Dharamsala: Delhi Capitals hurt Punjab’s play-off chances with 15-run win

Dharamsala : Liam Livingstone’s 94 off 48 balls goes in vain as Delhi Capitals beat Punjab Kings by 15 runs in an IPL match, at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium, that hurt the latter’s chances of qualifying for the play-offs, here on Wednesday.

Except for Livingstone’s noteworthy contribution and Atharva Taide’s 55 of 42 balls retired out, the rest of the wickets fell cheaply and Punjab Kings could manage only 198/8 in the end. For Delhi Capitals, Ishant Sharma and Anrich Nortje claimed two wickets each conceding 36 runs each.

DC are now on 10 points from 13 games while Punjab Kings stay on 12 points from 13 games and the best they can reach is 14 points. Earlier, Riley Rossouw’s blistering knock of unbeaten 82 off 37 and Prithvi Shaw’s fine 54 off 38 powered Delhi Capitals to 213/2. David Warner and Shaw stepped up and gave DC the perfect start. The skipper fell four short but Shaw scored a fine fifty. Then, Rossouw and Philip Salt (26) joined hands to give the perfect finish, scoring 51 runs off the last three overs.

Batting first, DC scored just six runs in the first two overs. The opening duo of Warner and Shaw then shifted gears and collected 55 runs in the next four overs, including seven boundaries and three sixes, to take the Power-Play score to 61 for no loss. PBKS tried to slow down the run rate with a couple of economical overs. Nathan Ellis created a chance to trap Warner, who tried to heave the ball but got a top edge and Rahul Chahar ran back but failed to hold on to it. PBKS were 93/0 at the halfway mark.

The next over, Sam Curran made the job done as he dismissed the DC skipper on a slower ball and put an end to 94-run opening partnership. Warner went across the line but got a top edge, the ball went high to mid-off. Shikhar Dhawan ran back from the covers and dived to take a brilliant catch. Rossouw then came and took PBKS bowlers to cleaners as Delhi stood strong at 125/1 in 13 overs. The next over, Shaw brought up his fifty off 36 balls but fell in the 15th over on Sam Curran’s slower short ball.

Brief scores: Delhi Capitals 213/2 in 20 overs (Prithvi Shaw 54 off 38, Riley Rossouw 82 off 37, David Warner 46; Sam Curran 2/36) beat Punjab Kings 198/8 (Liam Livingstone 94, Atharva Taide 55, Ishant Sharma 2/36, Anrich Nortje 2/36) by 15 runs.