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Punjab Kings (PBKS) kicked off their Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign with a four-wicket victory over Delhi Capitals (DC) at home on Saturday. The victory marks PBKS’s seventh opening-game win in eight seasons.
Sam Curran emerged as the Player of the Match for his 63 runs from 47 balls - the first half century of the season. He stitched crucial 42 run partnership with Prabhsimran Singh and 67 runs with Liam Livingstone to take the game away from the Capitals.
Chasing 175 runs for the win, PBKS endured some late nervous moments, induced by Khaleel Ahmed’s back-to-back wickets, but got past the finish line with a Livingstone maximum.
A look at the top moments from PBKS vs DC at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur:
Pant makes a comeback
Rishabh Pant's highly anticipated return to competitive cricket proved to be a bittersweet experience. After a 453-day absence, Pant’s comeback match saw him score just 18 runs.
Batting at number four, Pant showcased glimpses of his brilliance with two boundaries during his 13-ball stay. However, his innings was cut short by Harshal Patel, who initially dropped a simple catch of the DC captain.
Pant briefly capitalised on the reprieve, driving Harshal for a boundary with a graceful shot. However, two balls later, he fell victim to the seamer’s change in pace. Unable to read the change in speed, Pant attempted a ramp shot but lobbed it, resulting in a catch for Jonny Bairstow at backward point. Understandably, Pant expressed his frustration as he made his way back to the dugout.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsThere were question marks if he would be able to keep wickets but Pant stood up to the stumps without any visible discomfort. He was quick to stump out Jitesh Sharma who tried to play a reverse sweep and then took a straightforward catch of Shashank Singh late on.
PBKS produce strong start and then mid-innings recovery
Shikhar Dhawan and Jonny Bairstow provided PBKS with an ideal start in the 175 run chase, but their dismissals in quick succession threatened to derail the chase.
Sam Curran and Prabhsimran Singh, who came in as an Impact Sub, steadied the ship with a crucial partnership for the third wicket. Thereafter, Curran and Livingstone took the contest away from DC who looked to be in the thick of things by then.
Impact Sub helps, and hurts, Delhi
Like Dhawan and Bairstow at the top for PBKS, DC also started well courtesy Marsh and Warner. Despite losing Marsh, DC swiftly moved to 54/1 at the end of the powerplay. At the halfway stage, they lost Warner, to reach 86/2.
The middle overs, though, hit DC. Shai Hope fell to Kagiso Rabada, Pant to Harshal Patel before Ricky Bhui perished without much of an impact. Tristan Stubbs and Axar Patel held the onus to steer the visitors to a competitive total. Stubbs departed after playing just eight deliveries and Axar was run out not long after.
At 138/7 in the 18th over, DC used the Impact Sub to bring in Abhishek Porel in place of Bhui. Porel scored 25 runs in the final over to take them to a respectable 174/9. However, this change meant DC could not bring in a bowler later. That issue got compounded further when Ishant Sharma rolled his ankle and hobbled off the field. With a bowler short and Marsh going for 52 runs, Pant ended up using Sumit Kumar for the final over and that was never going to be a challenge.
DC hurt by poor fielding
DC’s fielding mistakes proved costly as Sam Curran was dropped on 33 and Harpreet Brar was let off by David Warner late in the innings. These missed opportunities allowed PBKS to maintain momentum. Had DC held on to those, PBKS would have had 30 runs less from Curran and maybe more importantly, forced PBKS into the corner in the final over.
Khaleel Ahmed had already taken two-in-two and a third could have applied the pressure on PBKS with eight needed from the final over instead of six.
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