Kamal Ghorui
Delhi Capitals kept their IPL 2026 playoff hopes alive with a stunning three-wicket win over Punjab Kings in a high-scoring thriller at Dharamsala on Monday. Chasing a daunting target of 211, DC rode on counterattacking half-centuries from David Miller and captain Axar Patel to complete the highest successful run chase at the HPCA Stadium, finishing the job in just 19 overs. The victory came at a crucial stage of the season for Delhi, who had entered the contest needing wins to remain in playoff contention. Punjab, meanwhile, slumped to a fourth consecutive defeat after once looking like one of the strongest teams in the competition.
PBKS had earlier posted 210/5 after another explosive start from opener Priyansh Arya. The left-hander smashed a breathtaking 56 off just 33 deliveries, hammering six towering sixes in a fearless display of strokeplay. He took apart the DC pace attack early, particularly targeting Mitchell Starc in an over that leaked 22 runs. The ball travelled quickly in the thin Dharamsala air, and Priyansh capitalised fully by dispatching Starc, Lungi Ngidi and Mukesh Kumar to all parts of the ground. However, Delhi fought back smartly after conceding 51 runs in the first three overs. Young pacer Auqib Nabi played a key role in slowing the momentum by bowling hard lengths and extracting movement off the surface. Priyansh eventually fell to debutant Madhav Tiwari, who claimed his maiden IPL wicket when the PBKS opener was caught at deep point. PBKS lost momentum after their flying start. At 107/2 after 10 overs, a total beyond 230 looked possible, but Delhi’s bowlers tightened their lines effectively. Captain Shreyas Iyer tried to rebuild with an unbeaten 59 off 36 balls while Cooper Connolly contributed 38 from 27 deliveries during an 83-run partnership. Yet neither batter was able to fully accelerate in the death overs. Starc redeemed himself slightly by dismissing Marcus Stoinis and Shashank Singh off successive deliveries in the 19th over. Despite late sixes from Suryansh Shedge, PBKS were restricted to 210/5 thanks to an excellent final over from Ngidi. Delhi’s chase began shakily as PBKS struck three times inside the powerplay for the first time this season. Yash Thakur removed Abishek Porel with a sharp seaming delivery that crashed into middle stump. KL Rahul mistimed a whip off Arshdeep Singh and was caught at fine leg, while youngster Sahil Parakh showed promise before falling to Arshdeep as well. The pressure increased further when Tristan Stubbs was run out, leaving DC struggling at 74/4. But just when Punjab looked in complete control, Axar and Miller launched a sensational counterattack. Axar smashed 56 off only 30 balls, taking on both spin and pace with fearless intent. Miller matched him shot for shot with a blistering 51 from 28 deliveries as the duo added 64 runs in just 34 balls to completely swing the momentum back towards Delhi. Even after both set batters departed, DC held their nerve. Ashutosh Sharma produced a valuable cameo of 24 while Madhav Tiwari chipped in with 18 important runs to guide the visitors home with six balls to spare. For Punjab, Arshdeep stood out with impressive figures of 2/21 in four overs, but the rest of the bowling attack struggled badly under pressure as their losing streak continued at a critical phase of the tournament.
