The return of Rishabh Pant following a dramatic recovery from a car crash in December 2022 dominates the narrative as the Punjab Kings take on the Delhi Capitals in the IPL’s 36th venue. Pant’s remarkable journey back to the field, overcoming multiple ligament reconstructions in his knee, culminates in his captaincy for the Capitals, sparking anticipation and curiosity about his match fitness and performance.

While the Capitals have historically held an edge over the Kings in recent seasons, both teams enter the new season on equal footing. The Kings debut at their new home ground in Mullanpur, seeking to improve their record from the previous season. Key players like Jonny Bairstow bolster the Kings’ lineup, addressing weaknesses from the past, while the Capitals face challenges with injuries to players like Jhye Richardson and Anrich Nortje.

In terms of strategy, both teams are expected to deploy Impact Players strategically, while the pitch conditions at Mullanpur present unique challenges with long square boundaries and the implementation of the two-bouncer rule in the IPL. Players like David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan boast impressive records against specific bowlers, adding further intrigue to the match.

DC vs PBKS IPL 2024: Dream11

Captain: Mitchell Marsh

Vice-Captain: Arshdeep Singh

Wicketkeepers: Rishabh Pant, Jitesh Sharma

Batters: Shikhar Dhawan, David Warner, Atharva Taide

All-rounders: Mitchell Marsh, Axar Patel, Liam Livingstone

Bowlers: Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Anrich Nortje

DC vs PBKS IPL 2024: Delhi Capitals Probable Playing 11

David Warner, Prithvi Shaw, Mitchell Marsh, Rishabh Pant (capt, wk), Jake Fraser-McGurk/Tristan Stubbs, Abishek Porel, Ricky Bhui/Kumar Kushagra, Axar Patel, Lalit Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed.

DC vs PBKS IPL 2024: Punjab Kings Probable Playing 11

Shikhar Dhawan (capt), Jonny Bairstow, Prabhsimran Singh, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Ashutosh Sharma/Shashank Singh, Sam Curran, Rahul Chahar, Harpreet Brar, Kagiso Rabada, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh

DC vs PBKS IPL 2024: Full Squad

Delhi Capitals Squad: David Warner, Prithvi Shaw, Mitchell Marsh, Rishabh Pant(c), Shai Hope(w), Axar Patel, Lalit Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar, Anrich Nortje, Khaleel Ahmed, Ishant Sharma, Ricky Bhui, Jhye Richardson, Praveen Dubey, Rasikh Dar Salam, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Sumit Kumar, Kumar Kushagra, Tristan Stubbs, Yash Dhull, Vicky Ostwal, Abishek Porel, Swastik Chikara

Punjab Kings Squad: Shikhar Dhawan(c), Prabhsimran Singh, Jonny Bairstow, Sikandar Raza, Jitesh Sharma(w), Sam Curran, Harshal Patel, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh, Kagiso Rabada, Harpreet Brar, Nathan Ellis, Shivam Singh, Chris Woakes, Liam Livingstone, Rilee Rossouw, Harpreet Singh Bhatia, Rishi Dhawan, Shashank Singh, Tanay Thyagarajan, Ashutosh Sharma, Atharva Taide, Vidhwath Kaverappa, Prince Choudhary, Vishwanath Singh