IPL 2022: Covid-hit Delhi Capitals drub Punjab Kings by nine wickets

Despite uncertainty over the game after a sixth squad member tested positive on Wednesday, DC bowlers routed PBKS for 115 before they reached 119/1 in 10.3 overs

Punjab Kings’ batting is thrill-a-minute when it comes off. It has on four occasions this IPL where they posted 180-plus scores, winning three of those games. The flip side of such a high-risk, high-reward game is there will be days when things won’t go to plan. Their batting nosedived on Wednesday as their power-hitters fell for a string of low scores to be bowled out for 115.

Delhi Capitals chased the target down in just 10.3 overs (PTI)

Delhi Capitals chased it down in 10.3 overs to win by nine wickets at the Brabourne stadium, overcoming the Covid-related crisis in the lead up to the match, including Tim Seifert testing positive on match day, the sixth within the team’s bio-bubble. Support staff of both teams remained masked up, watching from the dugout, while most of the public stands remained empty due to the last minute shift in venue from Pune.

Back-again and leading PBKS, Mayank Agarwal found some boundaries at the beginning but on 24 (15b) he chopped a good length delivery from Mustafizur Rahman on to the stumps. That’s after Shikhar Dhawan (9) was caught behind failing to pull Lalit Yadav’s off-spin.

Sticking to their game-plan, PBKS batters didn’t bother switching tack and DC’s crafty spinners proved too good for them. Liam Livingstone, who has been the most destructive batter for PBKS, was out stumped, trying to hit Axar Patel out of the ground off the third ball he faced. Jonny Bairstow (9), who came in to replace the inform Bhanuka Rajapaksa, followed as he pulled left-arm Khaleel Ahmed to the fine-leg fielder.

In the seventh over, PBKS were reduced to 54/4 and they could never recover. Jitesh Sharma got some boundaries away before getting out on 32, but his fellow domestic strike-force Shahrukh Khan could do little damage. There was no Odean Smith for Punjab to potentially swing his big bat late in the innings, and his replacement Nathan Ellis and Kagiso Rabada were foxed by Kuldeep Yadav. The India left-arm wrist spinner’s improved showing using greater control at faster speeds continues to trouble batters in the league. Yadav took 2/24 while Patel ended with dream figures of 4-0-10-2. “I am Gujarati, no? That's why I didn't give away runs,” Patel told mid-match. "When we got to the ground, Ricky (Ponting, chief coach) just said “let's focus on what’s happening on the ground”."

PBKS tail-enders made sure they batted out 20 overs, the final wicket being Arshdeep Singh’s run out by the wicket-keeper as he strode out of his crease, making no effort to return. That pretty much summed up their batting misery.

On days Punjab’s batting falls off the tracks it becomes doubly difficult for them to defend due to their limited wicket-taking bowlers. Vaibhav Arora doesn’t have the pace to cause damage on a good surface and Rabada had a rare outing where he couldn’t get any wicket.

DC’s dashing openers Prithvi Shaw and Dave Warner raced to a flying start, knocking off 81 runs of their meagre target with the field in. Agarwal didn’t try anything fancy, introducing lesser-known Ellis only in the sixth over. Rahul Chahar too came on late, in the seventh over, and immediately sent Shaw 41 (20b) back. It was too late by then as Warner (60*-30b, 10x4, 1x6) and Sarfaraz Khan (12*) saw them home.