3 player battles to watch out for in PBKS vs DC, Match 2 of IPL 2024 ft. Liam Livingstone vs Kuldeep Yadav 

The Punjab Kings (PBKS) will begin a new chapter at their new venue in Mullanpur against the Delhi Capitals (DC) in the first afternoon encounter of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) on Saturday, March 23.

The spotlight will undeniably be on Rishabh Pant, who returns to action almost 15 months after heroically recovering from a horrific car crash. However, the big picture remains the opportunity to get a head start in the league table with early points.

Both sides endured a largely forgettable campaign last season, and are desperate to turn things around. The way the two teams are set up, there are a lot of exciting matchups on offer, with the primary battle being Punjab Kings' explosive batting against DC's potent bowling unit.

As far as the head-to-head record of the contests between these two sides are concerned, it is quite equal as they have each shared 16 wins so far.

On that note, let us take a look at three exciting player battles in PBKS vs DC, Match 2 of IPL 2024.

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#1 Prithvi Shaw vs Arshdeep Singh

DC head coach Ricky Ponting had stated during the build-up to the last season that Prithvi Shaw needs to have a statement season soon. With IPL 2023 not going his way by any means, he is under extreme pressure to make the 2024 season count.

Shaw has had a tough few months, recovering from a serious knee injury, and recently made his comeback through the Ranji Trophy 2024, playing for Mumbai. His first obstacle in the season will be against PBKS spearhead Arshdeep Singh, also his teammate from the 2018 U-19 World Cup-winning Indian squad.

Arshdeep Singh will be keen on cementing his place in Team India's squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup, showcasing his ability with both the new ball as well as in the death overs. With DC having a dynamic opening pair of David Warner and Prithvi Shaw, it brings the left-arm pacer into play straight away.

As far as the head-to-head record between Arshdeep Singh and Prithvi Shaw is concerned, the latter has scored 37 runs off 22 deliveries across four meetings, while losing his wicket once.

Shaw's high backlift and the ensuing extra time he needs to bring the bat down will be up against Arshdeep Singh's ability to bring the ball back into the right-hander at quick pace, bringing both LBW and bowled type of dismissals into play.

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#2 Shikhar Dhawan vs Khaleel Ahmed

PBKS skipper Shikhar Dhawan will be up against his former franchise, and much like his counterpart Shaw, his biggest threat will be a left-arm seamer capable of moving the ball around.

Khaleel Ahmed has always had a knack for picking up wickets, and the opposition skipper will be a fitting prize with the new ball. Swinging the ball away from the left-handed batter, he will hope to bring both the edges into play, especially with Dhawan's love for languish drives up top.

Furthermore, the head-to-head record favors the left-arm pacer immensely in this case. He has dismissed Dhawan once in seven meetings but has restricted him to a strike rate of just 88.46, with 26 deliveries being registered, which is a decent sample size.

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#3 Liam Livingstone vs Kuldeep Yadav

Kuldeep Yadav is one of the most in-form players to head into the IPL 2024 season. While Liam Livingstone may not share the same fortune, courtesy of his horrid SA20 and ILT20 stints recently, he is still a major threat to the opposition.

The Englishman's matchup against the DC spin twins, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav, will make for interesting viewing, particularly the latter.

The left-arm wrist spinner has kept things tight whenever he has come up against the brute Englishman in the past. Out of two meetings, Kuldeep has dismissed him once, while only giving away 14 runs in 13 deliveries.

It will be interesting to see whether Livingstone takes him on straightaway or plays the waiting game as he has Axar to deal with as well in the DC spin attack.

Kuldeep's interesting new approach, wherein he has traded extra flight and turn for a bit of pace will also be interesting against the English all-rounder, who might be rushed into shots if the situation is dire.