Punjab Kings remained in the hunt for a place in the IPL 2023 playoffs, courtesy of a 31-run triumph over Delhi Capitals in match 59, which was contested at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Saturday, 13 May. Chasing a target of 168 runs, Delhi could only post 136/8, as Punjab’s spinners wreaked havoc.
Contrary to what their total tally might portray, Delhi had a flying start, bringing up the 50-run mark in only the fifth over of the match. With their score reading 65/0 at the end of the powerplay, it seemed that a victory is all but minutes away.
However, what followed was a collapse of gigantic proportions from Delhi, summarising their troubled season all too perfectly. The next five overs saw Harpreet Brar and Rahul Chahar combining to scalp six wickets – four for the former and a couple for the latter, as Delhi managed to add just 19 runs to their score during this phase.
Two uncapped players who were thrown at the deep end, Aman Khan and Praveen Dubey did offer a fight, scoring 165 runs apiece, it was miles away from what Delhi required to bag two points.
Nathan Ellis later returned to the attack to add two wickets to his personal tally, as Punjab leapfrogged Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore to occupy the sixth position.
Prabhsimran Powers Punjab to 167
Earlier, Shikhar Dhawan’s team negotiated with a tricky Arun Jaitley Stadium surface efficaciously enough to put 167 runs on the scoreboard.
The start was not in accordance with the plans, as in only the second delivery of the second over, Dhawan became Ishant Sharma’s first victim of the night. In his second over, the veteran pacer dismantled the stumps of Liam Livingstone, as Punjab’s score read 38/2 after five overs.
Although Jitesh Sharma’s inhibition-free batting approach has garnered praise, he perhaps swung a bit too much on the fearless side in this match. In a bid to clear the fence in only the fifth delivery he faced, the batter ended up exposing his stumps to an in-form Axar Patel.
The next few overs saw Prabhsimran Singh and Sam Curran tiptoeing around – keeping the scoreboard ticking, whilst also ensuring they don’t take avoidable risks and lose their wickets in the process.
Punjab had scored only 66 runs in the first ten overs, but that was followed by a smooth switch in momentum, with Mitchell Marsh conceding 21 runs in his first over, courtesy of a couple of sixes and a four off Singh’s willow.
A couple of overs later, he brought up his second IPL half-century, with Punjab’s total reaching the three-figure only four deliveries later. Curran, however, struggled for momentum all throughout his innings, before losing his wicket to Praveen Dubey after a 24-ball 20.
Promoted to number six, Harpreet Brar could not be influential either, adding only a couple of runs to his team’s tally. The ongoing procession of wickets, however, did not deter Singh from sticking to his aggressive batting style.
A 12-run 17th over by Ishant Sharma, followed by a 13-run over by Khaleel Ahmed, helped the 22-year-old bring up his maiden century in the competition, having faced only 60 deliveries.
With Punjab’s score reading 154/5 after 18 overs, it seemed that 180 is within reach. However, with Mukesh Kumar dismissing Prabhsimran Singh and conceding just three runs in the penultimate over, and Khaleel Ahmed then backing it up with a 10-run last over, the visitors could only get to 167/7, though it proved to be more than adequate.
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