We witnessed an absolute run fest at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi where Prabhsimran Singh and captain Shreyas Iyer helped PBKS pull off a record run chase of 265 in 18.5 overs. What an absolute game we had in New Delhi where Prabhsimran and Shreyas Iyer shone under the dazzling lights in New Delhi. But the day started with DC batting first and KL Rahul putting on a show with an unbeaten 152 while Nitish Rana made 91 off 44 balls as DC posted 264/2 in 20 overs.
In reply, PBKS came out all guns blazing as the duo of Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh hammered DC who lost one of their main bowlers Lungi Ngidi due to head injury and went off on an ambulance. Vipraj Nigam came in as Concussion Substitute. But PBKS made 116/0 in 6 overs and then later on, Shreyas Iyer the captain dropped on 28 and 35 by Karun Nair made the Capitals pay with an unbeaten 71 off 36 balls as PBKS achieved the record chase in T20 cricket by 6 wickets.
KL Rahul & Nitish Rana pulverise PBKS to post 264/2 in 20 overs
Winning the toss and deciding to bat first, Pathum Nissanka and KL Rahul came out to bat for DC while Arshdeep Singh had the ball in hand for PBKS. Rahul meant business from the word go while Nissanka got a couple of boundaries away. The opening duo put on 28 for the first wicket before Nissanka fell for 11 off 7 balls with 2 fours to his name to Arshdeep Singh. Nitish Rana came out to bat next at 3.
This was the last joy PBKS had for a long time as KL Rahul brought out his best while he was ably supported by Nitish Rana. The pitch was a flat deck and the bowlers had a hard time out there. Both went in an aggressive manner and there was no place for the anchor type players anymore. DC managed to get to a healthy 68/1 in 6 overs and had the platform laid for them.
They aced the middle phase of the game to perfection. Rana found his mojo back and KL Rahul was the perfect blend of caution and aggression. He went berserk and it looked like the Rahul of old was reinvented. The duo played through as Punjab had no answer to this onslaught from the duo.
They not only put on 100 runs but carried on from there. Rahul got to a special hundred watched on by others in the field. Rana did his best to keep the crowd going for DC. The duo put on 220 for the second wicket off 96 balls before Rana fell for 91 off 44 balls with 11 fours and 4 sixes to his name.
David Miller came out to bat next with 9 balls left in the innings. Rahul was on a mission tonight as he converted his hundred into a daddy hundred and carried his bat. He made an unbeaten 152 off 67 balls with 16 fours and 9 sixes to his name as he got to his hundred at the end. DC finished with 264/2 in 20 overs. Miller was unbeaten on 3 off 3 balls. KL Rahul was all class as he carried his bat and finished with an unbeaten 152 off 67 balls with 16 fours and 9 sixes to his name for his 152 off 67 balls. DC finished with 264/2 in 20 overs with 7 extras given by the fielding side.
It was a hard day for the bowlers as a whole. Arshdeep Singh finished with 1/49 in 4 overs. Xavier Bartlett finished with 1/69 in 4 overs. Marco Jansen finished with 0/45 in 4 overs. Vyshak Vijaykumar finished with 0/48 in 3 overs. Yuzvendra Chahal finished with 0/42 in 4 overs. Marcus Stoinis bowled a solitary over for 11 runs. This meant PBKS needed 265 for the win in 20 overs for a record chase in T20Is.
Prabhsimran Singh & Shreyas Iyer shines and helps PBKS achieve a record chase
Chasing 265 for the win, Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh came out to bat for PBKS while Auqib Nabi the impact player came onto bowl. The duo came out all guns blazing and started dominating the proceedings for the Kings. An unfortunate accident happened, when Lungi Ngidi tried take a catch and misjudged it. He tried to take it but landed on the head. Ngidi was down on the ground and was motionless for a while. But he was seen responding to treatment afterwards and was stretchered off.
But after a 20-minute delay, the ambulance came and meant that the match was delayed quite a bit. But it was carnage from the Punjab batters as they took the attack to the opposition. It was the Prabhsimran show while Arya played second fiddle as the duo took the innings forward. They dominated the power play and scored the bulk of the runs. The duo amassed 116/0 in 6 overs of power play and it was a step in the right direction for the visitors. The break allowed DC to regroup. Arya was getting less of the strike but both batted out of the world.
The duo put on 128 for the first wicket before Arya departs for a quick 43 off 17 balls with 2 fours and 5 sixes to his name. Cooper Connolly came out to bat next. Prabhsimran was in his elements and did not let anyone settle down. The duo put on 6 runs for the second wicket before Prabhsimran fell for a well-made 76 off 26 balls with 9 fours and 5 sixes to his name to Kuldeep Yadav. Shreyas Iyer came out to bat next. Connolly played decently and kept the tempo going. He was cleaned up by Kuldeep again for 17 off 10 balls with one four and one six to his name to Kuldeep Yadav.
Nehal Wadhera came out to bat next. Shreyas Iyer kept the fight going and kept it in touch with the run rate. The Impact Player Wadhera got into the act as well. There were huge moments that came in the game now. Punjab’s main player Iyer was given a lifeline by the DC team. Karun Nair dropped his catch not once, but twice. Shreyas was batting on 28 and 35 at one stage. But he got lives and made the most of it later on. Wadhera was slow off the blocks, but he soon gathered momentum and took the attack to the opposition.
In the back-end of the innings, it was Shreyas Iyer all the way as he controlled the things properly. He got to his half century and looked good out there. Shreyas Iyer was making DC pay with such a dominant knock. Wadhera got in a cameo and was dismissed for 25 off 15 balls with 3 fours and one six to his name to Vipraj Nigam. The 200 had come up after which Wadhera was dismissed after a 56-run stand with Iyer. Shashank Singh came out to bat next.
Shreyas Iyer stepped it up and looked a man possessed while Shashank after the initial deliveries took the attack to the opposition. He helped Iyer out and got in the crucial boundaries and sixes. The duo made sure there was no way back for DC as they put on 64 for the 5th wicket unbroken as the Kings ended with 265/4 in 20 overs. Iyer remained unbeaten on 71 off 36 balls with 3 fours and 7 sixes to his name while Shashank was unbeaten on 19 off 10 balls with 2 fours and one six to his name. 14 extras given by the fielding side.
The chase was done and dusted in 18.5 overs. Kuldeep Yadav was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 2/46 in 4 overs and was unlucky not to get another wicket. Axar Patel finished with 1/44 in 4 overs. Vipraj Nigam finished with 1/24 in 2 overs. Auqib Nabi went for 41 runs in 2 overs. Mukesh Kumar finished with 0/55 in 3 overs. T Natarajan finished with 0/54 in 3.4 overs. So, PBKS wins by 6 wickets with 7 balls to spare. KL Rahul was awarded the Player of the Match award despite being in the losing team.
What Lies Ahead
Punjab Kings with this win moves to 13 points from 7 games and looking like the team to win at this stage. They are still unbeaten and at the top of the table while DC needs to go back to the drawing board and will look to be consistent in the coming games. DC have more games to get things right. Today’s second game is RR VS SRH in Jaipur. Let’s see how things unfold in these upcoming games.
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