Sam Curran and Liam Livingstone failed to live up to their high price tags last season but on Saturday at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Stadium, the two Englishmen showed their value with a game changing partnership which saw Punjab Kings beat Delhi Capitals by four wickets.
PBKS vs DC Live Score, IPL 2024
Sam Curran enjoyed a huge slice of luck on 34 when Tristan Stubbs dropped him at long on off Kuldeep Yadav. Curran made Delhi Capitals pay for the let off as he along with Liam Livingstone (38 not out) added 67 runs for the fifth wicket off seven overs to put Punjab on the road to victory.
Delhi Capitals’ shoddy work on the field again allowed the match to slip through its hands as David Warner dropped Harpreet Brar off Khaleel Ahmed after the medium pacer had taken two quick wickets to give his side a glimmer of hope.
Ishant injured
Delhi was also bowler short after Ishant Sharma suffered an ankle injury and Liam Livingstone deposited Sumit Sharma over long on to signal win for his side.
Earlier, impact player Abhishek Porel made a stunning influence on the contest as he muscled his way to a 10-ball unbeaten 32 that gave the much needed impetus to the Delhi Capitals innings. His late assault against Punjab Kings death bowling specialist Harshal Patel enabled Delhi Capitals to finish at a competitive total of 173 for nine.
However, Rishabh Pant’s much anticipated comeback ended in a whimper. The Delhi captain’s muscle memory was perfect but lacked fluency. Pant tried playing the unorthodox shots too early in the innings and fell to a ramp shot which ended in the hands of Bairstow at short square-leg.
After being put in, Delhi openers David Warner and Mitchell Marsh clattered boundaries off erring Punjab Kings pace bowlers to give their side a brisk start. However, Arshdeep induced a false shot from Marsh to draw first blood. Warner continued to attack and struck Rabada for a six and a boundary to bring up the fifty for Punjab Kings in the fifth over. Harpreet Brar then choked the flow of runs with a teasing spell. Rabada and Harshal picked up crucial wickets as Delhi Capitals lost its way until Porel’s late flourish took them to a challenging total.
Teams:
Delhi Capitals: David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Shai Hope, Rishabh Pant (w/c), Ricky Bhui, Tristan Stubbs, Axar Patel, Sumit Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Khaleel Ahmed, Ishant Sharma.
Punjab Kings: Shikhar Dhawan (c), Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (w), Harpreet Brar, Harshal Patel, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh, Shashank Singh.
