PBKS vs DC Highlights, IPL 2023: DC 213/2 (20) beats PBKS 198/8 (20)by 15 runs

What drama! Livingstone hammered Ishant for 17 runs and Punjab needed 16 off three balls after Livingstone nailed Ihsnat for a six, boundary and then a no-ball resulting in a six and an argument. Livingstone missed the free-hit and then with 16 from 1, it was Delhi who dashed Punjab’s hopes as Livingstone fell for a 48-ball 94 with Delhi winning by 17 runs. Afraid, this could be the end of Punjab’s campaign.

Nortje strikes as he castles Curran and then Harpreet Brar gets run-out as Delhi pulls things back. Another run-out is missed and Ponting must a furious man in the dug-out. Punjab needs 33 in 6 balls.

Wow! What a shot that was from Livingstone as he gets underneath a length delivery and drills Mukesh Kumar over the long-on for a huge maximum to keep Punjab in the hunt. Sam Curran raises hopes with a six over the backward point region. Mukesh errs in length, bowls on the pads and Livingstone deposits over the deep square leg for another maximum. Punjab needs 38 in 12 balls

Wonderful fifty from Livingstone and this with Warner reviewing a no-ball and the no-ball stayed as Livingstone smokes Khaleel for a huge six straight over the bowler’s head. Shahrukh falls as Axar settles underneath a catch at long-on. However, Livingstone keeps Punjab in the hunt with a six over long-on. Punjab needs 59 off 18 balls.

Jityesh Sharma replaces Taide and this is a strange move from Punjab. Atharva batted so well for a 42-ball 55 and this could be a call out of desperation. And the move backfired as Khaleel Ahmed holds on to a catch with Nortje striking to remove Jitesh.

Livingstone is on the attack as he drills Mukesh through the covers for a boundary and then dispatches a full toss through the mid-wicket for a boundary. But the run-rate is creeping up and he needs to play a blinder to win the match for Punjab.

Wonderful bowling from Kuldeep as he keeps Livingstone in check and the wrist spinner has been unlucky this evening. Just five runs from Kuldeep’s third over and the pressure is mounting on Punjab as it requires 97 runs in 36 balls.

Atharva hits a brilliant half-century but the top-edges continue to fall safe as Punjab marches on. 102 runs in 42 balls and this match is going all the way down the wire.

Everything is going in Punjab’s way and there is absolutely no communication between the Delhi fielders. Atharva pockets two boundaries and then a top-edge falls safe with Livingstone riding his luck with a cut shot that evaded the fielder at short third-man.

Livingstone gets into the act as he hammers Mukesh to the deep square leg for a boundary. Another run-out went begging as a chaotic Delhi fielding unit has allowed Punjab to take control of the game.

Atharva is batting well but needs to get a move on as he has hit only two sixes so far and Livingstone too needs to target the boundaries as Delhi tightens screws with spin. The fielding has been sloppy as Yash Dhull puts down Atharva and Livingstone rides on his luck with a six to deep mid-wicket. Kuldeep is furious and so is Ricky Ponting in the dug-out.

Atharva Taide gets a boundary but Axar rolls out another wonderful over as the required rate has touched to almost 14 against the current run rate of 7.

Kuldeep Yadav is into the attack and the wrist spinner starts well with Liam Livingstone joining Atharva. Livingstone was almost walking back but Nortje handed a life by dropping a simple catch at deep mid-wicket.

Axar Patel into the attack and the spinner strikes in his very first over by removing Prabhsimran Singh who falls for a 19-ball 22 with Yash Dhull taking a good catch at long-on. Delhi applying brakes on Punjab’s scoring.

Mukesh Kumar into the attack and Atharva Taide rides his luck as a heave resulting in an outside edge for a boundary but the batsman made a brilliant connection in the very next ball by smacking the bowler over the deep mid-wicket for a maximum. Punjab doing well in the PowerPlay and it needs another 167 runs in 84 balls.

Atharva Taide showcases his skills as he welcomes Anrich Nortje into the attack with a boundary but the pick-up shot for a maximum over the deep stunned the bowler. Luck is in Delhi’s favour tonight as the outside edges are falling just short of the fielders.

Prabhsimran finds the gap as the batsman drills Ishant through the covers as he cashes in on the width and then hits Ishant through the line with the ball racing through the mid-off region. The batsman then opens the face of his bat to guide the back-of-length delivery to the wide of third man for a boundary.

Wonderful bowling from Khaleel as the fast bowler keeps the pressure on, not allowing the batsmen to free their arms. Delhi has approached this with ver positive intent and their bowlers are looking to make further inroads.

Ishant strikes! What a start for Delhi as the pacer induces an outside edge to remove Shikhar Dhawan and this is a brilliant start from Delhi. Dhawan goes for a full-blooded drive only to get a thick outside edge as Amaan at first slip makes no mistake. Prabhsimran, however, gets going with a drive straight down the ground over mid-on for a boundary.

Khaleel Ahmed begins the defence for Delhi with Prabhsimran and Dhawan aiming for a good start in a tall run chase. A review was taken by Warner for a wide and it’s a maiden over. Top start from Khaleel.

Fabulous batting show by the Delhi batsmen as Shaw scored a fine half-century and the Rossouw along with Salt forged an unbeaten 65-run stand off just 30 balls to power Delhi to 213 and this is a solid total. We will be back for the chase in a bit.

Philip Salt gets into the act as the batsman nails Ellis over the long-on for a maximum and then pockets a boundary. Salt then hammered Ellis down the ground for a huge maximum and that was a brilliant shot as 18 runs come from the penultimate over.

Harpreet Brar gives 10 from his second over as Rossouw motors on with Delhi eyeing to maximise in the final overs and touch the 200-run mark.

Rossouw hits his maiden IPL half-century and he gets to the landmark in 25 balls. The South African carries on his fine form by smashing Ellis for a boundary through the extra cover.

Harpreet Brar into the attack with Philip Salt joining Rossouw. Shikhar Dhawan missed a direct hit but the spinner does well as Delhi crosses the 150-run mark. The visiting side is ready for the late surge.

Rossouw is stealing the show and this time the southpaw dismantles Curran with a beautiful pick-up shot over the deep square and the ball has gone out of the stadium! However, Shaw falls for a well-made 38-ball 54 as Curran picks his second wicket but this has been a brilliant knock from the opener who has come back into form.

Rossouw has unleashed himself as he smokes Chahar straight down the ground for a maximum as Delhi crosses the 130-run mark. Shaw gets to his fifty and the opener is back in form as he reaches the milestone with a single to the deep cover region. A simple celebration but an important one.

Delhi batsmen have come out with a certain plan as Rossouw smokes Rabada for a six over the bowler’s head, a boundary to the third man and then a flick over the deep backward square leg for a maximum and this is brilliant batting. Shaw once again copes a blow on his hand as he gets tangled inside the line of the delivery, unsure whether to go for the pull or not. Time for a break.

Chahar bowls a brilliant over, not giving Rossouw any room as Punjab tries to pull things back after breaking the Warner-Shaw partnership.

Dhawan takes a brilliant catch as the Punjab skipper flies to pack off Warner and Punjab has broken the 94-run stand with Curran dismissing Warner. However, this has been a good knock from the skipper as he falls for a 31-ball 46. Rilee Rossouw walks in and he nails Curran through the mid-wicket to open his account with a boundary.

Oh, Dear! Ellis creates an opportunity but Rahul Chahar drops a skier to give Warner a life. The Delhi skipper then punishes Ellis for a boundary as Delhi nears the 100-run mark in the halfway stage.

The partnership is worth 83 off 54 deliveries with Shaw nearing his half-century and this is a fabulous start from Delhi. The platform is laid and they have the firepower to mount a huge total.

Arshdeep bowls a good over and just concedes five, and most importantly stems the flow of boundaries. Both Warner and Shaw are going nicely and this is an improved move from the Delhi openers.

Shaw has got his eye in as the batsman drives Rahul Chahar for a couple of boundaries and the inside-out shot through the extra cover was simply amazing. Punjab struggling for a breakthrough.

Nathan Ellis is into the attack and Delhi has picked up the momentum by scoring 45 runs in the last three overs on a quick, bouncy surface. Warner is timing the ball beautifully as this time he guided Ellis through the covers and then opened the face of his bat to get the ball past the backward point region for a boundary. The PowerPlay is done and Delhi will be very happy with the progress after being tied down and taking a couple of blows early in the innings.

Shaw brings up the fifty for Delhi and it has come in 28 balls with the opener launching Arshdeep Singh for a maximum over the deep mid-wicket. There were also a couple of boundaries in the over but the maximum was the pick of the shot from Shaw.

Rabada bowls full and wide and Shaw cashes in by flaying the bowler over the backward point region for a boundary, his first in this innings. Warner then goes big as he pings Rabada over the backward square leg region for a huge six to get the Delhi innings going. The Delhi skipper then ended the over with a brilliant six over the mid-wicket.

A brilliant fielding effort from Liam Livingstone denied Shaw a boundary but Warner rocked back on his backfoot and nailed Curran for a boundary as the Delhi skipper finally found the gap and then a bouncer went over the keeper as Delhi gets some momentum.

Kagiso Rabada starts brilliantly by giving just two runs from his opening over and the last delivery was bowled at 143kph as Shaw coped up a blow on his right hand. A slow start from Delhi.

Warner is off the mark with a single and there is a hint of bounce on the surface that sports a tinge of grass and there will be a bit of movement for the fast bowlers. Shaw is also off the mark with a couple and then took a single with a drive to the deep point region to give Delhi a decent start.

Right then, the Punjab Kings sprint out to the middle and so as the Delhi openers David Warner and Prithvi Shaw. It will be Sam Curran with the new ball who will start proceedings with the new ball. Here we go!

“Destiny is in our hands. Just gonna come and enjoy this evening. Just to stay calm and focus on your process. We have two changes. Taide and Rabada come in.”

Mukesh Kumar, Abishek Porel, Ripal Patel, Praveen Dubey, Sarfaraz Khan

David Warner(c), Prithvi Shaw, Philip Salt(w), Rilee Rossouw, Axar Patel, Aman Hakim Khan, Yash Dhull, Kuldeep Yadav, Anrich Nortje, Ishant Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed

Prabhsimran Singh, Sikandar Raza, Matthew Short, Rishi Dhawan, Mohit Rathee

Shikhar Dhawan(c), Atharva Taide, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma(w), Sam Curran, Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar, Rahul Chahar, Kagiso Rabada, Nathan Ellis, Arshdeep Singh

Punjab Kings wins toss, opts to bowl first vs Delhi Capitals

“We are 1457 metres above sea level, that makes a difference when it comes to dimensions and boundary hitting. Dimensions - 65 metres square on both sides, 76 metres downtown. This is an absolute beauty. 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. A good smattering of grass which means the quicks are gonna be in play throughout the course of 20 overs.”

Wicketkeepers: Jitesh Sharma, Phil Salt

Batters: David Warner, Shikhar Dhawan

All-rounders: Mitchell Marsh, Axar Patel, Liam Livingstone (c), Sam Curran

Bowlers: Arshdeep Singh (vc), Kuldeep Yadav, Nathan Ellis

Team Composition: DC 5:6 PBKS Credits Left: 7

Prithvi Shaw, Mustafizur Rahman, Chetan Sakariya, Yash Dhull, Sarfaraz Khan

David Warner (c), Phil Salt (wk), Mitchell Marsh, Priyam Garg, Manish Pandey, Axar Patel, Lalit Yadav, Aman Khan, Ripal Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Anrich Nortje

Atharva Taide, Matthew Short, Nathan Ellis, Shivam Singh, Harpeet Bhatia.

Shikhar Dhawan (c), Prabhsimran Singh, Matthew Short/Sikandar Raza, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sam Curran, M. Shahrukh Khan, Rishi Dhawan, Harpreet Brar, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh.

Prabhsimran Singh, Shikhar Dhawan(c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma(w), Sam Curran, Sikandar Raza, Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar, Rishi Dhawan, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh, Nathan Ellis, Atharva Taide, Matthew Short, Harpreet Singh Bhatia, Mohit Rathee, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Baltej Singh, Kagiso Rabada, Vidhwath Kaverappa, Gurnoor Brar, Shivam Singh

David Warner(c), Philip Salt(w), Mitchell Marsh, Rilee Rossouw, Aman Hakim Khan, Axar Patel, Praveen Dubey, Kuldeep Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar, Manish Pandey, Ripal Patel, Lalit Yadav, Chetan Sakariya, Abishek Porel, Sarfaraz Khan, Lungi Ngidi, Mustafizur Rahman, Anrich Nortje, Rovman Powell, Priyam Garg, Prithvi Shaw, Yash Dhull, Vicky Ostwal

Matches played: 7

Delhi Capitals won: 1

Punjab Kings won: 6

Last result: Kings XI Punjab won by 14 runs (2019)

Last five results: DC won - 0; PBKS won - 5

Matches played: 30

Delhi Capitals won: 15

Punjab Kings won: 16

Last result: PBKS won by 31 runs (May, 2023)

PBKS Predicted XI

Batting first: Shikhar Dhawan (c), Prabhsimran Singh, Matthew Short/Sikandar Raza, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sam Curran, M. Shahrukh Khan, Rishi Dhawan, Harpreet Brar, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh.

Bowling first: Shikhar Dhawan (c), Matthew Short/Sikandar Raza, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sam Curran, M. Shahrukh Khan, Rishi Dhawan, Harpreet Brar, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh, Nathan Ellis/Kagiso Rabada.

DC Predicted XI

Batting first: David Warner (c), Phil Salt (wk), Mitchell Marsh, Priyam Garg, Manish Pandey, Axar Patel, Lalit Yadav, Aman Khan, Ripal Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Anrich Nortje.

Bowling first: David Warner (c), Phil Salt (wk), Mitchell Marsh, Manish Pandey, Axar Patel, Lalit Yadav, Aman Khan, Ripal Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Anrich Nortje, Ishant Sharma.

As the Indian Premier League (IPL) caravan returns to the picturesque Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium after a 10-year hiatus, Punjab Kings (PBKS) will make a final push for a Playoffs spot when it hosts bottom-placed Delhi Capitals (DC) in a must-win game on Wednesday.

With its campaign coming to a grinding halt following a 31-run defeat to the same opposition four nights ago, DC will hope to play party-spoiler and make amends. Chasing a middling 168, David Warner started off like the clappers in the PowerPlay before DC’s middle-order was swept away by the spin duo of Harpreet Brar and Rahul Chahar.

READ MORE