Picture : BCCI
Delhi Capitals played party spoilers as they literally dashed the hopes of Punjab Kings making it to the play-off contention with a 15-run victory in the Tata IPL2023 encounter in Dharamsala.
Delhi Capitals finally came to the party in their penultimate match of the season to post an imposing 213/2 after PBKS opted to bowl.
Rilee Rossouw exhibited some exceptional strokeplay in a 37-ball 82 not out, while Prithvi Shaw (54; 38b) also slammed a fifty on his comeback after about a month as DC scored their first 200-plus total of this season.
In reply , PBKS managed just 198/8 in the stipulated 20 overs despite all the fielding harakiri committed by DC.
Englishman Liam Livingstone gave the team plenty to cheer as he slammed a 48-ball 94, studded with five fours and as many as nine sixes, but it was not enough as the total proved too much.
While Delhi now are ninth on the table after a consolation win, Punjab Kings due to this heavy defeat stay put on 12 after 13 games and even a win in the last match and a 14-point finish might not be enough as the net run-rate -0.308 only added insult to injury.
PBKS took a tactical decision to retire out rookie Atharva Taide after his 42-ball 55 (5×4, 2×6) as he simply found it difficult to get going after first part of the innings.
Livingstone kept the PBKS run chase going racing to a 30-ball fifty, his sixth of the tournament as he brought the equation down to 38 from last two overs from being an near impossible 79 from four overs.
The Englishman turned it on in style in the 17th over when Khaleel started off with no-ball for height as he leaked 20 runs.
Three sixes off Mukesh Kumar in the next over put the equation on course for PBKS before Anrich Nortje, who had dropped Livingstone early on, redeemed himself with a perfect penultimate over.
Nortje conceded just five runs and cleaned up Sam Curran (11), while PBKS lost another when Harpreet Brar was run out.
DC bowlers stifled PBKS’ tall chase early on with leftarm seamer Khaleel Ahmed starting off with a maiden, while Ishant Sharma dismissing Dhawan off the first ball.
From 10/1 in three overs, PBKS duo Prabhsimran and Atharva finally stepped it up with five boundaries (4×4, 1×6) in a row across two overs.
From a sedate six for no loss in two overs, DC raced to 61 without losing a wicket in the powerplay with Warner and Shaw putting up their highest opening partnership this season after PBKS opted to bowl.
This was the second instance when DC did not lose a wicket inside the powerplay this season.
DC got going when Warner whacked Curran for back-to-back boundaries before taking on Rabada.
Shaw pulled Rabada for a boundary before Warner took on the South African pacer with two sixes in three balls in a 17-run over.
They cruised to 50 inside five overs as Warner and Shaw took on the Punjab bowlers.
Nothing went in PBKS’ favour , with Rahul Chahar dropping a sitter to give Warner a reprieve on 39. The Aussie was done in by a spectacular catch by Shikhar Dhawan but by then DC were on course for a 200-plus total.
DC Impact Player: Mukesh Kumar replaces Prithvi Shaw
PBKS Impact Player: Prabhsimran Singh replaces Nathan Ellis
Match: IPL 2023, 64th Match
Venue: Dharamsala | Date: May 17, 2023
