Mohali: Sam Curran's fifty and Liam Livingstone's late heroics has helped the hosts Punjab Kings to clinch a victory in their campaign opener against Delhi Capitals at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mullanpur here on Saturday.
Curran blazed away to a 47-ball 63 and got excellent support from compatriot Liam Livingstone (38 not out off 21 balls), as Punjab completed a chase of 175 with four balls to spare. This was after the returning Pant failed to set the stage on fire as Punjab Kings rallied to stop Delhi Capitals at 174 for nine.
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- Over 19.1 (177/6)
The debutant Sumit Kumar will be bowling the final over of the match. He bowled a couple of wides and then conceded a six to Livingstone, who hammered the good length delivery into the second tier. With this hit, Punjab Kings have won the game by four wickets in their campaign opener against Delhi Capitals and secured the second position in the points table. - Over 19 (169/6)
Khaleel Ahmed brought a huge twist in the game with two back-to-back wickets and almost got the third wicket on the final ball of the over, but Warner put it down. Punjab doing Punjab things here at Mullanpur. Just before the six balls, It never looked like Delhi Capitals were in the game and then they lost two wickets in an over and took only four runs. Six runs needed in six balls for Punjab to win. - Over 18 (165/4)
Another big over for Punjab. Looks like the hosts will register their first-ever victory at this new PCA Stadium. Curran hit Marsh for a six and a four and then Livingstone finished the over with a humongous six over deep fine-leg. 18 runs came from the over. Punjab need 10 runs off 12 balls. - Over 17 (147/4)
Another expensive over from Khaleel Ahmed. Livingstone smashed a couple of boundaries in the over to take Punjab closer to the target. 11-runs came from the over. This over puts Rishabh Pant in deep trouble as he will have to select the right order of the bowlers to bowl the final three overs. - Over 16 (136/4)
Axar Patel bowling his final over of the spell. He bowls a tidy over as just six runs came from the over. - Over 15 (130/4)
Change in the bowling as Mitchell Marsh comes back into the attack and Sam Curran goes after him. Curran whacked him for couple of fours in the first three balls and then Liam Livingstone smashed him for a maximum on the final ball. Punjab have got the over that they were looking for. 18 runs came from the Marsh's over. - Over 14 (112/4)
Kuldeep Yadav almost got his third wicket as Tristan Stubbs failed to grab the ball at the boundary. However, a decent effort from Stubbs, who covered 20 yards in running and has done almost everything to make it possible, but couldn't hold on to it. Another tidy over for Delhi. The run-rate has gone up to 10+ runs per over. Punjab Kings have to buckle up here and score some runs quickly to remove the pressure. - Over 13 (108/4)
A tidy over for Axar Patel. Just five singles came from the over. - Over 12 (103/4)
Kuldeep Yadav picks his second wicket as Jitesh Sharma walks back to the pavilion. Jitesh tried play a reverse sweep, but couldn't get a connection with the ball and he drags his both the legs outside the popping crease. Rishabh Pant was pretty quick with his hands as he broke the stumps with an ease. Punjab lost their vice-captain here. Liam Livingstone has came out to bat at number six. Just five singles and a wicket from the over of Kuldeep Yadav. - Over 11 (98/3)
Debutant Sumit Kumar is bowling his first over of the season and we have an appeal for stumping on the very first-ball. The umpire checked it but Jitesh's foot was clearly inside the line of the crease. Curran pulled the short-pitch delivery in the gap of mid-wicket and long-on for a boundary and then Jitesh cut another short-pitch delivery through the extra cover region for another boundary. 11 runs came from the over. - Over 10 (87/3)
Kuldeep provides a much-needed breakthrough as Prabhsimran Singh gives a sitter to David Warner at long-on. Just four singles came from the over. Delhi are still in the hunt and would eye another wicket here. Punjab still need 88 runs in the last 10 overs. Will they be able to clinch a victory or will Delhi Capitals snatch it from them? We will get the answer in the next 10 overs - Over 9 (83/2)
Axar Patel continues from the other end. Prabhsimran hit a boundary and then both batters took four singles in the over. Delhi Capitals need to find a wicket here to make a comeback in the match as Punjab Kings have deep batting. They must be banking on their spinners to provide a wicket for the team. - Over 8 (75/2)
Another change in the bowling, Kuldeep Yadav comes into the attack. Kuldeep nicely mixed up the deliveries with the speed, but bowled one short pitch delivery to Sam Curran, who dispatched it in the gap of the square leg and mid-wicket for a boundary. He finished his first over with eight runs. - Over 7 (67/2)
Change in the bowling again, Axar Patel is bowling his first over of the innings. Appeal for LBW as the ball hit Prabhsimran's pad, who came down the track just to steal a single. DC took a review and it went otherwise as the ball was missing the stump. Punjab batters have stolen seven runs with singles and doubles in the over. - Over 6 (60/2)
Mitchell Marsh came back into the attack as he replaced Ishant Sharma and Curran smacked him toward covers with a brilliant cover drive from the front foot. However, he finishes the over conceding just seven runs.
Ishant Sharma then injured himself after twisting his ankle while saving a second run and went off the field with the physios. He bowled the last over and was successful in providing a wicket with the ball and then by a great piece of fielding to get rid of Bairstow.
- Over 5 (53/2)
After conceding 25 runs in the first over, Rishabh Pant brought back Khaleed Ahmed into the attack. Curran opened his account with a couple and then took a single. Prabhsimran Singh then whacked Ahmed for a couple of back-to-back fours with a pull and a cover drive. He is 16 off just seven bowls now. - Over 4 (42/2)
Ishant Sharma cleaned Shikhar Dhawan up on the first ball of the over. Dhawan came dancing down the track and missed the straighter one completely. Prabhsimran Singh got two back-to-back boundaries, first with an edge and second with a cover drive. Punjab Kings then lost their second wicket on the fifth delivery as Jonny Bairstow was inches outside the crease when the ball hit the stumps after kissing the fingers of Ishant Sharma in the follow-up. Successful over for Ishant Sharma and Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings are in all sorts of trouble here. - Over 3 (34/0)
Change in the bowling in just third over as Mitchell Marsh has come into the attack and bowled the first ball well outside off stump. Dhawan jumped onto it and smashed it to the point boundary. Both the batters then gave respect to the bowler and accumulate three singles and a couple to end the over. - Over 2 (25/0)
Ishant Sharma is bowling from the other end and found the swing right away. However, he has to correct his lines as he bowls back-to-back wide balls and the concedes a boundary to Dhawan, who comes down the track and smashes it between the gap of covers and mid-off. He then made correction in his line and bowled off and fourth stump line. - Over 1 (17/0)
What a start for the Punjab Kings. Shikhar Dhawan hit a couple of boundaries in the first three balls while chasing a 175-run target. Bairstow then finished the over with back-to-back boundaries to finish the first over. Khaleel Ahmed is bowling a little wider in line, helping the batters free their arms. 17 runs came from the over.
Shikhar Dhawan and Jonny Bairstow are opening the innings for Punjab Kings while Khalil Ahmed is bowling the first over of the match.
End of Delhi Capitals innings:
- Over 20 (174/9)
150-up for Delhi Capitals. Abhishek Porel, who came out to bat as an impact substitute, is showcasing his prowess here at PCA stadium. He smashed Harshal Patel for 25 runs in the last over with the help of two massive sixes and three fours in the final over of the innings. Delhi Capitals set a defendable 175-run target against Punjab Kings with a brilliant display of power hitting from Abhishek Porel. - Over 19 (149/8)
Arshdeep bowled his last over of the innings. He conceded 17 runs in the first seven balls and then picked a wicket of Mitchell Marsh and made a solid turn around in his figures. He bowled a full-length delivery, debutant Sumit Kumar tried to whack it over mid-wicket, but ended up giving a simple catch behind the wickets. He is now just two wickets short from becoming the fourth most successful bowler for the Punjab Kings. - Over 18 (146/7)
The last thing Delhi Capitals would have wanted is Axar Patel's run out in the business end of the innings as the last hope for DC is returning to the dugout in the form of the India all-rounder. Harshal Patel is varying the pace so nicely as the tail-enders face difficulties to hit them out of the park. It looked like the over would finish with singles, but the edge of the bat gave Delhi Capitals a boundary on the final ball. - Over 17 (137/6)
Skipper Dhawan has made some impressive changes in the bowling. He hardly gave back-to-back overs to the seamers and the bowlers responded very nicely to it. Rabada bowled a bouncer to a southpaw Axar, who played it in the air and managed to clear the third-man fielder by an inch. However, Rabada varied his length and pace to keep both batters quiet. Just nine runs came from the over despite hitting a six on the first ball of the over. - Over 16 (128/6)
Change in bowling, leg-spinner Rahul Chahar replaced Harpreet Brar in the attack and provided a breakthrough straightaway. After conceding 70 runs in seven overs, Punjab Kings have made a remarkable comeback powered by Harshal Patel's impressive bowling effort. Just four runs came from the over including a couple and a single. - Over 15 (124/5)
Arshdeep Singh comes back into the attack. Axar Patel cuts one powerfully towards the point region for four. Both the batters have taken a couple and a single in the over. - Over 14 (117/5)
Harpreet Brat darted one down the leg on the second delivery and it was called a wide. The wicketkeeper appealed for the dismissal but the umpire was firm with his decision. PBKS reviews the decision and there is a clear spike on Snicko. Brilliant job from Jitesh Sharma as his review helped the fielding team ensure dismissal. - Over 13 (111/4)
A drive-through extra cover by Rishabh Pant on the second delivery and it's a glimpse of his old version. He tried to play an uppercut to the bowler but it was a slower bouncer from Harshal. The pace variation deceived the batter and he ended up being caught at backward point. Stubbs plays two dot balls after arriving at the crease. - Over 12 (103/3)
Only eight runs from the over bowled by Rahul Chahar as he has been keeping his lines constant. Ricky Bhui is at the crease and he will now aim to build a partnership with Rishabh Pant. - Over 11 (95/3)
Two singles from the first two deliveries of the over and then Shai Hope followed it up with an explosive shot wide of long-on. It was a well-timed shot from the West Indies’s batter and he earned a maximum for it. The batter played through the air and Brar dived forward to take the catch and DC lost their fourth wicket. - Over 10 (86/2)
Shai Hope scored a boundary on the second delivery of the over with a slog sweep as he threaded a gap between deep square leg and deep mid-wicket for four runs. Three more singles from the over and a total of seven runs from it. Hope will look forward to anchoring the innings with Pant getting to get into the groove. - Over 9 (79/2)
Rishabh Pant, who garnered a lot of hype before the start of the season has come to bat and he will be keen to justify all the buzz around him. Brar has been very particular with his line and length. He is cramping both the batters for the room so has been economical so far. Five runs from the over. - Over 8 (74/2)
Warner started the over with a brilliant boundary through deep cover on the very first delivery. However, a tidy-over from him after that and the last ball also created some drama. He bowled a slower bouncer and Warner tried to pull it but was beaten on the top edge. The fielding team immediately but the umpire judged it to be not out. A DRS from PBKS and it reversed the decision. Warner walks back to the hut. - Over 7 (68/1)
After showing patience at the start of the over Shai Hope advanced down the track and whacked a ball straight down the ground for six runs. He then followed it with a square cut which went for a boundary courtesy of a misfield. 14 runs from the over. - Over 6 (54/1)
Harpreet Brar into the attack and he has bowled in the wickets to bowl an economical over. Only three runs from the over and DC are now looking to build a partnership here. - Over 5 (51/1)
Warner attempted to play an attacking shot on the second ball of the over but got an inside edge. However, he made a comeback after that smashing a boundary and then following it with a brilliant scoop shot. A close miss on the next ball and the over has witnessed everything. Inside edge, a boundary, a maximum and a jaffa from the bowler. - Over 4 (40/1)
A blistering start to Arshdeep’s over as Marsh smacks him straight over long-off for six runs. However, Marsh tried to play an aerial shot through the off-side but was caught by Rahul Chahar this time at the edge of the 30-yard circle. The pacer has then bowled in tight areas not allowing newly arrived Shai Hope to free his arms. - Over 3 (33/0)
Kagiso Rabada is introduced into the attack and he is also welcomed with a six by Marsh as a result of a magnificent pull by the batter. Bowlers are banging it short but they haven’t been to bowl at shoulder height so far which might have been uncomfortable for the DC batters. The two-bouncer rule seems to be playing a role here. - Over 2 (21/0)
Arshdeep Singh bowled two dots in the first couple of balls but he bowled back-of-length deliveries in the next two which were utilised by Warner with a pull and a backfoot punch towards the sweeper cover. Both the bowlers are still finding their rhythm and so are going wayward in their lengths. A nice last ball from Arshdeep as he beat Warner on the outside edge with a ball seaming away. - Over 1 (10/0)
Lack of discipline from Curran as he bowled two deliveries striding down the leg to Marsh and the DC opener punished both of them by earning two boundaries in the deep fine leg region. Curran is still getting his line correct and has conceded 10 runs in the opening over.
David Warner and Mitchell Marsh are opening the innings for Delhi Capitals (DC) while Sam Curran will start the proceedings with the ball for Punjab Kings (PBKS).
- Playing XI
Punjab Kings: Shikhar Dhawan (Captain), Jonny Bairstow, Shivam Singh, Jitesh Sharma (Wicket-keeper), Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Rahul Chahar, Kagiso Rabada, Harpreet Brar.
Delhi Capitals: David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Shai Hope, Rishabh Pant(wicket-keeper/captain), Ricky Bhui, Tristan Stubbs, Axar Patel, Sumit Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Khaleel Ahmed, Ishant Sharma - Toss
Punjab Kings skipper Shikhar Dhawan won the toss and opted to field.
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