Will Punjab Kings Bat First Against Delhi Capitals in IPL 2025?

Dharamshala, May 8 (NationPress) The Punjab Kings, unchanged for this match, won the toss and chose to bat first against the Delhi Capitals in the 58th match of IPL 2025 at the HPCA Stadium on Thursday. The toss experienced a delay of an hour and 15 minutes due to persistent drizzle, pushing the first ball to be bowled at 8:30 pm.

Currently holding the third position with 15 points, PBKS enters Match 58 riding on two consecutive victories, including a win over Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in their opening home game of IPL 2025 in Dharamsala. A win today would ensure PBKS becomes the first team to qualify for the IPL 2025 playoffs.

“We decided to bat first due to the outfield conditions. The fans are pleased with this choice. Historically in the IPL, it's the players in form who clinch championships. This serves as a great motivating factor for us. The team is feeling optimistic, and it's crucial we execute our strategies effectively,” remarked PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Capitals acquired one point from their abandoned match in Hyderabad and sits fifth with 13 points. A significant win for DC would elevate them to third place in the standings. Since the 2021 IPL season, DC leads the head-to-head record against PBKS at 5-2, with each team winning twice in Dharamsala.

DC captain Axar Patel announced that medium-pace all-rounder Madhav Tiwari is making his IPL debut, replacing leg-spinner Vipraj Nigam in the lineup. Additionally, Karun Nair has been excluded, with Sameer Rizvi stepping in.

“Given the weather conditions, we would have preferred to field first. The pitch will remain consistent. This is a long tournament, and maintaining a positive outlook is essential. We discussed our position being competitive, despite some less-than-stellar performances,” he stated.

This match marks the last IPL 2025 game in Dharamsala, as PBKS’s final home match against Mumbai Indians has been relocated to Ahmedabad due to logistical challenges following the onset of Operation Sindoor on May 7.

Playing XIs:

Punjab Kings: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Josh Inglis (wk), Shreyas Iyer (captain), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Azmatullah Omarzai, Marco Jansen, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Arshdeep Singh

Impact substitutes: Vijaykumar Vyshak, Harpreet Brar, Praveen Dubey, Suryansh Shedge, and Yash Thakur

Delhi Capitals: Faf du Plessis, KL Rahul (wk), Abishek Porel, Sameer Rizvi, Axar Patel (captain), Tristan Stubbs, Madhav Tiwari, Mitchell Starc, Dushmantha Chameera, Kuldeep Yadav, and T Natarajan

Impact substitutes: Ashutosh Sharma, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Mukesh Kumar, Vipraj Nigam, and Tripurna Vijay