Pooran's 211.51.

Like Shreyas, KL Rahul too has been out of India's T20I side for a while now. Like Shreyas, he too has upped his strike rate this season. Unlike Shreyas, not being the captain seems to have brought the best out of him. Leading Lucknow Super Giants last year, he scored 520 runs at 136.12. This year, he is on 504 at 148.67 with one game to go. Can he ensure DC finish on a positive note?

Pitch and conditions

The average first-innings score at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium this IPL has been 200. So expect a high-scoring game once again. During the daytime, there is a warning for excessive heat. While it will be cooler in the evening, the mercury will still hover around 36°C.

Key stats

• Axar has favourable match-ups against Prabhsimran and Inglis. Against Prabhsimran, he has conceded only 24 runs in 26 balls in the IPL while dismissing him once. And he has dismissed Inglis twice in 13 balls in all T20s while giving away just ten runs. So if he is fit to play, he could open the bowling.
• Shreyas has a strike rate of only 110.00 (33 runs in 30 balls, one dismissal) against Mustafizur Rahman in all T20 cricket.
• Rahul has struggled against Arshdeep Singh (31 runs off 25 balls, two dismissals) in the IPL but has a strike rate of 150.60 (125 off 83, one dismissal) against Yuzvendra Chahal.
• Chahal has had the upper hand against Faf du Plessis: 44 runs in 50 balls, three dismissals.