Delhi Capitals beat Punjab Kings by 15 runs despite Liam Livingstone batting masterclass

Punjab Kings on Wednesday suffered a 15-run defeat at the hands of Delhi Capitals in Match 64 of IPL 2023. Liam Livingstone played a spectacular knock but couldn't help his side finish the game. Livingstone smashed 94 off 48 balls including five boundaries and nine sixes but was dismissed on the final ball of Punjab's innings. Ishant Sharma of Delhi Capitals managed to defend 33 runs in the final over. 

While Delhi now are ninth on the table after a consolation win, Punjab Kings due to this heavy defeat stay put on 12 after 13 games and even a win in the last match and a 14-point finish might not be enough as the net run-rate -0.308 only added insult to injury. The Preity Zinta co-owned side since their 2014 final appearance, have not even made it to the last four stage for nine years in a row. But DC's fielding effort did give them enough chances.

As many as three catches were dropped including Livingstone on three, and Taide on 35, both in the bowling of Kuldeep Yadav who returned with 0/21 from his three overs. They also missed two run-out chances when both the batters, Livingstone and Taide, were out of the crease but DC could not manage to hit the stumps on a sloppy outing.

PBKS took a tactical decision to retire out rookie Atharva Taide after his 42-ball 55 (5x4, 2x6) as he simply found it difficult to get going after the first part of the innings. Livingstone kept the PBKS run chase going racing to a 30-ball fifty, his sixth of the tournament as he brought the equation down to 38 from the last two overs from being a near-impossible 79 from four overs.

The Englishman turned it on in style in the 17th over when Khaleel started off with no-ball for height as he leaked 20 runs. Three sixes off Mukesh Kumar in the next over put the equation on course for PBKS before Anrich Nortje, who had dropped Livingstone early on, redeemed himself with a perfect penultimate over.

Nortje conceded just five runs and cleaned up Sam Curran (11), while PBKS lost another when Harpreet Brar was run out. DC bowlers stifled PBKS' tall chase early on with left-arm seamer Khaleel Ahmed starting off with a maiden, while Ishant Sharma dismissed Dhawan off the first ball.

From 10/1 in three overs, PBKS duo Prabhsimran and Atharva finally stepped it up with five boundaries (4x4, 1x6) in a row across two overs. Already out of the playoff race, DC got off to a flying start with Prithvi Shaw smashing a 54 on his comeback after nearly a month.

Delhi Capitals' innings

Shaw, who made his last appearance in this season's IPL against Kolkata Knight Riders on April 20, returned to form to post a 35-ball 50, his first in 13 IPL innings. Shaw copped body blows from Rabada en route his 38-ball knock (7x4, 1x6) as he along with his skipper David Warner (46 from 31b; 5x4, 2x6) gave their best start of the season.

The duo put together a 94-run opening stand, their highest this season before Rossouw took charge of the proceedings with his maiden IPL fifty that came off 25 balls. Rossouw took charge when he sent his South African teammate into orbit with a six-over long-off.

He followed it up with a boundary and then a sublime pick-up six over the deep square leg as there was no looking back for the South African from there on. Rabada went on to concede 36 from his three overs, while Sam Curran took 2/36.

From a sedate six for no loss in two overs, DC raced to 61 without losing a wicket in the powerplay with Warner and Shaw putting up their highest opening partnership this season after PBKS opted to bowl.

This was the second instance when DC did not lose a wicket inside the powerplay this season. DC got going when Warner whacked Curran for back-to-back boundaries before taking on Rabada. Shaw pulled Rabada for a boundary before Warner took on the South African pacer with two sixes in three balls in a 17-run over. They cruised to 50 inside five overs as Warner and Shaw took on the Punjab bowlers.

Nothing went in PBKS' favour on Wednesday, with Rahul Chahar dropping a sitter to give Warner a reprieve on 39. The Aussie was done in by a spectacular catch by Shikhar Dhawan but by then DC were on course for their first 200-plus total this season.

(With inputs from PTI)