Punjab Kings kicked off TATA IPL 2024 with a victory, defeating Delhi Capitals by four wickets in Match 2 at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur.
During the inaugural IPL match at the new venue, Sam Curran scored 63 runs off 47 balls, while Liam Livingstone remained unbeaten at 38 runs off 21 balls, playing pivotal innings that led PBKS to successfully chase down a target of 175. This feat came after a combined bowling performance limited DC to 174/9.
PBKS began their chase of 175 energetically but faced setbacks as their openers, Shikhar Dhawan and Jonny Bairstow, fell during the Powerplay. Dhawan and Bairstow accumulated 34 runs in the initial three overs, showcasing a strong start by scoring four boundaries in the first over bowled by Khaleel Ahmed. The momentum shifted when Ishant Sharma dismissed Dhawan with a clean bowled delivery. In the same over, DC claimed another wicket as Bairstow was run out at the non-striker’s end following a deflection from Sharma off a straight drive by Prabhsimran Singh, resulting in Bairstow falling short on the replay.
Prabhsimran Singh, known for his impact, smashed two boundaries in the following over, boosting PBKS to 53/2. However, DC faced a setback in the last over of the Powerplay when Ishant Sharma had to exit the field due to a leg injury sustained while fielding. Despite this, DC maintained pressure, resulting in a wicket as Kuldeep Yadav caught Prabhsimran Singh at long on. Yadav’s prowess continued in the subsequent over, leading to the stumping of Jitesh Sharma with agile work by Rishabh Pant behind the stumps.
In Kuldeep’s last over, there was a chance for another wicket, but Stubbs missed the opportunity by dropping Curran at long on when Curran was at 34 runs.
With 63 runs needed off 36 balls, Curran and Liam Livingstone accelerated, scoring two boundaries and a six off Mitchell Marsh, adding 18 runs in the 15th over. Curran completed his fifty off 39 deliveries. The duo intensified their attack, putting PBKS in a dominant position before Curran was dismissed for 64 runs off 47 balls in the penultimate over, bowled by Khaleel. Khaleel, the left-arm pacer, took two wickets in two balls as he dismissed Shashank Singh caught behind with a bouncer. He could have taken a third wicket in the over, but Warner dropped Harpreet Brar at long on off the final delivery of the over.
Rephrased: Requiring 6 runs from the final over, Sumit Kumar began with two wides. Although the third delivery resulted in a dot ball, Livingstone sealed the victory for the home team with a massive six over deep mid-wicket.
Before the match, Punjab Kings captain Shikhar Dhawan won the toss and chose to field first. The game held a significant moment for Rishabh Pant as he returned to competitive cricket following a serious road accident on December 30th, 2022.
Delhi Capitals began their innings aggressively but suffered an early setback with the dismissal of Mitchell Marsh. Warner and Marsh showcased powerful strokeplay, hitting three boundaries and three sixes in their partnership of 39 runs. However, their momentum was interrupted when Arshdeep Singh took the wicket of Marsh, who had previously hit a six in the same over.
Warner maintained his aggressive approach, achieving DC’s fifty with an impressive boundary and a scooped six off Rabada in the subsequent over. By the end of the Powerplay, DC reached 54/1. Warner and Shai Hope furthered the momentum with a 35-run partnership off 28 deliveries. However, Harshal Patel’s crucial breakthrough came against the flow of the game as he dismissed David Warner with a bouncer, confirmed via a successful review after Warner was caught behind.
Rishabh Pant entered the field to a warm reception, greeted with a standing ovation and enthusiastic applause.
Hope continued to rotate the strike and contribute to the team’s score. However, as another small partnership was forming, Rabada returned to the attack and removed Hope, who scored 33 runs off 25 deliveries, in the 11th over.
The dismissal triggered a collapse, with Patel claiming another wicket two overs later by getting Pant (18 off 13) caught at backward point. Following this, Harpreet Brar took the wicket of Ricky Bhui, caught behind after a successful review, in the next over. DC found themselves five wickets down by the 14th over. Tristan Stubbs also fell quickly, caught brilliantly at wide long off by Shashank Singh off Rahul Chahar.
DC’s score plummeted from 94/2 to 128/6 within a span of five overs as wickets fell rapidly. Axar Patel, who appeared assured with a quick 20 runs off 12 balls, fell victim to a run-out in the 18th over.
DC introduced Abishek Porel as their Impact Player, substituting Ricky Bhui, and he delivered a crucial late surge with an impressive 10-ball 32* to guide DC to a total of 174/9. Porel’s batting fireworks in the final over included hitting 4,6,4,4,6, accumulating 25 runs in that over alone.
In the final over of the first innings, PBKS brought in Prabhsimran Singh as their Impact Player.
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