Punjab Kings lost to Delhi Capitals by 15 runs in the Indian Premier League 2023, despite a brilliant knock by Liam Livingstone, who scored 94 runs. This defeat has put Punjab Kings’ playoff chances in jeopardy. Delhi Capitals’ Kuldeep Yadav, center, consoles Punjab Kings’ Liam Livingstone, left, at the end of the Indian Premier League cricket match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals(AP)
After being asked to bat first in the scenic HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala, Delhi Capitals got off to a great start thanks to Prithvi Shaw’s 54 off 38 balls. Skipper David Warner also contributed with 46 runs, before Rilee Rossouw smashed his first IPL half-century to finish with an unbeaten 82. Delhi eventually finished with 213/2.
In response, Punjab Kings got off to a rough start as their star batsman Shikhar Dhawan was dismissed in the first over. However, they managed to recover thanks to a 50-run stand by Atharva Taide and Prabhsimran Singh. Despite getting four reprieves, Punjab Kings could not get over the line and were restricted to 198/8, with only Liam Livingstone making a significant contribution.
Although mathematically still in contention, this defeat puts Punjab Kings’ playoff chances in serious jeopardy. They will need to win their last league game against Rajasthan Royals and rely on other results going their way if they want to make it to the playoffs.