PBKS vs RR Pitch Report for IPL 2023 Match at Dharamsala Cricket Ground

Punjab Kings will take on Rajasthan Royals in the 66th league match of Indian Premier League 2023 at Dharamsala’s HPCA Stadium. This is a do-or-die match for both sides and the losing team will be officially out of the tournament.

Shikhar Dhawan has been pretty average as captain this season for the Kings. From complaining about not having an off-spinner to giving spinner Harpreet Brar the last over against Delhi Capitals, the decisions of Dhawan have been questionable. This team has some match-winners but they have not been able to step up at the right times.

The Royals had a blistering start to the season, but they completely lost it in the second half. They still are one of the most teams in the tournament. This is their last match of the tournament and they would want to stay in the tournament by winning here.

PBKS vs RR Pitch Report for IPL 2023 Match at Dharamsala Cricket Ground

A new surface has been laid in Dharamsala and it was clear in the last match that this is a marvelous track for batting. There is an even amount of bounce on the track which will be loved by the batters. The ball will come onto the bat very nicely and a high-scoring encounter can again be on the cards.

“It hasn’t had a lot of wear and tear. When you look at the surface, really hard, not a lot of movement in these cracks whatsoever. Will it be a good batting track? You bet! The par score should be around 180. The outfield looks absolutely magnificent,” Matthew Hayden said in his pitch assessment on Star Sports ahead of the PBKS vs DC match.

The spinners were taken to the cleaners in the last match and the captains will have to rotate their bowlers carefully. With a faster outfield, the fielders’ job will get tough. The average first innings score in IPL matches played here has been 179 runs. Out of ten matches, six have been won by the teams batting first.

One side of the ground is a bit on the bigger side with 76 metres boundary. The rest of the ground dimensions are very small and we can see a lot of sixes here. A high-scoring encounter is expected considering the quality of batters on both sides.