Mumbai: The Delhi Capitals are on the road to victory again in the IPL after beating Punjab Kings as Shikhar Dhawan played another fabulous innings. Current runners-up DC defeated Punjab by six wickets in a thrilling match at Wankhede, Mumbai. This is DC’s second win in three matches and Punjab’s second loss in a row.
After losing the toss and opting to bat, Punjab set a challenging target of 196 for DC. But Dhawan (92)’s fierce performance laid the foundation for DC’s victory. Gabbar came out on top with the match-winning innings despite missing the deserved century by eight runs. His innings consisted of just 49 balls with 13 fours and two sixes. DC lost just four wickets and chased own the target in 18.2 overs.
Score: Punjab 195 for four. Delhi 198 for four in 18.2 overs.
Prithvi Shaw 32 (17 balls, 3 fours, 2 sixes) and Marcus Stoinis 27 (13 balls, 3 fours, 1 six) were DC’s other notable scorers. Australian superstar Steve Smith, who made his debut for DC, disappointed as he scored only nine runs. Skipper Rishabh was out for 15 runs. Lalit Yadav (12 *) was at the crease with the Stoinis. Jhye Richardson took two wickets for Punjab.
The Dhawan-Prithvi duo gave DC a great start as they batted towards a huge target. The duo put on 59 runs for the opening wicket. After Prithvi’s return, Dhawan added 48 with Smith and 45 with skipper Rishabh for the third & fourth wicket to seal the victory. Dhawan was adjudged the man of the match.
After losing the toss and opting to bat, Punjab put on a formidable total of 195 for four. Openers Mayank Agarwal and skipper KL Rahul laid the foundation for the Punjab innings. While Mayank became the team’s top scorer with 69 runs, Rahul, who came down on his 29th birthday, scored 61 runs. Mayank’s 36-ball innings included seven fours and four sixes. It was also his maiden fifty in the season. Mayank made a strong comeback in this match after disappointing in the first two matches. Rahul hit 61 off 51 balls, including seven fours and two sixes.
Deepak Hooda 22 * (13 balls, 2 fours), Shah Rukh Khan 15 * (5 balls, 2 fours, 1 six)) also helped Punjab to a formidable total. Lukman Meriwala, Kagiso Rabada and Avesh Khan took one wicket each. The Rahul-Mayank duo gave Punjab a great start. The duo put on 122 for the opening wicket. The DC captain tried bowlers alternately to break the partnership but to no avail. Finally, in the fourth ball of the 13th over, Mayank handed a catch over to Dhawan on Meriwala’s balling to give DC a much-awaited breakthrough.
