@B0$
In perhaps the best game of the season, if you're a fan of massive scores, Punjab Kings left Delhi Capitals slack-jawed by pulling off the highest successful chase in Men's T20 history. KL Rahul (152* off 67) and Nitish Rana's (91 off 44) brutal takedown of PBKS' bowling with a 220-run stand was rendered meaningless as Prabhsimran Singh (76 off 26) and Shreyas Iyer (61* off 30) headlined a statement victory for the last season's finalists, to remain unbeaten this year after seven matches. It looked like Rahul and Rana had vindicated Axar Patel's decision to bat first but PBKS took on the challenge of chasing down their 264/2 - the highest total of this season, and did it with 7 balls to spare.
@B1$
@B2$ Delhi Capitals 264/2 in 20 overs [KL Rahul 152* (68), Nitish Rana 91 (44)] lost to Punjab Kings 265/4 in 18.5 overs [Prabhsimran Singh 76 (26), Shreyas Iyer 61* (30)] by 6 wickets
@B3$
It looked like the heat got to the Punjab Kings players very early, particularly the boundary riders. Shashank Singh dropped yet another sitter at square leg, perhaps the costliest miss in a T20 game. Rahul was on 12 when that happened, and went on to add 140 more runs to his tally. A miffed Arshdeep Singh broke through in the same over with Pathum Nissanka's wicket, but that only brought Nitish Rana to the crease and opened the floor for a sensational second-wicket alliance.
Rahul took early charge like he'd not done in years - he scored 35 off his first 15 balls for the fourth time in the IPL, the three previous such events coming back in 2018 and 2019, when he was with Punjab. Rana started briskly too, even as he faced quite a few change up deliveries from Marco Jansen and Xavier Bartlett. He largely watched on as Rahul reached a 21-ball fifty and DC got to 102/1 at the halfway stage. Rana then drew some inspiration from his batting partner and stepped up to the podium in the 12th over, plundering Xavier Bartlett all around the ground. He went 6,4,4,4,4,6 - hitting over square leg, fine leg and cover to reach his half-century.
@B4$
At 153/1 in 13 overs, Shreyas Iyer had to turn to his best. On came Arshdeep, but Rahul's batting ideas were still outlandish. He shuffled across for a scoop over the bowler's head for a four, followed that with a straight six and a straight four, before finishing the over with a smart cut behind point to get into the 90s. Marco Jansen returned too and watched the ball fly all around again - the third boundary of the over taking Rahul to his sixth IPL century, and fastest - off just 47 deliveries.
@B5$
After smashing 120 runs in the middle overs, Rahul and Rana were hungry for so much more. Rahul launched three big sixes off Vijaykumar Vyshak in a 24-run over to get started at the death, powering his team past the 200-mark in 16 overs. A rare quiet over came from Yuzvendra Chahal but the hopes of breaking through with Rana's wicket were quashed by the TV umpire. Marcus Stoinis took an exceptional catch at square leg, but multiple replays pushed the TV umpire to the conclusion that the Aussie's foot touched the boundary skirting.
The left-hander then got a six and a four in the 19th over to move into the 90s, before falling to a sharp catch from Shreyas Iyer at mid-off. This brought an end to a 220-run partnership - the second-best for any wicket in IPL history. Arshdeep closed out the innings with a modest nine-run over, but DC ended with 264/2 - the highest total of the season and Rahul went unbeaten on 152 off 67 - the best score by an Indian in IPL history.
@B6$
Priyansh Arya flicked the first ball of the chase for a six, and collected nine more in the opening over from Auqib Nabi. Mukesh Kumar was then hit for 21 in the second. As far as these two were concerned, the chase was very much on...
@B7$
In the third over, the South African backtracked from mid-off in an attempt to take a catch and had a bad fall, suffering a severe head injury. He needed an ambulance to @L0$. A couple of hours later, official word came through that he was stable.
@B8$
Arya and Prabhsimran continued to throw their bats around. Axar Patel went for 20 in the third over and Nabi, with a change of ends, was ripped into again - conceding four sixes in a 27-run over. PBKS incredibly had 83/0 in just four overs. Natarajan tied the two free spirited openers down and still conceded nine runs, but Prabhsimran hit six fours off Mukesh Kumar to end the Powerplay on 116/0. In the same over, Prabhsimran reached an 18-ball half-century.
@B9$
With that whirlwind start, PBKS had snared half their mammoth target by the seventh over, but Axar and Kuldeep Yadav triggered a shift by taking out both the openers. The DC captain dismissed Arya for a 17-ball 43, who holed out to deep mid-wicket. Prabhsimran's mind-numbing knock - 76 off 26 with nine fours and nine sixes - was then cut short by an LBW dismissal against Kuldeep. DC nearly had Cooper Connolly in the next over from Axar, only for Mukesh's boot to touch the boundary skirting after taking a good diving catch at deep square leg. Kuldeep immediately made up for that by cleaning up the Aussie in the 10th over. PBKS reached 147/3 in 10 overs - but that came after managing just 31/3 in the four overs after the Powerplay.
Shreyas Iyer and Nehal Wadhera took 16 off Natarajan to try and get the chase back on track but Vipraj Nigam, the concussion substitute, had the latter caught at long off in the 15th over. Nigam should've put a distance between PBKS and a positive result when he got Shreyas to miscue a big shot in the same over, only for Karun Nair to drop a sitter. PBKS went into the death overs at 203/4, needing 62 off 30 balls.
@B10$
For all of the six-hitting and batting machismo, this game also had some costly drop catches. Nair dropped Shreyas again in the 16th over, this time at long on. The PBKS captain then smashed three sixes and a four in the 23-run over. He also punished Natarajan in the 17th with a four and a six, taking the equation down to a scarcely believable 23 off 18. Shreyas refused to dial down even from this point, tonking Mukesh for a four and a six. He hit another six off Natarajan in the 19th over, before a wide wrapped up the game. Shreyas walked off with a phenomenal 61* off 30.
@B11$
Delhi Capitals stay put at home and have a short turnaround time before hosting RCB on April 27. PBKS, who head back home, have an extra day's break before hosting Rajasthan Royals.
