IPL 2022 | PBKS vs DC | Arshdeep Singh: The master of the death overs

Punjab Kings (PBKS) will be taking the field against Delhi Capitals (DC) in the 64th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. The two teams are battling for their spots in the top four. Both the teams are in a similar situation, having won six out of their 12 matches. But DC is placed at 6th in the table, while PBKS is at number 7 due to the net run rate difference.

Tonight's match will be a significant one, given that a win will strengthen their position in the points table. PBKS has been termed the most inconsistent team in the tournament as they are still to win two consecutive matches for once in the tournament. 

On that note, Mayank Agarwal's side will look to continue the winning momentum that they have gained with a convincing victory in the last match. A key factor in Punjab's performance will be their young left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh.

Let us first look at Arshdeep Singh's performance in the ongoing season of IPL.

IPL 2022: Arshdeep Singh has featured in 12 matches picking up seven wickets at an average of 46.14 and strike rate of 36.0. He has conceded runs at the rate of 7.69 runs per over.

In totality, the figures look unimpressive, right?

But his contributions to the team do not lie in these numbers. To understand his significance in the team, we have to look at his death over stats and the expertise he has brought to the table in case of death over bowling.

Arshdeep in Death overs in IPL 2022: Arshdeep has bowled 42 overs in this IPL. Out of these 42 overs, he has bowled 16 in the most challenging phase for the bowlers, i.e., the death overs. So, 38% of his overs in IPL 2022 have come in the death. 

In these 16 overs, he has conceded just 114 runs at an economy rate of 7.14, picking up three wickets. Though he has not picked up enough wickets, his economical bowling has put pressure on the opposition batters and has resulted in wickets for bowlers around him.

Let us look at his bowling lengths in the death overs:

Arshdeep Singh length in death overs:

Arshdeep Singh distribution of length in death overs in IPL 2022

Observation: As we see, Arshdeep has concentrated on bowling yorkers mostly in the death overs. His execution of yorkers has been near perfect, hitting the blockhole 25% of the time. However, 16.66% of his balls have been full toss, but these were not juicy ones presented as gifts to batters. Instead, he has bowled low full tosses, which are difficult to score off.

He has also mixed up his beautiful yorkers with short balls, cramping the batters. And at times, slower bouncers have been a weapon for him. His clever mixing of lengths and speed variations has troubled the batters.

He has also read the batters perfectly and bowled accordingly. He has changed his line according to the striker. While for some, he has kept the ball away from the arc, for others, he has cramped them by using the angle.

With his brilliant skills and the way he uses his experience, Arshdeep is developing into an excellent death-over option even for the Indian national team. Hence, he will be playing an essential role in PBKS’s performance. So, let us wait for the match to begin and look at how the new master of the death overs performs.