It was another day of so near yet so far for the Delhi Capitals (DC), as they were left to rue missed chances and what might have been. On a placid track, DC won the toss and decided to bat first, and thanks to a KL Rahul masterclass aided by Nitish Rana, they posted a massive 264/2 in 20 overs. But later on, fielding, catching, and some poor bowling let them down as the hosts lost to PBKS in a record chase by the league leaders. There were areas where DC lost the game, especially in the second innings, and we will list them out for you.
Conceding 116/0 in 6 overs of power play dented DC’s chances
After posting 264 on the board, DC may have thought they had things under control and needed to bowl decently to get the win. PBKS had to come all guns blazing, and boy did the league leaders come out firing as they had no choice. Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh just hammered the DC bowlers to all parts of the ground, and the home team did not know what really hit them in reality.
Yes, Lungi Ngidi getting injured while attempting a catch and hurting his head was a big blow for DC’s bowling stocks. But still, the target was huge, and we expected DC to perform better. But the fast bowlers dished out ordinary bowling, and the two uncapped Indians took full toll of it in their 126-run stand for the first wicket. Out of which, 116 came in the first 6 overs. The power play was crucial, as a solid power play would have kept Punjab in the game. Getting to 116 with all wickets in hand meant that the platform was set for this massive chase.
DC’s bowling is a massive concern. Yes, it is a flat pitch, but the inability to defend 264 raises serious questions, especially for the Indian pacers. They just went for runs for fun. They could not execute their go-to deliveries. DC have RCB next at the same venue, and if it’s another flat deck like this, the hosts could be in trouble against RCB’s firepower. This loss will hurt DC badly despite KL Rahul’s 152*.
Dropping Shreyas Iyer twice on 28 and 35 by Karun Nair sealed DC’s fate
Despite the whirlwind start, DC came back through their spinners Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav as Arya was dismissed by Axar before Kuldeep also got into the act. Prabhsimran Singh was magical in his 76 off 26 balls, but he was removed, and so was Cooper Connolly early in the piece. DC, because of the mountain of runs, came back into the contest with these wickets. The onus for the Kings lay on captain Shreyas Iyer to guide the rest of the chase.
Shreyas started slowly at running a ball and then accelerated a little bit. He was looking set out there. But with the target that DC had, they knew chances would be created, and you’d better take them. But DC made the cardinal mistake not once but twice. First, when Iyer was batting on 28, he miscued the ball off Vipraj Nigam up in the air, and Karun Nair, the substitute fielder, dropped a sitter. If that was not enough, Iyer was given another lifeline when batting on 35*, he was dropped once again by Karun Nair, and this time it was off Kuldeep Yadav’s bowling.
We saw the other night, Virat Kohli being dropped on 0, and he made the GT team pay. Shreyas was dropped twice, and you cannot afford to drop him even once, let alone twice. Iyer would definitely make DC pay, and he did so as he scored an unbeaten 71 off 36 balls. It’s just not the runs that were scored after the dropped catch, but it was the partnerships that he created with Nehal Wadhera and then Shashank Singh to script the win. Iyer is a key player and can guide the chase effectively, and he did that. DC have themselves to blame in the end.
Catches win matches, and DC dropped two crucial chances of one bona fide player. So, they paid the price. Ahead of their next game, they need to tighten up their fielding and hold onto the catches, as that can only help them win the contest. Bowling and fielding are a concern for DC.
Indian fast bowling stocks of DC are exposed in the absence of Lungi Ngidi
Notwithstanding the injury to Lungi Ngidi, DC’s bowling should have performed better. His injury was unfortunate as he lay on the ground for a long time after banging his head on the ground. He was stretchered off, and luckily, in the hospital, he responded to treatment and would be discharged soon, is what we last heard. But it was a scary injury. But let’s come back to the match at hand without Ngidi.
The pace bowlers of DC should have stood up and done the job. It was an all-India pace attack, and they were brutally hammered by PBKS batters. Yes, the pitch was placid, but some ordinary bowling was dished out. If we look at the performances, Auqib Nabi, the Impact Player, went for 41 runs in 2 overs. Mukesh Kumar, the so-called experienced bowler, went for 55 runs in 3 overs, giving runs away for fun. T Natarajan went for 54 runs in 3.5 overs, who is supposed to be the death overs specialist. The Indian pacers have been brutally exposed.
The spinners did slightly better and picked wickets, but the absence and experience of Ngidi totally affected them. The good news for DC is that their talisman, Mitchell Starc, has got the green clearance and will join DC from May 1st onwards. But before that, they have RCB to play on Monday night. So, they have to manage their resources carefully. The batting is not an issue for DC; the bowling is, and only Starc is the last hope. They may have to go to Chameera in place of Ngidi for the RCB game.
The bowling has to improve, and so is the catching, if DC are to entertain hopes of winning matches and make a push for the playoffs. At the moment, they are in 6th place in the points table with half the tournament remaining.
What Lies Ahead
So, DC next faced RCB on Monday night in New Delhi in a crucial clash for them. PBKS next will be in action on Tuesday at New Chandigarh against RR. Today on Super Sunday, it’s CSK hosting GT in a crucial clash as both teams have 3 wins in 7 games and are in 5th and 7th in the standings on NRR. Later on, bottom-placed teams LSG and KKR battle in Lucknow, where LSG is in 9th and KKR in 10th place. So, a lot of action is coming your way in IPL 2026.
Also Read:Â DC vs PBKS: Prabhsimran Singh & Shreyas Iyer Helps PBKS Pull Off Record Chase