In a bid to secure a top-two finish and advance directly to Qualifier 1, Punjab Kings (PBKS) adopted an aggressive approach during their innings against Delhi Capitals (DC) in Jaipur. PBKS notched up 60 for 2 within the powerplay, followed by 80 for 3 in the subsequent ten overs, and concluded with a hefty 70 runs in the final four overs. Their innings closed at 206 for 8, driven by Shreyas Iyer’s commanding 53 off 34 balls, complemented by a dynamic unbeaten 44 from Marcus Stoinis, crafted from just 16 balls.
Delhi’s Mustafizur Rahman claimed three wickets, conceding 33 runs. All three dismissals came through catches by Tristan Stubbs, standing in as wicketkeeper for Abishek Porel. Although Mustafizur snagged Priyansh Arya early, in the second over, PBKS’s Prabhsimran Singh and Shreyas maintained the assault, reaching 44 for 1 after five overs. Targeting DC’s spinners, Vipraj Nigam and Kuldeep Yadav, they accumulated 47 runs in the next four overs while losing two wickets.
Holding his ground amid falling wickets, Shreyas anchored the PBKS innings. They stood at 146 for 5 going into the death overs, with Stoinis and Shreyas extracting 25 runs from Mukesh Kumar in the 17th over. Shreyas reached his fifty in 33 balls, deftly clipping Mukesh to the boundary. Kuldeep retaliated in the 18th over, dismissing Shreyas with a slower ball and then Azmatullah Omarzai at wide long-on.
Despite Kuldeep’s efforts, Stoinis ensured PBKS amassed another 32 runs from the last two overs, including a sequence of 6, 4, 4, 6 against Mohit in the 19th. Harpreet Brar added to the fireworks, launching his first delivery for six in the final over, pushing PBKS beyond the 200 mark for the seventh occasion this season.
Tom Moody and Anil Kumble lauded Shreyas Iyer’s leadership, with Moody observing, “Young Indian players thrive under Shreyas’ captaincy.” As PBKS aim to cement their spot in Qualifier 1, their aggressive strategy and Shreyas’s leadership will likely play pivotal roles in the matches ahead.
