Delhi Capitals defeated Kings XI Punjab in the Super Over in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) here on Sunday. Both teams scored 157 runs which dragged the match into the Super Over. Punjab managed to score just two runs as Kagiso Rabada dismissed KL Rahul and Nicholas Pooran in the second and third delivery respectively. Delhi Capitals then chased the target of three runs easily. Earlier, chasing a target of 158 runs, openers Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul provided Kings XI Punjab with a decent start. The duo formed a partnership of 30 runs before Mohit Sharma bowled Rahul (21) in the fifth over. Ravichandran Ashwin rolled his arms in the sixth over and took two wickets. He scalped the wicket of Karun Nair before dismissing Nicholas Pooran. However, in a major blow to the Delhi team, Ashwin got injured and left the field. The fall of wickets for Kings XI Punjab did not stop as Rabada sent Glenn Maxwell back to the pavilion. Agarwal was then joined by Sarfaraz Khan on the field and the duo took their side to the 50-run mark in the ninth over. Their 20-run partnership was brought to an end by Axar Patel as he dismissed Khan (12). Krishnappa Gowtham was the next batsman and played well, along with Agarwal. Keeping Kings XI Punjab’s hopes alive, Agarwal smashed two boundaries off Anrich Nortje in the 13th over. Gowtham also started playing aggressively and both took the team to the 100-run mark in the 16th over. However, in the same over, Rabada got rid of Gowtham, who scored 20 runs from 14 balls. Chris Jordan then joined Agarwal and the duo struck regular boundaries. In the 18th over, Agarwal smashed two sixes off Mohit Sharma’s over and also completed his half-century in the process. In the final over, Kings XI Punjab needed 13 runs to win. Agarwal scored 12 runs off the first three balls but Stoinis made a stunning comeback. Stoinis bowled a dot ball before taking two wickets off the last two deliveries, taking the match into the Super Over. Agarwal was dismissed after scoring 89 runs off 60 balls. Earlier, Delhi Capitals got off to a very poor start after being asked to bat first as the team lost three wickets in quick succession. Shikhar Dhawan (0) was run out in the second over while Prithvi Shaw and Shimron Hetmyer were dismissed by Mohammad Shami in the fourth over. Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant then took the field and provided the team with some momentum. Both played cautiously but kept the scoreboard ticking, helping the team get past the 50-run mark. Although Delhi Capitals were not giving away any wicket, Kings XI Punjab continued to dominate. After the competition of 11 overs, Delhi Capitals were at 56/3. However, from there on, Iyer shifted gears and started playing with an aggressive mindset. In the 13th over, bowled by Gowtham, Iyer struck two massive sixes. Both stitched a 73-run partnership before Pant (31) was bowled by Ravi Bishnoi in the 14th over. In the next over, Shami removed Iyer (39), putting Delhi Capitals under pressure again. Axar Patel and Marcus Stoinis were the next batsmen but their partnership did not last long as the former was sent back to the pavilion by Sheldon Cottrell. Delhi Capitals were at 100/7 after completion of the 17th over, with Stoinis and Ashwin on the field. Stoinis played aggressively and struck regular boundaries and sixes, bringing the team back into the game. He continued his brilliant form and scored 53 runs off just 21 balls, helping Delhi Capitals reach a respectable total of 157 runs.
