Delhi Capitals Win By 7 Wickets! A target of 167 was never going to be enough against DC's daunting batting line-up and as expected, Rishabh Pant's cross the line without breaking a sweat. Shikhar Dhawan led the chase with a brilliant fifty while Prithvi Shaw, Shimron Hetmyer and Pant played crucial cameos. With this, DC go at the top of the points table while PBKS remain at the sixth place.
Wicket! Chris Jordan gets his first wicket of the game as he gets rid of Rishabh Pant. However, the breakthrough might have come too late as Delhi look to be closing in towards another win.
Delhi Capitals are once again cruising to a win in the Indian Premier League, courtesy of a sensational inning from one half of their opening duo. This time it is Shikhar Dhawan, who is doing the job for Rushabh Pant's team. The required run rate is below six at the moment.
OUT! Riley Meredith strikes finally and Steve Smith is the man to go. Trying to go for a big hit, Smith smashed the ball in the night sky and Dawid Malan took a good catch at deep mid-wicket. Is there a twist in the tale? DC need 56 off 42 deliveries! Smith c Malan b Riley Meredith 24(22)
Although Prithvi Shaw is gone now, Delhi Capitals still have the command with Shikhar Dhawan and Steve Smith continuing to score at the required pace. Delhi need 79 runs in the last 10 overs with nine wickets in hand. Only wickets can bring PBKS back in the hunt.
OUT! Harpreet Brar can't do anything wrong here. He rattles the stumps of Prithvi Shaw with the very first ball of his spell. The dasher cleared his stumps while trying to go on the off-side but missed the ball completely and the furniture is disturbed. DC are one down now! Prithvi Shaw b Harpreet Brar 39(22)
Chasing 167, Delhi Capitals have got off to a flying start with Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw going absolutely berserk. The duo have been aggressive as DC collect 63 in the powerplay overs. PBKS need a wicket soon to get back in the contest.
A total of 166 might be impressive but if Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw stay at the crease for a long time, the match will be gone from Punjab's grasp. The duo has started well here, collecting 24 runs from the first two overs and DC need to draw the first blood soon.
The players are back in the middle as the action resumes. Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan are the two openers for Delhi Capitals while Riley Meredith starts proceedings with the ball.
What an innings from Mayank Agarwal in his maiden captaincy assignment in IPL. He misses his century by one run but his 99 from 58 deliveries takes PKS to 166/6 in their allotted 20 overs. Avesh Khan concedes 23 runs in the last over. However, will this total be enough to restrict DC's batting line-up? Last time, 195 wasn't enough but this is a different wicket. Stay tuned for the second innings.
PBKS vs DC Live Score Updates: A KL Rahul-minus Punjab Kings will take on Delhi Capitals in match 30 of the VIVO Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021. The encounter takes place at the Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday (May 2). PBKS faced a massive blow ahead of the game as their skipper and orange cap-holder KL Rahul was taken to hospital after being diagnosed with acute appendicitis. Chris Gayle had led PBKS when Rahul off the field in their last encounter against Royal Challengers Bangalore, and the Caribbean dasher is likely to captain Punjab in this clash as well. Meanwhile, fans can scroll down to get the live score and updates of the game. IPL 2021 Points Table Updated.
Not to forget, Rahul’s opening partner Mayank Agarwal missed the last game due to an arm injury and can be out of this clash too. Hence, PBKS might be forced to name a new opening combination, and if Gayle leads the side, he should open the innings alongside Mandeep Singh or Prabhsimran Singh. All these factors make PBKS an underdog against an in-form Delhi side, and it would be interesting to see how they react to the challenge. Alongside Gayle, Nicholas Pooran, Shahrukh Khan and Deepak Hooda need to shine with the bat while Mohammed Shami, Ravi Bishnoi and hero of the last game, Harpreet Brar, will handle the mantle in the bowling department. PBKS vs DC Preview: Likely Playing XIs, Key Battles, Head to Head and Other Things You Need To Know.
While PBKS will take the field with a depleted side, DC have a well-balanced line-up, and they would be high on confidence. From Prithvi Shaw to Marcus Stoinis, all batsmen in DC’s top-six have got runs under their belt, while Avesh Khan, Axar Patel and Kagiso Rabada have been brilliant with the ball in hand. Moreover, Rishabh Pant’s men walked away with a comfortable six-wicket win when these two teams met earlier this season.
Notably, Delhi Capitals have already won five of their first seven games and are just a couple of wins away from securing a place in the playoffs. Hence, PBKS have a job in hand, and troubling the in-form Delhi side would be daunting.
Delhi Capitals Squad: Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant(w/c), Marcus Stoinis, Shimron Hetmyer, Steven Smith, Axar Patel, Lalit Yadav, Kagiso Rabada, Ishant Sharma, Avesh Khan, Ajinkya Rahane, Amit Mishra, Umesh Yadav, Chris Woakes, Aniruddha Joshi, Sam Billings, Lukman Meriwala, Tom Curran, Praveen Dubey, Anrich Nortje, Vishnu Vinod, Manimaran Siddharth, Shams Mulani, Ripal Patel
Punjab Kings Squad: KL Rahul(c), Prabhsimran Singh(w), Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran, Deepak Hooda, Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar, Chris Jordan, Riley Meredith, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Shami, Moises Henriques, Mayank Agarwal, Mandeep Singh, Dawid Malan, Jalaj Saxena, Murugan Ashwin, Sarfaraz Khan, Fabian Allen, Saurabh Kumar, Jhye Richardson, Ishan Porel, Utkarsh Singh, Darshan Nalkande, Arshdeep Singh