Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings, two teams struggling for consistency, will aim to overtake each other in the Indian Premier League on Monday to keep their playoff hopes alive. Neither team has won in a row this season, but neither side can afford to lose again for the remainder of the league.

Punjab is seventh in the standings with 12 points and a +0.023 net run rate. The Capitals also have 12 points and are fifth, thanks to a healthy NRR of +0.210, which would benefit if two or more teams finish with the same score.

After eight wicket wins with Rajasthan Royals, Capitals headed to fixtures with confidence, while Punjab beat RCB.

In the words of Delhi skipper Rishbah Pant, “it was a near-perfect match”.

While opener David Warner continues to enjoy his purple patch, the second opening position remains a concern, with Mandeep Singh and Sri Kabharat slumping in the absence of Prith veshaw, also this season Underperforming.

While Shaw, who collapsed with typhoid fever, has been discharged from hospital, it remains to be seen whether the youngster is healthy enough to play in Monday’s key game.

To DC’s relief, Mitchell Marsh finally joined the party. The big-budget all-rounder shrugged off the rust and used bat and ball against RR. His and Warner’s roles will be critical.

A lot also depends on how the Pant performs. The captain hit two sixes in a brief 4-ball game against RR, but has yet to hit the winning game he is capable of.

Roffman Powell has shown that playing four and six is ​​easy for him, and he can win games with the help of top players.

They will have to pass a bowling attack led by Kagiso Rabada, the highest wicketkeeper among the Pacers this season.

The ever-improving Arshdeep Singh is great for Punjab, especially in death, where yorkers can be landed at will, while Rahul Chahar has always been expensive.

On the other hand, the DC bowling department is right about RR.

Younger Chetan Sakaria has played well in the absence of hamstring-injured Khaleel Ahmed, while speed leader Anrich Nortje is also finding his rhythm.

However, the weakest link remains Shardul Thakur, who has been leaking runs and has few wickets to show.

Facing the flamboyant Jonny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone, Shihar Dhawan and Banuka Rajapaksa, the Delhi bowlers will have the job done.

The British duo of Bairstow and Livingstone could tear apart any attack against RCB.

Dhawan has been the leading Punjab winner with over 400 points and is expected to emerge from a life-or-death match. Bairstow has found his best form after being promoted to the top with Dhawan, which is a big positive for the team.

Impressed by Bhanuka Rajapaksa’s batting prowess, he needs to be more than a flash in the pan.

Captain Mayank Agarwal, who has relegated himself, has been far from the best in the bat this season. There has never been a better time for him to play the captain’s knock on Monday as the team seeks to survive.

Team: Delhi Capitals: Rishabh Pant (C), Ashwin Hebbar, David Warner, Mandeep Singh, Prithvi Shaw, Rovman Powell, Anrich Nortje, Chetan Sakariya, Khaleel Ahmed, Kuldeep Yadav, Lungi Ngidi, Mustafizur Rahman, Shardul Thakur , Axar Patel, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Lalit Yadav, Mitchell Marsh, Pravin Dubey, Ripal Patel, Sarfaraz Khan, Vicky Ostwal, Yash Dhull, KS Bharat and Tim Seifert.

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Punjab Kings: Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal (C), Arshdeep Singh, Kagiso Rabada, Jonny Bairstow, Rahul Chahar, Harpreet Brar, Shahrukh Khan, Prabhsimran Singh, Jitesh Sharma, Ishan Porel, Liam Livingstone, Odean Smith, Sandeep Sharma, Raj Angad Bawa, Rishi Dhawan, Prerak Mankad, Vaibhav Arora, Writtick Chatterjee, Baltej Dhanda, Ansh Patel, Nathan Ellis, Atharva Taide, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Benny Howell.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and was automatically generated from the syndicated feed.)