Aakash Chopra picks 3 players each from Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings to watch out for in their IPL 2024 clash, picks DC as likely winners

Aakash Chopra has picked three players each from the Delhi Capitals (DC) and the Punjab Kings (PBKS) whom he will closely follow in their IPL 2024 clash.

The two sides will square off at the new stadium in Mullanpur in the first game on Saturday, March 23. While the Punjab Kings will continue to be led by Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant will be back at the helm for Delhi after missing the last edition due to serious injuries sustained in a horrific car accident.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra chose Pant as the first Delhi Capitals player to watch out for.

"I feel a lot of focus will be on Rishabh Pant and from two or three perspectives. One will be how and where he bats. When we see Delhi's setup, it seems like there is no batter in the lower-middle order. He can fill that gap. We say a finisher should come down the order but a finisher can come up the order as well," he elaborated (3:00).

"So you bat up the order and bat till the end. Whoever finishes is the finisher. I don't know whether he will keep or not although he is allowed to do that. Thirdly, as a captain. I want him as a captain because David Warner's captaincy didn't gladden the heart at all. It was disappointing captaincy," the former India opener added.

Aakash Chopra named Prithvi Shaw and Kuldeep Yadav as the other two DC players he is eager to watch.

"My second player is Prithvi Shaw because he is not delivering as per his abilities. The fall from grace has been drastic. If Prithvi Shaw doesn't play well, they might have to go towards Yash Dhull or open with Mitchell Marsh. The entire combination will change and I really want him to do well," he said.

"The third player I will keenly watch is Kuldeep Yadav. The opposing team has Jonny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone, and Sam Curran will come later. He knows how to destroy the Englishmen. He did that in Test cricket recently and can do that here as well," the cricketer-turned-commentator added.

Shaw endured a poor run in IPL 2023, aggregating 106 runs in eight innings at a dismal average of 13.25. Kuldeep had a middling last edition with the ball, picking up 10 wickets in 14 innings at an economy rate of 7.36.

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"He has been away from cricket for a long time but is an extremely committed player" - Aakash Chopra on Punjab Kings skipper Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan was the Punjab Kings' highest run-getter in IPL 2023. [P/C: iplt20.com]

Aakash Chopra picked Shikhar Dhawan among the Punjab Kings players he will keenly follow.

"One of them is Shikhar Dhawan. He has been away from cricket for a long time but is an extremely committed player. He doesn't have anything else to do in life. So the focus will be on Shikhar Dhawan and I will focus a lot on his captaincy because the captaincy looked slightly off last time," he reasoned (6:20).

Chopra named Liam Livingstone and Arshdeep Singh as the other two Punjab Kings players to watch out for.

"At No. 2, I have kept Liam Livingstone. He is a maverick kind of player. He bowls a little as well, both off-spin and leg-spin. He can single-handedly win the match with the bat but can he do that, as he has not lived up to his name thus far," he stated.

"The third player I am looking towards is Arshdeep. Top-class performer and you expect him to start in good form. He is a wicket-taker with both the new and old ball. Their spin attack is not that good, so there might be a little extra workload on Arshdeep's shoulders," the former KKR player added.

Chopra chose the Delhi Capitals' finishing and the Punjab Kings' spin bowling as the key areas in Saturday's day game. He concluded by opining that the scales are tilted towards visitors.