IPL 2025 | DC VS PBKS; Punjab lose; Delhi ends campaign with victory

 

IPL 2025 | DC VS PBKS: Punjab lose;Delhi ends campaign with victory andPunjab maintained 2nd place despite defeat against Delhi, RCB have a chance,

Jaipur: Punjab Kings vs.Delhi Capitals registered a six-wicket victory in the IPL match held on Saturday, ending their campaign with a win.Batting first, Punjab scored 206 runs for the loss of eight wickets with the help of brilliant batting by captain Shreyas Iyer (53) and Marcus Stoinis (44*). Chasing this target, Delhi reached the target for the loss of four wickets in 19.3 overs with three balls to spare, thanks to a blistering half-century by Sameer Rizi (58*).

Rizzi remained unbeaten on 58 runs off 25 balls, hitting five sixes and three fours. He was also deservedly named the Man of the Match. For Delhi, Karun Nair (44), KL Rahul (35), captain Faf du Plessis (23) and Tristan Stunners made useful contributions.

Delhi chased down the target of 200+ runs...

This is the third time in IPL history that Delhi have chased a target of more than 200 runs. Earlier this year, they chased a target of 210 runs against Lucknow Supergiants in Visakhapatnam. In 2017, they chased a target of 209 runs against Gujarat Lions.

Delhi ended their campaign with a win...

Delhi, who were in search of their maiden title, narrowly missed out on their play-off dreams. They have collected 16 points from 14 matches played, with seven wins and six losses, and are fifth in the points table.

Competition for the top spot...a chance for RCB,

On the other hand, despite this defeat, Punjab Kings have maintained their second position. They have 17 points with eight wins from 13 matches. Although Royal Challengers Bangalore have the same number of points, Punjab have maintained their second position on the basis of a better run rate.

Punjab have maintained a run rate of +0.327 and RCB have maintained a run rate of +0.255. So the last few matches are crucial for both these teams to clinch a spot in the top two positions.RCB will play their last match against Lucknow Supergiants at the Ekana Stadium on May 27.Punjab's last match will be played a day before this.Mumbai Indians will face the challenge in Jaipur on May 26.

Gujarat top spot?

Gujarat Titans are currently at the top of the table with 18 points from 13 matches with nine wins. They will face Chennai Super Kings in their last match in Ahmedabad today (Sunday)Also, they are under pressure to win this match to maintain their top spot. If they lose this match, their top spot will be in jeopardy.

The top two teams in the play-off stage will get two chances to qualify for the final. They will face each other in the first qualifier to be held in Chandigarh on May 29. The winner of this will get a direct ticket to the final. On the other hand, the losing team will get a chance to play in the second qualifier.The teams ranked third and fourth in the standings will face off in the Eliminator to be held on June 30. The winning team here will advance to the second qualifier.

The second qualifier is scheduled for June 1. The final will be held on June 3 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Gujarat. The first qualifier and eliminator will be held in Chandigarh and the Qualifier 2 will be held in Ahmedabad.Youngster Sameer Rizza's blistering half-century (58 not out, 25 off) and useful play from other top batsmen helped Delhi Capitals defeat Punjab Kings by six wickets in an IPL match on Saturday. For the third day in a row, a team that had qualified for the playoffs was beaten by a team that had fallen out of the race.

Punjab Kings, sent in to bat at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, posted a challenging total of 206 for 8. Skipper Shreyas (53, 342, 4x5, 6x2) and Soinis (44 not out, 16a, 4x3, 6x4) made key contributions. Chasing the target, Delhi ended their league campaign with a win, scoring 208 for 4 with three balls to spare.KL Rahul and Faf du Plessis gave Delhi a good start with a 55-run stand in 5.3 overs. Karun Nair, who was celebrating his selection to the Indian Test team, also made a useful contribution with 44 (27a, 4x5, 6x2). When he lost his wicket, Delhi (155 for 4) needed 52 runs in five overs.

However, 21-year-old Sameer Riza played a blistering innings. He added 53 runs for the unbroken fifth wicket with Tristan Swales (18 not out, 14a). His innings included three fours and five sixes. He also hit the winning run with a six off the third ball of the final over bowled by Soinis.The teams ranked third and fourth in the standings will face off in the Eliminator to be held on June 30. The winning team here will advance to the second qualifier.

The second qualifier is scheduled for June 1. The final will be held on June 3 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Gujarat. The first qualifier and eliminator will be held in Chandigarh and the Qualifier 2 will be held in Ahmedabad.Shreyas, Stoinis' outburst: To thisFirst, after a brilliant half-century from captain Shreyas Iyer, Delhi Capitals achieved a challenging total as Marcus Soinis struck in the final over.

Short score

Punjab Kings: 8 for 20 in 20 overs206 (Prabhasimran Singh 28, Josh Inglis 32, Shreyas Iyer 53, Marcus Soinis 44 not out; Mustafizur Rahman 3 for 33, Vipraj Nigam 2 for 38, Kuldeep Yadav 2 for 39)

Delhi Capitals: 4 in 19.3 overs208 for 2 (KL Rahul 35, Faf du Plessis 23, Karun Nair 44, Sediqulla Atal 22, Sameer Rizzi 58 not out, Tristan Stubb 18 not out; Harpreet Brar 2 for 41).

Player of the Match:Sameer Rizzi.