Delhi Capitals kept their hopes of making it to the IPL 2026 playoffs alive with a wicket-less victory over Kings XI Punjab in a high-scoring thriller in Dharamshala on Monday. In order to chase the arduous goal of 211, DC embarked on a counterattack journey that has lasted half a century. David Miller and captain Axar Patel Completed the most successful run chase at HPCA Stadium, completing the task in just 19 overs. The win came at a crucial stage of the season for Derry, who went into the game needing a win to stay in the playoffs. Meanwhile, Punjab suffered their fourth consecutive defeat after looking like one of the strongest teams in the competition.
PBKS had earlier posted a record of 210/5 after another explosive start from opener Priyansh Arya. The left-hander smashed a stunning 56 off just 33 deliveries and hit six towering sixes in a fearless stroke-play performance. He picked apart DC’s speed attack early, especially against Mitchell Starc, who allowed 22 points. The ball was moving fast in the thin air of Dharamshala and Priyansh took full advantage of it, sending Starc, Lungi Ngidi and Mukesh Kumar to all corners of the pitch. However, Delhi staged a smart fightback after conceding 51 runs in the first three overs. Young pacer Auqib Nabi played a key role in slowing down the momentum by bowling long lengths and extracting movement from the ground. Priyansh ended up losing to debutant Madhav Tiwari, who earned his first IPL wicket when the PBKS opener was caught at deep point. PBKS ran out of steam after a strong start. After 10 overs, the score was 107/2 and the total looked likely to cross 230, but Delhi’s bowlers tightened the line effectively. team leader Shreyas Iyer Trying to rebuild the side with an unbeaten 59 off 36 balls, Cooper Connolly contributed 38 off 27 balls in 83 games. However, both batsmen could not quite accelerate in the death overs. Starc redeemed himself a bit in the 19th over by dismissing the successive deliveries of Marcus Stoinis and Shashank Singh. Despite Suryansh Shedge batting in the last six, PBKS were restricted to 210/5 thanks to Ngidi’s superb final over. Delhi’s chase began to falter, with PBKS attacking three times in the powerplay for the first time this season. Yash Thakur bowled Abishek Porel with a sharp seaming delivery that hit mid-stump. KL Rahul mistakenly bowled Arshdeep Singh, causing a leg injury, while youngster Sahil Parakh also showed promise before falling to Arshdeep. The pressure increased further when Tristan Stubbs was sidelined, leaving DC with a record of 74/4. But just when Punjab looked in complete control, Axar and Miller launched a sensational counterattack. Axar smashed 56 off just 30 balls, dealing with spin and pace with fearless intent. Miller matched his score with 51 off 28 balls and the pair scored 64 in just 34 balls to turn the momentum squarely towards Delhi. DC maintained their composure even after the batsmen departed in both sets. Ashutosh Sharma made a cameo of 24 while Madhav Tiwari contributed 18 vital runs to lead the visitors home with a six-ball lead. For Punjab, Ashdeep stood out with impressive figures of 2/21 in four overs, but the rest of the bowling attack struggled under pressure and their losing streak continued in the crucial stages of the game.
