IPL 2020 Highlights, DC vs KXIP Match, Full cricket score: Stoinis, Rabada’s heroics help Delhi beat Punjab in Super Over

Marcus Stoinis is Player of the Match for his fifty and two wickets:

It is a weird game. Sometimes luck goes your way. Enjoying the good days. Just try to close down as much as I can. Nice to play in IPL, what a great competition.

Shreyas Iyer, Delhi Capitals captain: Yeah seriously it was so difficult to stand out there and see the match heading in a different direction. Kagiso is a game-changer and the way Stoinis batted was game-changing. If you see our top-order batsmen, it’s really difficult to stop them. It wasn’t easy to hit the ball from the word go. Thankfully, me and Rishabh played a good knock. Really satisfied with the performance. (On catching) As soon as the match progresses, you’ll get used to it (bright floodlights) and field better. It was really important for us to get wickets as the total was small, and I knew if I save KG’s over for the end, he’ll win it for us. In T20s, it changes from here to there. (On Ashwin) We’ll it’s totally upto the physio now to see how he’s feeling. He’s a strong-minded guy, and we hope he’ll recover. (On choosing batsmen for Super Over) We usually go by lefty-righty combination as it’s difficult for bowlers to change the line. The way Stoinis came in after Pant’s wicket, it was really commendable.

“It’s just the plans, what’s working for me on the day. Today was just mixing things up, and luckily it worked. Sometimes it works for you, sometimes it doesn’t. I just back myself with the extra pace and bounce. (On catch to dismiss Chris Jordan) I just stuck my hand out, and it stuck. I think the ball before, he moved me to the exact position. It was just the reaction,” says Kagiso Rabada, Delhi Capitals’ hero in the Super Over.

KL Rahul, Kings XI Punjab captain: Lot of positives and we will learn from the mistake. Mayank has been amazing and this is the kind of innings we expect from him. Glad to see his Test match confidence come into IPL. Like I said at the toss, we did not know what to expect. Wicket remains the same for both teams. Whatever the result, good to see the fight boys showed. 13 more games and we can get better from here.

Did you know?

This is the 10th tied match in the history of IPL.

Mayank Agarwal today:

First 44 balls : 48 runs (SR : 109.09)
Last 16 balls : 41 runs (SR : 256.25)

And that’s it. Two off the second ball and DC have clinched the win. Down the leg stump line and Pant guided it to fine leg region, the fielder cut it off and threw but by that time, two runs had been completed. DC finally wins the contest, after almost giving it up and collects two points. Punjab and especially Mayank must be gutted.

Shami bowls a wide and it is a big one down the leg stump line. Rahul collects it and is upset by this effort. 2 needed off 5

Delhi, Ball 1: Shami runs in hard and short and Pant missed it completely, Rahul collects it easily. A dot. 3 needed off 5.

DC begin their answer, they need 3 in the six balls. Iyer and Pant in the middle for Delhi. This should be easy for them but you just never know.

Clean bowled! Rabada castles Pooran’s stumps on the third ball. Pooran walks back for a duck. Punjab manage just 2 in the Super Over. DC need 3 to win.

Punjab, Super Over Ball 2: Rahul perishes in the deep. He tries to pull but has been tricked by Rabada’s slow bouncer and Axar completes the catch!

Punjab, Ball 1: Rabada bowls it in the hole and Rahul runs 2.

KL Rahul and Nicholas Pooran are coming to bat first up in the Super Over for Punjab. Rahul to take strike. Rabada bowls.

It’s a tie, ladies and gents. The match goes into super over. Needing 13 off the last 6 balls and just 1 off 2, Punjab failed to cross the line. Two wickets in the last over. DC were winning it and then almost lost it before bringing the game to another halt with a Super Over. Phew! The game still has a lot left.

OUT! We have a Super Over! Jordan hits it directly into the hands of Rabada.  The match is tied. Jordan dismissed for 5.

OUT! Punjab have lost Mayank. Full toss and Mayank hits it directly to Hetmyer at deep cover. Punjab need 1 off 1. Crazy scenes in Dubai. This could be a tie. What a knock by Mayank but he could not finish it off himself. Agarwal c Hetmyer b Stoinis 89(60)

Over 20, Ball 4: A dot, good one from Nortje and Mayank missed it. Punjab need 1 from 2.

Over 20, 3rd ball: Mayank hits it to boundary at deep cover and the scores are tied.

Over 20, 2nd ball: Nortje bowls it right in the hole and Mayank still gets two. Punjab need 5 off 4.

SIX! Mayank hits a six off the first ball. Equation now just 7 off 5.

After 19 overs KXIP 146/6 (Mayank 77, Jordan 5)

It’s all happening here in the middle. Mayank hitting sixes and fours, getting dropped and suddenly Punjab can win this from nowhere. Iyer dropped that one. He better forgets about it and moves on. One over to go. 13 to get.

DROPPED! DC skipper Iyer has dropped a catch at the deep mid-wicket boundary. Mayank gets a chance.

FOUR! That is one brilliant shot, yorker length and Mayank makes room and smashes this over the bowler for four.

After 18 overs KXIP 133/6 (Mayank 65, Jordan 5)

Mohit comes back for his last over, Mayank smashes him for six off the first ball and then hits another one two balls later. Hw has brought down the equation to 25 off 12. Mayank needs to bat till the end if Punjab wants to win this.

Did you know?

Mayank Agarwal’s SR in death overs in IPL is 217.1.

SIX! Mayank hits another one, picks up the slower ball clears his front leg and makes just the perfect connection, hits it over long off for a six.

SIX! Half century for Mayank, as he smashes this over cover for a six! What a knock this has been from him!

After 17 overs KXIP 116/6 (Mayank 48, Jordan 5)

Mayank hits two boundaries in the over but they are not coming regularly, we must say, much to the dismay of Punjab camp. Kings XI Punjab need 42 runs in 18 balls. They need one big over.

FOUR! Good cricket shot, Mayank makes room and hits it over extra cover for four runs.

FOUR! Mayank smacks this over the bowler’s head for four runs to the straight boundary.

After 16 overs KXIP 105/5 (Mayank 38, Jordan 4)

A drop chance on the first ball of the new Rabada over as Shaw running back could not hold on to the ball despite reaching the spot in time. Mayank gets the second chance. But not Gowtham, who edged it Pant. Jordan is the new man in. Punjab have gone past the 100 run-mark. A wicket and seven runs from the over.

Did you know?

Kagiso Rabada has taken 66.67% of his IPL wickets in death overs (16-20).

OUT! Rabada comes and gets a wicket. Length ball and Gowtham made room to cut but ended up edging it to Pant behind. Sixth Punjab batsman out. Gowtham c Pant b Rabada 20(14)

After 15 overs KXIP 98/5 (Mayank 35, Gowtham 20)

Gowtham takes on the challenge. Hits a six and then a boundary to the off side. Well, this is certainly not over. Credit to Mohit as well for pulling things off after being hit for a six and a four on the first two balls. The last four balls were just singles. Kings XI Punjab need 60 runs in 30 balls.

FOUR! Alright, seems like Gowtham read what we wrote. He is now going after the bowling. After a six, now he hits it for four to deep extra cover.

OUT! The first ball of new spell from Mohit has been hammered for a big one over long on. Gowtham doing the hitting. They need more of this Punjab.

After 14 overs KXIP 84/5 (Mayank 33, Gowtham 8)

Looks like Delhi have wrapped this up already. Mayank is Punjab’s hope but even for him, runs are not too easy to come by. He needs support from other end and Gowtham is struggling. There is no update on Ashwin’s injury as yet. The way he left the field, it did not look good. Let’s hope he is fine. Kings XI Punjab need 74 runs in 36 balls.

After 13 overs KXIP 80/5 (Mayank 31, Gowtham 6)

Mayank is batting with a lot of composure. He has shots up his sleev but to match the asking rate, more boundaries are needed to be hit. They got two in this over and from here on, there should be no looking back for them. Kings XI Punjab need 78 runs in 42 balls

FOUR! That is four more from Mayank, stands and opens the face of the ball, times it well to get four runs.

FOUR! Cracker of a shot, Mayank gets room and he cracks it through point for four runs. Top shot.

After 12 overs KXIP 68/5 (Mayank 22, Gowtham 3)

Axar continues. Just four off the over. He is making it difficult for the Punjab batsmen to make a move. The required run rate is going up, every ball. Kings XI Punjab need 90 runs in 48 balls.

After 11 overs KXIP 64/5 (Mayank 21, Gowtham 0)

Stoinis continues. Mayank hits first sixes in ages for Punjab. They need a blinder from somewhere. Needing 94 runs in 54 balls, they better up the run-scoring rate.

SIX! Big one from Mayank. Shortish length from Stoinis and Mayank came in the position early and smashed this for a flat six.

After 10 overs KXIP 55/5 (Mayank 13, Gowtham 0)

Axar doing a fine job for Delhi here. Just 3 off the over and a wicket. Ashwin is not on the field but he is making sure his absence is not felt. Punjab pushing themselves out of this contest rather quickly.

OUT! Punjab lose their fifth wicket. Sarfaraz comes down the wicket to release some pressure, could not connect it well and has now been caught at long on by Shaw off Axar. Sarfaraz Khan c Prithvi Shaw b Axar 12(12)

After 9 overs KXIP 52/4 (Mayank 11, Sarfaraz 11)

Stoinis into the attack now. He is keeping it simple, bowling tight lines. Sarfaraz ends the ninth over with a boundary. Fifty also up for Punjab. Time out taken.

FOUR! Nice shot from Sarfaraz as he hits it through the mid off region for a boundary to finish the ninth over.

Ravi Ashwin’s economy rate in PP overs in IPL:

01-06 overs: 6.4
07-15 overs: 6.7
16-20 overs: 7.8

After 8 overs KXIP 43/4 (Mayank 8, Sarfaraz 5)

Axar Patel into the attack now. Very slow in the air is Axar. Also, bowling loopy deliveries. Drawing the batsmen forward. Just 3 off it.

After 7 overs KXIP 40/4 (Mayank 7, Sarfaraz 4)

Punjab losing wickets quickly here. Four down after exit of Maxwell. New batsman Sarfaraz too almost got himself out behind the stumps. Ashwin seems to have dislocated his elbow while fielding and is getting a look in by the physio. Rahane is fielding for him right now.

FOUR! Chance really this one at first slip, as Sarfaraz edged it and Pant dives to his right but it was still far from him. The ball ran away for four runs.

OUT! Delhi are all over Punjab at the moment. Maxwell could not connect well, played it early and it went straight up in the air, Iyer completed a safe catch at mid off. Maxwell c Shreyas Iyer b Rabada 1(4)

After 6 overs KXIP 35/3 (Maxwell 1, Mayank 5)

Nair, Pooran back in the hut. Ashwin with some magic here. Nair wanted to hit Ashwin on the first ball of a fresh over. Wicket on the first ball of IPL 2020 for Ash. And then he produces a beauty to get rid of Pooran. Two wickets in the over for Ashwin.

OUT! Ashwin gets the second wicket in the over. An absolute beauty from Ashwin, the arm ball, and Pooran could not read it as it went between his front leg and bat, to hit the top of middle. Ashwin is ecstatic and why not! Pooran b Ashwin 0(3)

OUT! Karun Nair lasts for just 3 balls as he gets caught at fine leg region by Shaw. Ashwin gets wicket on the first ball of his spell. Great start for him and good little comeback by DC with the ball in hand. Nair c Prithvi Shaw b Ashwin 1(3)

After 5 overs KXIP 33/1 (Nair 0, Mayank 4)

Mohit returns to the attack and removes Rahul. Rahul was playing on the up but did not read the ball, swung in sharply and uprooted the off stump. Good revenge for that free hit and has handed first wicket to his side. Karun Nair has joined Mayank in the middle. Karnataka top 3 for Punjab. Five runs and a wicket in the over.

OUT! Mohit returns to the attack and he delivers, castles Rahul’s stump. He brings it in and Rahul was not ready for this, the ball may have taken an inside edge and hit the stumps. A wicket finally for DC. Rahul b Mohit Sharma 21(19)

After 4 overs KXIP 28/0 (Rahul 20, Mayank 1)

Change of ends for Nortje. Replaces Mohit Sharma in the attack. First ball passes the edge as it was too close of Rahul to cut. Next ball, more room and he cuts it away for four. Nortje comes back brilliantly with a peach. This is a good start in the chase by Rahul and Mayank, who are looking to bat as deep as possible. Rahul doing most of the scoring currently. Nine off the over.

FOUR! EDGE, flies through vacant third slip region and Rabada makes a mess of it at third man boundary.

FOUR! Room by Nortje, enough for Rahul, he opens the face of the bat at last moment and hits it through point region for a boundary.

After 3 overs KXIP 19/0 (Rahul 11, Mayank 1)

Alright bowling change already as Rabada comes into the attack, replacing his countryman Nortje. He is bowling back of the length, clocking up good pace. Overall, good over for DC. Just five off it. This is a quiet start from Rahul and Mayank.

After 2 overs KXIP 14/0 (Rahul 9, Mayank 0)

Mohit Sharma bowls from the other end, so no Rabada yet. Lovely push through the covers by Rahul for two runs in the over. Next ball was a lovely outswinger but the third umpire called it a no ball. Result: six runs off Rahul’s bat. That was the poorest of poor free hit deliveries from a pacer. Right in the slot for Rahul, who smashed it over the deep mid-wicket ropes. Good over for Punjab after just 5 in the first. Nine off it.

Mohit Sharma’s economy rate in IPL:

PP overs: 8.0
Middle overs: 7.3
Death overs: 10.1

SIX! Free Hit and here goes KL Rahul, poor from Mohit, right in Rahul’s slot and he hammers it over deep mid-wicket for a big one. Clean hit!

KL Rahul’s SR in IPL:
 

v Pace: 139.2
v Spin: 136.2

After 1 over KXIP 5/0 (Rahul 1, Mayank 0)

Nortje bowls the first over. Starts off with two dots. He is right on money from the ball number 1, not giving room to Rahul to open up. Four leg byes fetched off the fourth ball as he went a little down the leg stump line. He is building up good pace as well is Nortje. Just one error in the over, those four byes. Five off the over.

KL Rahul’s average and SR in PP overs in IPL:

2018 – 91.0, 157.6
2019 – 46.4, 120.8

Alright then, we are back with the chase. KL Rahul takes strike and at the other end is good friend Mayank Agarwal. Pacer Anrich Nortje, on IPL debut, to start things off for Delhi. Let’s get this chase rolling.

DC today:

First 17 overs : 100/6 (RR – 5.88)
Last 3 overs: 57/2 (RR – 19.00)

Marcus Stoinis (53 off 21 balls): Once we lost a few early wickets, we were looking for the 130-140. (On final over) That was handy, that can happen in cricket. I thought they bowled well throughout. We’ve got a good bowling attack. A lot of bowlers going wide at me these days, so I’ve had a bit of work on that stuff. Once I get a read on that sort of thing (opposition’s plans), I look to target a few areas.

DC 157/8 after 20 overs (Nortje 3, Rabada 0)

30 runs and a wicket off the final over of the innings. Just about had everything in it! Unbelievable final over from Delhi’s perspective as Stoinis smashes Jordan all over the park, collecting two sixes as well as a hat-trick of fours to give his side the edge heading into the innings break. The Aussie brings up a 20-ball half-century in the process, although he is run-out off the penultimate delivery while coming back for a second run.

OUT! Stoinis is caught short of the striker’s end while coming back for a second run off the final ball of the innings, but the umpire later signals a front-foot no-ball. Next batsman to face the free hit as Stoinis’ blitzkreig finally comes to an end. DC 154/8
 

Stoinis run out (Rahul/Pooran) 53(21)

Fastest fifties for DC in IPL: (By balls)

17 – Chris Morris v GL, Delhi, 2016 
18 – Rishabh Pant v MI, Mumbai, 2019 
20 – Virender Sehwag v RR, Jaipur, 2012 
20 – Marcus Stoinis v KXIP, Dubai, 2020*

SIX! Fifty for Marcus Stoinis off just 20 deliveries as he smashes the ball over the square-leg fence for a maximum off the penultimate ball of the Delhi innings for a 90m hit! DC 152/7

FOUR! A hat-trick of fours for the Aussie, as he slaps a full, wide (HIT ME!) delivery from Jordan towards the vacant extra cover fence! DC 146/7

FOUR! Stoinis on fire! Flicked away behind square by the Aussie as Jordan continues to struggle with his lengths in the final over. DC 142/7

FOUR! Edge off Stoinis’s bat, and the ball flies wide of the keeper towards the vacant third man fence. DC 138/7

SIX! Huge hit over the leg side from the well-set Stoinis! Delhi could do with a few more of those in the final over! DC 133/7

DC 127/7 after 19 overs (Stoinis 28)

Stoinis hammers Cottrell for back-to-back fours off the first two deliveries, and the under-pressure West Indian ends up conceding a wide off the third. Full toss from Cottrell next up, and Stoinis reaps the profit as he steers it behind point to make it three fours off as many legal deliveries. The Aussie brings Ashwin back on strike with a single off the fifth, with Ashwin ramping the ball straight to Shami at third man that results in Cottrell bringing out the famous salute for the first time in the tournament.

OUT! Ashwin tries to ramp a short ball from Cottrell towards third man, but doesn’t get the distance needed to clear the rope as Shami collects an easy catch. And out comes the salute from Cottrell! DC 127/7

Ashwin c Shami b Cottrell 4(6)

FOUR! Three fours off as many legal deliveries for Stoinis! Full toss from Cottrell, Stoinis steers this behind point with ease. DC 126/6

FOUR! Back-to-back fours for Stoinis, this one pulled away towards the backward square-leg fence! DC 121/6

FOUR! Superb placement by Stoinis as he drills the ball through the gap between extra cover and mid off to perfection. Was a slower one from Cottrell that the batsman picked. DC 117/6

DC 113/6 after 18 overs (Stoinis 15, Ashwin 4)

Jordan returns to the attack, and is smashed for a six and a four off the first two balls by Stoinis, giving Delhi some desperately-needed acceleration after the flurry of wickets in the last few overs. The Englishman however, tightens it for the remainder of the over, giving away a single and a double off the next four balls. 13 off the over.

Marcus Stoinis’ SR in IPL:

01-06 overs: 102.4
07-15 overs: 108.9
16-20 overs: 154.0

FOUR! Stoinis is starting to turn things around for Delhi now. Full toss from Jordan, Stoinis gets an inside edge that sends the ball racing away wide of short fine leg. DC 110/6

SIX! Full from Jordan, and Stoinis times this sweetly to send it sailing over the cow corner fence! DC 106/6

DC 100/6 after 17 overs (Stoinis 4, Ashwin 2)

Cottrell returns to the attack at the start of the slog overs, and he removes Axar off the first delivery, getting him caught-behind for 6, as Delhi lose their sixth wicket. Single off each of the next three balls with new batsman Ashwin, KXIP’s captain in the last two seasons, getting off the mark right away. Stoinis brings up the 100 for DC with a single off the last ball. Delhi have lost three wickets for just 21 runs in the last four overs, a phase that could very well cost them the match.

OUT! Cottrell strikes as soon as he’s brought back into the attack, getting a faint nick off Axar’s bat after strangling him down the leg side. DC 96/6

Patel c Rahul b Cottrell 6(9)

DC 96/5 after 16 overs (Stoinis 2, Patel 6)

Tidy last over from Ravi Bishnoi, giving away three singles off it as the youngster signs off with figures of 1/22 at the end of his spell on debut. Just four overs left in the innings, and Delhi are yet to cross the 100-mark. Need some acceleration from Stoinis, who had been the top run-getter in the Big Bash earlier this year.

Best bowling figures for Shami in IPL:

3/15 v DC, Dubai, 2020*
3/21 for KXIP v MI, Mumbai, 2019

DC 93/5 after 15 overs (Stoinis 1, Patel 4)

Mohammed Shami returns to the attack for his final over as Marcus Stoinis joins Iyer at the crease, and he starts off with a wide, before getting rid of the set Iyer, inducing a mishit with a knuckle ball that results in a simple catch for Jordan at mid off. Patel joins the Aussie at the centre as both batsmen get off the mark in the course of the remaining deliveries of the over. Shami signs off with outstanding figures of 3/15 from four overs — an effort that makes him a strong candidate for Player of the Match should Kings XI go on to win this. Second strategic timeout called now.

OUT! Can’t keep KXIP quiet for too long it seems, as one wicket leads to another! Shami gets rid of Iyer after being brought back into the attack as the Delhi captain miscues the ball to give Jordan a simple catch at mid off. DC 86/5

Iyer c Jordan b Shami 39(32)

DC 86/4 after 14 overs (Iyer 39)

Single off each of the first three deliveries, before Pant gets into the aggressive act by smashing the ball over the umpire’s head for a four off the fifth delivery. Bishnoi however, ends the over by grabbing his maiden IPL wicket as the Delhi keeper-bat drags the ball onto his stumps to depart for 31.

BOWLED! First IPL wicket for Ravi Bishnoi, as he gets rid of the dangerous Rishabh Pant just when the Delhi keeper-bat was starting to shift gears, dragging the ball onto his stumps while looking for another big hit. DC 86/4

Pant b Bishnoi 31(29)

FOUR! Now Pant gets into the act, getting down on one knee and hamming the ball over the umpire’s head! DC 86/3

DC 79/3 after 13 overs (Iyer 37, Pant 26)

Big over for Delhi, with 15 runs coming off Gowtham’s final over as Iyer sends the ball flying over the straight boundary off two consecutive deliveries to give DC’s run-rate a big boost. Gowtham signs off wicketless, having conceded 39 from four.

Make that back-to-back hits over the straight boundary off Iyer’s bat! Straight as an arrow over long on this time! Has the tide finally turned in Delhi’s favour now? DC 78/3

SIX! Iyer waits for a loosener, and doesn’t waste the chance when one comes his way. Rocks back and smacks the long hop from Gowtham over long off! DC 72/3

DC 64/3 after 12 overs (Iyer 23, Pant 25)

Pant gets an edge off the first delivery that sends the ball flying wide of short third man, and all the way to the unprotected fenced for a boundary. A much-needed four from Delhi’s perspective, with the boundaries having dried up for a while now. Four singles collected off the remaining deliveries of the over, with the fifty partnership between the two being completed.

Fifty partnership up between Iyer and Pant for the fourth wicket off as many deliveries, the latter bringing up the milestone with a single off the penultimate ball of the 12th over. DC 63/3

FOUR! Lucky edge off Pant’s bat that travels wide of short third man and goes all the way to the boundary. Delhi however, will take anything that comes their way as long as it boosts their run-rate. DC 60/3

DC 56/3 after 11 overs (Iyer 21, Pant 19)

Spin from both ends as Gowtham continues Pant collects a single off the first before some quick running between the wickets sees Iyer grab back-to-back doubles off the next two. Single off each of the last two deliveries, with seven coming off the over.

Rishabh Pant’s average in 11-20 overs against each bowler type:
 
Right-arm fast: 43.6
Right-arm off: 35.0
Left-arm spin: 23.0
Leg-spin: 72.5
Left-arm fast: 21.0
Chinaman: 12.0

DC 49/3 after 10 overs (Iyer 16, Pant 17)

Debutant Ravi Bishnoi brought into the attack in the 10th over, and he starts off with a wide delivery. A couple of swing-and-misses for Pant off the next two deliveries before he finally connects and sends the ball towards deep point for a single. Single off each of the last two balls, with Pant retaining the strike. Tidy first over from the leggie, with four off it. Delhi’s run-rate, meanwhile, is below five at the halfway mark, and that ought to worry the dugout as well as the two batsmen at the centre.

DC 45/3 after 9 overs (Iyer 15, Pant 15)

Big over for Delhi Capitals, just the thing that they needed to shift the momentum in their favour as the two batsmen target Gowtham, plundering 13 off his second over — Pant hitting a four towards wide fine leg followed by a 99-metre hit over long on by Iyer. Partnership starting to look increasingly solid now. The game suddenly has become all the more interesting at the signal of the first strategic timeout.

SIX! First big hit of the innings, and this one comes off the captain’s bat and is absolutely MASSIVE! Stand-and-deliver stuff from the captain as the ball disappears in the night sky before landing in the second tier. Will take a while to fetch that! DC 43/3

FOUR! This one comes off a slog-sweep which results in Pant losing his balance and falling over, albeit he ends up guiding it for a one-bounce four towards the wide fine leg fence. DC 36/3

DC 32/3 after 8 overs (Iyer 8, Pant 9)

Change of ends for Jordan. Single to Iyer off the first delivery, followed by a wide. Bowls a slower one at Pant, which the southpaw misses completely while attempting a cut. Pant pushes the ball for a single off the fourth. Tidy work by Karun Nair at backward point after a punch by Iyer off the fifth delivery, saving at least a couple of runs for his team. A single off each of the last two deliveries of the over.

Rishabh Pant’s avg. and SR in IPL:

Against right-arm off-spinners: 50.0, 157.1
Against right-arm leg-spinners: 64.8, 163.6

Rishabh Pant’s SR in IPL:

PP overs: 132.2
Middle overs: 151.1
Death overs: 226.1

Did you know: Rishabh Pant has scored 1172 runs in IPL since 2018 – the second most by any player.

DC 27/3 after 7 overs (Iyer 6, Pant 7)

Krishnappa Gowtham, who appeared to have hurt his knee while giving the ball a chase two overs earlier, brought into the attack after the powerplay. Tidy over from the offie, with four singles coming off it.

DC 23/3 after 6 overs (Iyer 4, Pant 5)

Iyer edges the ball wide of the slip fielder for a single off the second delivery. Pant pushes the ball towards midwicket for a single two balls later. And that brings to an end the powerplay, a phase that has completely been bossed by the KXIP attack, especially Shami. Iyer and Pant will have to make a Rayudu-Faf-like comeback if they are to rescue Delhi and guide them to a competitive total from here.

DC 21/3 after 5 overs (Iyer 3, Pant 4)

Skipper Rahul introduces Jordan into the attack in place of Cottrell. Both Iyer and Pant get off the former, the Delhi captain working the ball through covers and running three before Pant slaps the ball through backward point for a boundary off the next legal delivery. Eight off the over.

FOUR! Pant gets off to a confident start, slashing the ball past backward point, beating the diving fielder. DC 21/3

DC 13/3 after 4 overs (Iyer 0, Pant 0)

Fiery over from Shami as he removes both Shaw and Hetmyer in a space of three deliveries — in which he also gets hit for a boundary by the West Indian, as Kings XI Punjab seize control of the game in the powerplay itself. Huge responsibility on captain Shreyas Iyer’s shoulders as he will now look to anchor the innings with the middle order.

OUT! What an over this is turning out to be for Shami, as Hetmyer departs just two deliveries after Shaw! The West Indian tried to ride the bounce, and ended up pushing it in Agarwal’s direction at cover for the simplest of catches. DC 13/3

Hetmyer c Agarwal b Shami 7(13)

FOUR! Confident pull by Hetmyer right after Shaw’s dismissal, dispatching the ball towards the vacant midwicket fence. DC 13/2

OUT! Poor shot by Shaw, miscuing a pull off a back-of-length delivery to get caught by Jordan running to his right from mid on, as Delhi Capitals lose their second opener in less than four overs. DC 9/2

Shaw c Jordan b Shami 5(9)

DC 8/1 after 3 overs (Shaw 5, Hetmyer 2)

Good over from Cottrell, with just one coming off it as Hetmyer collects a single off the last delivery to retain the strike as well as prevent it from going as a maiden.

DC 7/1 after 2 overs (Shaw 5, Hetmyer 1)

Mohammed Shami steams in from the other end, and bowls an absolute pearler to Shaw off the second delivery that nips away from the outside edge in the last second while travelling close to the top of off. Kings XI draw first blood after confusion between the two Delhi openers results in Dhawan being sent back to the striker’s end in the last second and finding himself way from the crease when the stumps are broken. Shimron Hetmyer walks out at No 3, and is immediately greeted with a loud appeal for caught-behind. He gets off the mark with a single off a mishit off the last ball, with a chance getting dropped near square leg.

OUT! KXIP get the first breakthrough, and it’s all thanks to the confusion between Dhawan and Shaw, resulting in the latter walking back to the dugout for a two-ball duck. DC 6/1

Dhawan run out (KL Rahul) 0(2)

Prithvi Shaw v leg-spinners in IPL:

Runs – 73
Balls – 60 
Dismissals – 7
Average – 10.4
SR – 121.7

DC 5/0 after 1 over (Shaw 5, Dhawan 0)

Cottrell starts off with a high full toss to Shaw followed by a couple of fuller deliveries that the youngster pokes around without setting off for a run. Shaw then opens DC’s account with a boundary off the fourth delivery, steering the ball towards third man, before setting off for a quick single. Dot off the last ball.

FOUR! Shaw gets Delhi Capitals off the mark with a boundary, steering the ball towards third man where Sarfaraz Khan puts in a dive in vain. DC 4/0

Shikhar Dhawan’s SR during powerplay overs in IPL:

2008-17 : 117.1 
2018 : 129.1
2019 : 143.6

The Kings XI Punjab players do a little huddle near the boundary before spreading out to their positions. Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan walk out to open the Delhi Capitals innings, with the younger of the two taking first strike. Cottrell bowls the first over.

And we’re underway with Match 2 of IPL 2020

Teams:

Kings XI Punjab: KL Rahul(w/c), Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Sarfaraz Khan, Glenn Maxwell, Nicholas Pooran, Krishnappa Gowtham, Chris Jordan, Sheldon Cottrell, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Shami

Delhi Capitals: Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Shreyas Iyer(c), Rishabh Pant(w), Shimron Hetmyer, Marcus Stoinis, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Mohit Sharm

DC v KXIP in IPL:

Matches played : 24

DC won : 10
KXIP won : 14

In the last years against each other they have played six IPL matches, DC have won two while KXIP have won four.

Shreyas Iyer, DC captain: That’s one of the reasons Im looking at the grass currently. I would’ve definitely looked to bowl as well. I’ve learnt to be responsible, and when you have Ponting and Sourav around, it makes your job easy. I love the role, and really looking forward to the season this year. Every batsmen has been batting their best at the nets. Currently the team is looking in very good position. The four foreigners are Hetmyer, Stoinis, Rabada and Nortje.

KL Rahul, KXIP captain: Looks like a fresh wicket, and don’t really know what to expect. Will try to put pressure on the batsman. I’m pumped and so is the whole team. We’re all excited. It was difficult staying indoors, but gave us a lot of time to think of what options we can play, and we’ve done everything strategically possible. Our four foreigners are Maxwell, Pooran, Jordan and Cottrell.

TOSS: Kings XI Punjab win the toss, and skipper KL Rahul opts to field first.

Michael Slater and Kevin Pietersen with the pitch report ahead of Match 2 of IPL 2020:

Slats: This looks like a magic cricket ground. It does like a bit different from the usual Dubai wicket.

KP: It does look a little bit different, and it’s the covering of the grass. You can see how much grass there is on the square. I don’t expect anything to be different from last night other than the dimensions and batsmen picking the boundaries. Without the wind, batsmen will pick the gaps. The square boundary becomes quite big. As a batsman, you walk out here and go: “ I like this.” If you win the toss, you make sure you chase.

“None of our batsmen carried on for us, like du Plessis and Rayudu did for CSK,” says Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma after the five-wicket loss to Chennai Super Kings in the opening game of IPL 2020 on Saturday.

Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper David Warner is hopeful of youngsters in the team translating their talent into performance as the 2016 champions, who begin their IPL 2020 campaign against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Monday, eye their second title victory.

‘Indian Paunch League’

Not only were some of the players a bit rusty in the MI-CSK match on Saturday, a couple of them walked to the ground with pronounced waistlines that caught everyone’s attention and even invited criticism from some quarters.

Having issues remembering all names while picking your best XI for both teams? No problem! Below are the two squads. 

DC: Shreyas Iyer (Captain), Prithvi Shaw, Ajinkya Rahane, Shikhar Dhawan, Daniel Sams, Ishant Sharma, Amit Mishra, Avesh Khan, Sandeep Lamichhane, Kagiso Rabada, Keemo Paul, Mohit Sharma, Lalit Yadav, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, R Ashwin, Marcus Stoinis, Anrich Nortje, Rishabh Pant, Alex Carey, Shimron Hetmyer, Tushar Deshpande.

KXIP: KL Rahul (Captain), Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Sarfaraz Khan, Mandeep Singh, Sheldon Cottrell, Ishan Porel, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Shami, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Arshdeep Singh, Hardus Viljoen, M Ashwin, J Suchith, Harpreet Brar, Darshan Nalkande, Glenn Maxwell, James Neesham, Chris Jordan, Krishnappa Gowtham, Deepak Hooda, Tajinder Singh Dhillon, Nicholas Pooran, Prabhsimran Singh.

IPL 2020 is just one match old but you must be looking to keep a tab on who lies where on the points table as the tournament progresses. Also, who currently owns the Orange and Purple caps. 

Get all your answers here.

Delhi Capitals coach Ricky Ponting believes that senior batsman Ajinkya Rahane’s inclusion adds “more depth” to the side but there will be a healthy competition for middle-order slots during this IPL season.

Read the full report here.

CSK beat MI by five wickets in the first contest of IPL 2020 yesterday. Gaurav Joshi feels that CSK’s experienced players maintained composure at crucial moments to beat their arch-rivals. 

Click here to read more from his analysis.

Two greats will pit their wits against each other in the background as their captains, with an ability to achieve greatness, lead their power-hitters out for an IPL match between Delhi Capitals and Kings XI Punjab.

Click here to read the full preview of Match No 2 of IPL 2020.

Hello and welcome to live coverage of Match number 2 between Delhi Capitals and Kings XI Punjab to be played at Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai. Two young captains – Shreyas Iyer (DC) and and KL Rahul (KXIP) will be leading their respective teams and will be fighting for the first points. Also expect plenty of fireworks today as names like Chris Gayle, Rishabh Pant, Shimron Hetmyer may feature today. Stay with us for more updates as build up to the clash.