IPL 2022, DC vs PBKS: Delhi Capitals beat Punjab Kings to stay in the hunt

Kuldeep, Shardul star with ball vs Punjab after Marsh bats deep on difficult pitchPunjab Kings' boom-or-bust batting approach came back to haunt them as they messed up their chances of qualifying for the playoffs after surrendering to the Delhi Capitals by 17 runs in a must-win contest on Monday. AS IT HAPPENED | SCORECARD | POINTS TABLEPunjab batters dug their own graves with irresponsible shot selection on a slow track at the DY Patil Stadium, as Delhi Capitals rode on pacer Shardul Thakur's impressive four-wicket haul to bolster their chances of qualifying for the top four. Thakur overcame a lean patch to spearhead the turnaround in Delhi's favour with the twin strikes of Bhanuka Rajapaksha (4) and Shikhar Dhawan (19) within three deliveries, and later came back to remove Jitesh Sharma (44), and Kagiso Rabada (6).

Delhi's demolition act came in a matter of 15 deliveries as Punjab were reduced from a comfortable 52/1 to a precarious 55/4, before the spin twins Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav paired up to further dent the red and gold brigade's hopes. Anrich Nortje had removed the dangerous Jonny Bairstow (28) early on to disrupt the chase. Axar and Kuldeep shared four wickets between them to strengthen Delhi's grasp over the contest. While Patel cleaned up skipper Mayank Agarwal (0) and Rishi Dhawan (4), Kuldeep got the key wicket of the in-form Liam Livingstone (3), stumped by the skipper Rishabh Pant, and later Harpreet Brar (1).

Earlier, Mitchell Marsh was forced to change gears midway, as he anchored the innings with a steady 48-ball 63 to help Delhi put on 159/7 after a slump. Cruising at over nine runs an over, Delhi initially looked on course for a bigger total, but squandered their chances with some needless