Delhi Capitals will face Punjab Kings at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi in the 59th game of IPL 2023 on Saturday 13th May. PBKS is now in the 8th position and this game is very important for them to win and stay in the competition. Read the full match preview, pitch report & every detail about the DC vs PBKS match with Dream XI team prediction in our fantasy sports segment.

Read Also: Yashasvi Jaiswal becomes the second youngest batter to score 1000 IPL runs

DC vs PBKS

Match Details

• Match: 59
• Date: 13/05/2023
• Time: 7:30 PM IST
• Venue: Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
• Where to watch: Star Sports, Jio Cinema

Venue Details | Pitch Report

The pitch here at the Arun Jaitely Stadium usually remains slow in the game. Here the boundaries are small and the outfield is also very quick which allows the batsmen to score freely. Spinners get some turn in the pitch and make it difficult for the batters in the middle overs. The team that will win the toss is likely to choose to bowl first.

In IPL 2023 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi:

• 1st-inning score: 197
• 2nd-inning score: 188
• Matches won by the team batting 1st: 1
• Matches won by the team batting 2nd: 4

Delhi Capitals vs Punjab Kings | Head to Head

• Matches Played: 30
• DC won: 15
• PBKS won: 15

Read Also: Virat Kohli becomes the first batter to complete 7000 runs in Indian Premier League

Delhi Capitals vs Punjab Kings | Team News

Delhi Capitals

DC lost their last game against CSK and now they are at the bottom of the points table. David Warner scored a duck in the last game and needs to find back his form. Philip Salt had a good game against RCB also departed for a low score against CSK. Their batting lineup need to score runs in the game. Their bowlers have a good game against CSK and took crucial wickets.

Punjab Kings

Punjab lost back to back matches against KKR & Mumbai Indians and they are now in a do or die situation in the season now. Dhawan is in good form and scored runs along with Livingstone in the middle. But their bowlers leaked a lot of runs and failed to pick up wickets in the middle overs in both games. Their bowler need to fight back in the game and need to be back in form to win the match and stay in the competition.

Delhi Capitals vs Punjab Kings | Possible Lineup

Delhi Capitals:

• David Warner
• Philip Salt
• Mitchell Marsh
• Manish Pandey
• Rilee Rossouw
• Ripal Patel
• Axar Patel
• Aman Hakim Khan
• Lalit Yadav
• Kuldeep Yadav
• Khaleel Ahmed

Punjab Kings:

• Prabhsimran
• Shikhar Dhawan
• B Rajapaksa
• Liam Livingstone
• Jitesh Sharma
• Sam Curran
• Rishi Dhawan
• Shahrukh Khan
• Harpreet Brar
• Rahul Chahar
• Arshdeep Singh

Delhi Capitals vs Punjab Kings | Dream XI Team Prediction

After the mega IPL 2025 auction on 24th and 25th November, every Indian Premier League franchise made their squad for the upcoming IPL season. Rishabh Pant was the most expensive player in the auction history with an INR 27 cr bid from Lucknow Super Giants. Meantime, Shreyas Iyer and Venkatesh Iyer also attracted huge bids from Punjab Kings and KKR respectively.

After the auction, only Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings (PBKS) were the teams to have a full quota of 25 players in their squad. Meantime, Surisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Rajasthan Royals were the teams with the least number of players in the squad. 

Before the mega auction, each team had the option to retain a maximum of six players including capped and uncapped players. Post the retentions, teams picked their squads in a bidding war for two days.

Squads of every IPL team after the IPL 2025 auction

Chennai Super Kings (CSK)

Batters:

• Ruturaj Gaikwad
• MS Dhoni (Wicketkeeper Batter)
• Devon Conway
• Rahul Tripathi
• Shaik Rasheed
• Andre Siddarth

All-Rounders:

• Rachin Ravindra
• Ravichandran Ashwin (Bowling All-rounder)
• Vijay Shankar
• Sam Curran
• Anshul Kamboj
• Deepak Hooda (Bowling All-rounder)
• Jamie Overton
• Ramakrishna Ghosh
• Ravindra Jadeja
• Shivam Dube

Bowlers:

• Khaleel Ahmed
• Noor Ahmad
• Mukesh Choudhary
• Gurjapneet Singh
• Nathan Ellis
• Kamlesh Nagarkoti
• Shreyas Gopal
• Matheesha Pathirana

Delhi Capitals (DC)

Batters:

• KL Rahul (Wicketkeeper Batter)
• Harry Brook
• Jake Fraser-McGurk
• Sameer Rizvi
• Faf du Plessis
• Donovan Ferreira (Wicketkeeper)
• Abishek Porel (Wicketkeeper Batter)
• Tristan Stubbs (Wicketkeeper Batter)

All-Rounders:

• Karun Nair
• Ashutosh Sharma
• Darshan Nalkande
• Vipraj Nigam
• Ajay Mandal
• Manvanth Kumar L
• Tripurana Vijay
• Madhav Tiwari
• Axar Patel

Bowlers:

• Mitchell Starc
• T Natarajan
• Mohit Sharma
• Mukesh Kumar
• Dushmantha Chameera
• Kuldeep Yadav

Gujarat Titans (GT)

Batters:

• Shubman Gill
• Jos Buttler (Wicketkeeper Batter)
• Kumar Kushagra (Wicketkeeper Batter)
• Anuj Rawat (Wicketkeeper Batter)
• Sherfane Rutherford
• Glenn Phillips (Wicketkeeper Batter)

All-Rounders:

• Nishant Sindhu
• Mahipal Lomror
• Washington Sundar
• Gerald Coetzee
• Mohd. Arshad Khan
• Karim Janat
• B. Sai Sudharsan
• Shahrukh Khan

Bowlers:

• Kagiso Rabada
• Mohammed Siraj
• Prasidh Krishna
• Manav Suthar
• Gurnoor Singh Brar
• Sai Kishore
• Ishant Sharma
• Jayant Yadav
• Kulwant Khejroliya
• Rahul Tewatia
• Rashid Khan

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)

Batters:

• Rinku Singh
• Quinton de Kock (Wicketkeeper Batter)
• Rahmanullah Gurbaz
• Angkrish Raghuvanshi
• Rovman Powell
• Manish Pandey
• Luvnith Sisodia
• Ajinkya Rahane

All-Rounders:

• Venkatesh Iyer
• Anukul Roy
• Moeen Ali
• Ramandeep Singh
• Andre Russell

Bowlers:

• Anrich Nortje
• Vaibhav Arora
• Mayank Markande
• Spencer Johnson
• Umran Malik
• Harshit Rana
• Sunil Narine
• Varun Chakaravarthy

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)

Batters:

• Rishabh Pant (Wicketkeeper Batter)
• David Miller
• Aiden Markram
• Abdul Samad
• Aryan Juyal (Wicket Keeper)
• Himmat Singh
• Matthew Breetzke
• Nicholas Pooran (Wicketkeeper Batter)

All-Rounders:

• Mitchell Marsh
• Digvesh Singh
• Yuvraj Chaudhary
• Arshin Kulkarni
• Ayush Badoni

Bowlers:

• Avesh Khan
• Akash Deep
• M Siddharth
• Shahbaz Ahmed
• Akash Singh
• Shamar Joseph
• Prince Yadav
• Rajvardhan Hangargekar
• Mayank Yadav
• Mohsin Khan
• Ravi Bishnoi

Mumbai Indians (MI)

Batters:

• Rohit Sharma
• Suryakumar Yadav
• Robin Minz
• Ryan Rickelton
• Will Jacks
• Shrijith Krishnan
• Bevan John Jacobs
• N. Tilak Varma

All-Rounders:

• Naman Dhir
• Karn Sharma
• Mitchell Santner
• Raj Angad Bawa
• Arjun Tendulkar
• Vignesh Puthur
• Hardik Pandya

Bowlers:

• Trent Boult
• Deepak Chahar
• Allah Ghazanfar
• Ashwani Kumar
• Reece Topley
• Venkata Satyanarayana Penmetsa
• Lizaad Williams
• Jasprit Bumrah

Punjab Kings (PBKS)

Batters:

• Shreyas Iyer
• Vishnu Vinod
• Josh Inglis
• Harnoor Pannu
• Suryansh Shedge
• Pyla Avinash
• Prabhsimran Singh
• Shashank Singh

All-Rounders:

• Marcus Stoinis
• Glenn Maxwell
• Nehal Wadhera
• Marco Jansen
• Azmatullah Omarzai
• Priyansh Arya
• Aaron Hardie
• Musheer Khan

Bowlers:

• Arshdeep Singh
• Yuzvendra Chahal
• Harpreet Brar
• Vyshak Vijay Kumar
• Yash Thakur
• Lockie Ferguson
• Kuldeep Sen
• Xavier Bartlett
• Pravin Dubey

Rajasthan Royals (RR)

Batters:

• Sanju Samson (Wicketkeeper Batter)
• Nitish Rana
• Shubham Dubey
• Vaibhav Suryavanshi
• Kunal Rathore
• Shimron Hetmyer
• Yashasvi Jaiswal
• Dhruv Jurel

All-Rounders:

• Jofra Archer
• Wanindu Hasaranga
• Yudhvir Singh

Bowlers:

• Maheesh Theekshana
• Akash Madhwal
• Kumar Kartikeya Singh
• Tushar Deshpande
• Fazalhaq Farooqi
• Kwena Maphaka
• Ashok Sharma
• Sandeep Sharma

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)

Batters:

• Rajat Patidar
• Virat Kohli
• Liam Livingstone
• Phil Salt
• Jitesh Sharma
• Tim David
• Devdutt Padikkal
• Swastik Chhikara

All-Rounders:

• Krunal Pandya
• Swapnil Singh
• Romario Shepherd
• Manoj Bhandage
• Jacob Bethell
• Mohit Rathee

Bowlers:

• Josh Hazlewood
• Rasikh Dar
• Suyash Sharma
• Bhuvneshwar Kumar
• Nuwan Thushara
• Lungi Ngidi
• Abhinandan Singh
• Yash Dayal

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)

Batters:

• Ishan Kishan (Wicketkeeper Batter)
• Aniket Verma
• Sachin Baby
• Heinrich Klaasen
• Travis Head

All-Rounders:

• Atharva Taide
• Abhinav Manohar
• Brydon Carse
• Kamindu Mendis
• Abhishek Sharma
• Nitish Kumar Reddy

Bowlers:

• Mohammad Shami
• Harshal Patel
• Rahul Chahar
• Adam Zampa
• Simarjeet Singh
• Zeeshan Ansari
• Jaydev Unadkat
• Eshan Malinga
• Pat Cummins

On Friday, Cricket Australia (CA) officially announced that David Warner’s lifetime leadership ban has been lifted. Thus, Warner can captain his side in the Big Bash League, which is Sydney Thunder. 

The 37-year-old David Warner received this after 6 years of his exile. The decision was made after a thorough review by an independent three-member panel.

Why was David Warner banned?

In 2018, Warner was involved in the Sandpaper scandal known as “Sandpaper Gate,” during the third test against South Africa at Cape Town. Cameron Bancroft, who actively participated in the scandal, and Steve Smith, under whose leadership it happened, were the two names involved.

Warner, who was the vice-captain of the Australian team at the time, was alleged to be the main instigator behind the scandal. As a result, he received a one-year suspension from playing cricket, and a lifetime ban from leadership.

The then-captain, Steve Smith, received a 12-month leadership ban, while Cameron Bancroft was suspended for nine months for his direct involvement in tampering with the ball.

Warner's lifetime leadership lifted as he followed all the restriction

Earlier this month, Warner appealed to the independent review panel. He not only presented his case but also presented references from the present Australian captain Pat Cummins, coach Andrew McDonald, and his former IPL teammate Kane Williamson.

The panel unanimously found Warner to have fulfilled all the criteria required for the ban to be lifted. The panel noted Warner’s "respectful and contrite tone" and acknowledged his “genuine remorse” for his actions.

"David Warner's conduct and behavior since the imposition of the sanction have been exemplary," the panel said, highlighting his substantial personal growth. 

They were also confident that Warner would not further engage in similar conflicts in his remaining career. Not only that, the panel has highlighted his sportsmanship and that he no longer involves himself in sledging or provoking his opponents.

Cricket Australia’s Statement and Future Prospects

Nick Hockley, CEO of Cricket Australia, expressed satisfaction after Warner's lifetime captaincy ban has been lifted. 

"We updated the Code of Conduct to ensure a fair and rigorous process for reviewing long-term sanctions," Hockley said. "David has shown immense growth, and we are pleased he is now eligible to assume leadership positions again."

With Warner's lifetime ban being lifted, he is all set to captain Sydney Thunder in the upcoming BBL season. Despite retiring from international cricket in 2024, Warner’s renewed eligibility for leadership roles opens up new opportunities for him in domestic competitions.

A good opening partnership sets the tone wonderfully for a side to take control in cricket. Their task gets a lot more difficult in Test cricket, where they have to see through new ball trouble to ensure the batters following them can score freely. Like the ODI and T20 world cups, the International Cricket Council (ICC) opted to appease Test cricket with the World Test Championship. Although it had only just begun in 2019, it had seen some excellent opening partnerships along the way with stellar averages. Let's take a look at those opening pairs that have the highest opening partnership average in WTC history.

Also Read: Most Runs in WTC 2023-25

Highest opening partnership average (WTC)

1# Yashasvi Jaiswal & Rohit Sharma (IND)

Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal set the record for the fastest fifty-plus partnership in Test cricket history during the fourth day of play in the second Test match between India and Bangladesh at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur. The Indian duo batted at a run-rate of 14.34 making them the first pair to register a half-century at a scoring rate of more than two runs per ball. 

In 22 matches, the Indian pair scored 1163 runs with three centuries and 5 half-centuries, maintaining an impressive average of 52.86. 

2# Zak Crawley & Ben Duckett (ENG)

Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett's opening partnership has been one of the most crucial parts of England's successes in the Ben Stokes-Brendon McCullum era, which has drawn to an end the decade of insecurity in establishing a long-term pairing at the top of the order. But beyond the stability, they’re starting to establish themselves among the most prolific England opening partnerships from years gone by.

In 31 innings, the duo scored 1314 runs with an impressive average of 42.38. They also amassed one century and 10 half-centuries together, with their highest score being 233.

Also Read: World Test Championship qualification: India needs to win 5, draw 1

3# Usman Khawaja & David Warner (AUS)

Australia’s opening batters Usman Khawaja and David Warner have grown up together since junior cricket and have had a long-term association in international cricket. The duo have batted together in 64 innings in Test cricket and have scored 2771 between themselves. 

Khawaja and Warner batted together in 40 innings and scored 1493 runs with an outstanding average of 38.28. They smashed 3 centuries and 9 half-centuries, with a highest score of 156 in WTC.

4# Devon Conway & Tom Latham (NZ)

Devon Conway and Tom Latham possess an opening pair that might just go on to become the envy of the world. Since his debut in Test cricket in February 2014, Latham has been a fixture at the top of New Zealand's order in Test cricket. While in 2022, Conway became the fastest New Zealand batter to 1000 Test runs, getting there in 19 innings.

In 23 innings, the Kiwi duo scored 872 runs with an impressive average of 37.91. They also amassed two century and five half-centuries together, with their highest score being 183.

Also Read: Most Test centuries in the World Test Championship

5# Pathum Nissanka & Dimuth Karunaratne (SL)

Sri Lankan pair of Pathum Nissanka and Dimuth Karunaratne is a fresh one when it comes to opening together in Test Cricket. They have made a hugely impressive start to their alliance at the top in WTC cycle. Nissanka and Karunaratne have opened together in 12 innings in WTC and have scored 444 runs as a pair at an average of 37.00, with two hundred stands.

In multiple interviews, David Warner mentioned that he doesn't want to leave Australia in a hanging situation where the youngsters look clueless about their strategies. But with Warner leaving the circuit, Australia looks clueless with its opening pair.

The high-profile Border Gavaskar Trophy is knocking on the door. After 10 months of Warner's retirement, Usman Khwaja is lacking a partner to open with. The search for an opener dominated headlines last summer, and even though some names have been thrown around, the answer remains elusive.

Steve Smith, always looked comfortbale at the 4th spot but might have to be promoted to the top. But that will create a vacancy in the middle order, with no solution. 

On the other hand, Marnus Labuschagne, Travis Head, and Cameron Green are hesitant about opening. Green is blessed with a back injury that adds a better reason to add complexities.

The first rounds of Sheffield Shield may provide some answers, but for now, the selectors are struggling to make a decision.

Steve Smith: The Reluctant Opener

With Cameron Green returning to the middle, CA decided to promote Smith to the opening spot, which was a tactical move and was fruitful initially. He played an impressive innings of 91 runs at Gabba against the West Indies. 

However, he looked inconsistent with time, failing to mark his name against New Zealand. Smith himself seems ambivalent about continuing in the role, expressing comfort with batting wherever the team needs him but showing no enthusiasm for opening.

While turning the pages of his stats at 4th position, he has over 5,966 runs at an average of 61.50. Even Khwaja supports Smith at 4.

But in that case, who will fill the void at the top?

Is Marnus Labuschagne a Natural Choice?

Marnus Labuschagne has prior experience of opening 15 matches in first-class cricket for Glamorgan in the County Championship. But shifting him to Australia's 3rd position looks risky.

His number in 3rd position gives him enough support to stay—11 centuries and an average of 51.78. Moving him to the opener might fix one problem but create another.

It is not an issue with Marnus but an issue for Australia. Marnus has the tactical capabilities to adapt to the new role. But is Australia courageous enough to be flexible with him and destabilize the middle?

Travis Head: The Wildcard Option

Travis Head, the ultimate trauma to all the Indians, certainly looks like an option for opening, for his aggressive approach.

Head stepped into the opener’s role during Australia’s Test series in India last year, where he performed well, averaging 55.75 in five innings. His aggressive approach at the top could serve Australia well, particularly on fast Australian pitches.

However, it is Head himself who feels opening to be a "headache" for him. He strongly believes that his counter-attacking abilities should be an asset to the middle order.

This may, thus, push the selectors to drag him to the middle order. Not only that, there are also concerns about his vulnerability to short-pitched bowling, especially against India’s pace attack.

Again, the opening position feels unsorted having an overcrowded middle order.

Cameron Green: An Experiment Waiting to Happen

Before Steve Smith was promoted to opener, Cameron Green was considered a potential replacement for Warner. Although Green has never opened at the first-class level, some cricket pundits believe he has the skill and mindset to succeed as an opener. His powerful stroke play and ability to handle fast bowling make him a tempting option.

However, Green’s back injury in the United Kingdom complicates matters. Depending on his recovery, he may be unavailable to bowl, but selectors could still consider him a specialist batter. If Green is fit, he could be the answer Australia is looking for, but his inexperience at the top raises questions.

Mitchell Marsh: A Dark Horse for the Role

Marsh is believed to have sound technical abilities to face the new. Such abilities were showcased in limited-over cricket, as he has a better performance against fast bowlers.

He is actually someone the management can trust to thrust into the opening slot because of the proactive, aggressive approach he has shown in one-day cricket.

However, like Head, Marsh has found a comfortable niche in the middle order, particularly at No. 6. His reluctance towards opening in Test cricket has again disrupted the selectors to experiment with his position.

Cameron Bancroft: The Specialist Opener in Waiting?

While the internal options continue to be debated, one name from outside the Test XI is gaining traction—Cameron Bancroft. 

The Sheffield Shield has witnessed this guy amassing 1,728 runs at an average of 54.00 over the past two years. In case Australia is wandering around like a delirium, Bancroft should be on their plate.

But here again, another confusion may arise! The inclusion of Bancroft means dropping one specialized name from the middle order. Now, who will be ready to be the scapegoat for the team? That is something to keep an eye on!

Confusion with no solution

Australia faces a difficult decision as the home summer looms. With the Border-Gavaskar Trophy starting next month, the camp is in utter confusion and a hurry as well to come to a commendable conclusion.

The next few weeks of Sheffield Shield cricket will be critical in determining Australia’s plan.

Hopefully, the mighty Aussies will find a better replacement for the retired Warner to face the pace attack from India.

In India, cricket and films have great admirers across the country, and time and again, we saw how cricketers begin their second innings with the silver screen. There are not just one but many players of Team India who have acted in films of regional languages ​​including Bollywood. So let's take a look at the top 8 Indian cricketers who acted in movies.

Also Read: Can you name the Indian cricketer who won a National Award in Indian cinema?

Cricketers who acted in movies

8. S. Sreesanth

Former Indian cricketer S Sreesanth was arrested on charges of spot-fixing during IPL and after the ban, the cricketer tried his luck in the acting. From 'Aksar 2' to 'Kaathuvaakula Rendu Kaadhal', Sreesanth appeared in five films.

7. Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan Singh, who took 400 wickets in Test cricket and more than 250 wickets in ODI cricket, is one of the top cricketers who acted in movies. Harbhajan was seen in the film 'Bha Ji in Problem', made in the co-production of Akshar Kumar, and 'Friendship'. Apart from this, he was seen in a TV show named 'Roadies Rising'.

6. Vinod Kambli

Former Team India player and Sachin Tendulkar's childhood friend Vinod Kambli has also made his mark on the big screen. Vinod Kambli worked in the film 'Annarth' starring Sanjay Dutt and Sunil Shetty, 'Pal Pal Dil Ke Saat' and 'Bettanagere'. 

5. Shikhar Dhawan

Cricketer Shikhar Dhawan made a cameo appearance in the Bollywood film 'Double XL', and it was a surprise for many for sure. The film features Huma Qureshi and Sonakshi Sinha in the lead roles.

Also Read: Most Partnership runs for India in all formats

4. Ajay Jadeja 

Team India's former all-rounder player Ajay Jadeja, appeared in several films after retiring from cricket in 2003. He began his film career with the movie 'Khel' and went on to act in films like 'Pal Pal Dil Ke Saath'. Apart from this, he also appeared in the reality show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa.

3. Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj Singh Yuvraj Singh played a very small role as the voice of a character in the 2008 animated movie, Jumbo. He has worked with his father Yograj Singh in several Punjabi films as a child actor. He played a cameo in a Punjabi movie 'Mehndi Shagna Di' at the age of 11. 

2. Sunil Gavaskar 

Veteran cricketer Sunil Gavaskar, who became the first to score 10,000 runs in Test cricket, also worked in a Marathi film. The name of this film was 'Savil Premachi'. Apart from this, he was also seen as a guest artist in the Bollywood movie 'Maalamaal' starring Naseeruddin Shah.

Also Read: Most matches played as captain

1. Kapil Dev

Fondly known as the Haryana Hurricane, Kapil Dev, the Indian captain who led the team to a World Cup victory in 1983, has starred in a host of movies including '83', 'Iqbal', 'Mujhse Shaadi Karogii', 'Stumped', and 'Dillagi Yeh Dillagi'.