IPL 2022: Will Odean Smith get dropped? Predicting Punjab Kings' XI for Delhi Capitals face-off

Delhi Capitals (DC) will face Punjab Kings (PBKS) in match 32 of the IPL 2022 edition, on Wednesday evening (April 20). A lot has been said and written about this particular face-off after several Covid-19 cases emerged in the Rishabh Pant-led Delhi camp. Thus, it forced the game to be shifted from Pune to Mumbai, to reducetravel and not let the infection spread out.

Keeping Covid threat aside, the Punjab-Delhi clash is expected to go down to the wire with plenty to grab for both teams. Talking about the Punjab franchise, they have had Liam Livingstone leading the charge with the bat -- with 224 runs at a whopping strike rate of 185.12 -- but they need other batters to step up as well. Their second-best batter remains Shikhar Dhawan, who has 205 runs at a strike rate of 128.93. The likes of Mayank Agarwal and Jonny Bairstow have not done anything extraordinary whereas big-hitters such as Odean Smith and Shahrukh Khan have not found the right rhythm at the death overs. Among the bowlers, Kagiso Rabada will aim for more wickets whereas Punjab will continue to rely on Rahul Chahar and Arshdeep Singh.

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Predicting PBKS XI for DC face-off

Mayank, if fit, will definitely walk into the playing XI. However, Prabhsimran Singh will retain his spot if captain Mayank is unfit. Shikhar, Jonny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma, and Shahrukh will retain their respective spots. Will Odean Smith get dropped with Bhanuka Rajapaksa replacing him? Punjab will have too many wicketkeepers to choose from but given Smith's stocks have gone down since the initial few games. The bowling line-up will mostly remain the same, with the onus on Rabada, Chahar and Arshdeep.

Mayank Agarwal (c)/Prabhsimran Singh, Shikhar Dhawan (c), Jonny Bairstow, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Shahrukh Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh,Vaibhav Arora