Dharamshala (Himachal Pradesh) [India], May 8 (ANI): Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and opted to bat against Delhi Capitals on Thursday at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium (HPCA) in the 18th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The toss was delayed for more than an hour due to rain and then a wet outfield in Dharamshala. The covers were on, and a little rain was visible during the designated time of the toss.

Punjab is flying high and occupying the third spot, while Delhi, in the fifth spot, sits outside the playoff bracket. DC began its campaign with four victories on the trot, but lost the winning momentum, considering their two wins in the last six fixtures.

They managed to survive a defeat in their previous fixture after mustering up just 133 while batting first against the Sunrisers in Hyderabad. Delhi has tried six opening pairs, but none have worked wonders for the Capitals as they walk towards the do-or-die territory.

Delhi decided to drop its in-form uncapped all-rounder, Vipraj Nigam, for a fast-bowling all-rounder from Madhya Pradesh, Madhav Tiwari. Also, Delhi dropped its misfiring batter Karun Nair in place of Sameer Rizvi.

On the other hand, Punjab Kings enter the fixture on the back of two successive wins. Under Shreyas Iyer's leadership, Punjab notched up a thumping 37-run victory over Lucknow Super Giants at the same venue. Punjab stand on the brink of becoming the first team to qualify for the playoffs. If they stand victorious in the fixture, they will move to the top of the table and book their berth in the playoffs.

After winning the toss, Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer explained the reason to bat first and said, 'We'll bat first, considering the outfield. The fans are happy with the decision. If you see the trend in IPL, the players who are in form and win you matches win you the championship. That's a great motivating factor. The team is in high spirits. It's important we tick the boxes right. You've got to stick to your routines. We are going with the same batting line-up.'

Delhi Capitals skipper Axar Patel revealed that he wanted to bowl first and said during the time of the toss, 'We would have fielded first because of the weather. The wicket will remain the same. It's a long tournament, and it's important to be positive. Madhav Tiwari comes in for Vipraj Nigam.'

Punjab Kings (Playing XI): Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, Shreyas Iyer(c), Josh Inglis(w), Shashank Singh, Nehal Wadhera, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Azmatullah Omarzai, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh

Punjab Kings Impact Subs: Vijaykumar Vyshak, Harpreet Brar, Praveen Dubey, Suryansh Shedge, Yash Thakur

Delhi Capitals (Playing XI): Faf du Plessis, Abishek Porel(w), KL Rahul, Sameer Rizvi, Axar Patel(c), Tristan Stubbs, Madhav Tiwari, Mitchell Starc, Dushmantha Chameera, Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan

Delhi Capitals Impact Subs: Ashutosh Sharma, Jake Fraser McGurk, Mukesh Kumar, Vipraj Nigam, Tripurna Vijay. (ANI)