IPL 2019, DC vs KXIP: Delhi beat Punjab by 5 wickets

Disciplined bowling from Delhi, who read the pitch well. Amit Mishra got some tonking because of literally poor bowling but the others were excellent. Sandeep Lamichhane purchased 3 wickets for the cost of 40 runs and that was worth it. The acrobatic catch combination of Ingram and Axar to get rid of Gayle turned things in Punjab's favour and Lamichhane also dismissed Curran in the same over, turning up the heat. Here he is, talking to Michael Slater...

As the previous text suggests, it was all about that innings at the top. From Christopher Henry Gayle. He was in his own league, as he dismissed every bowler that he faced, to the cleaners, while the others kept getting out to soft dismissals. But once he got out, the runs started to come in a trickle and save aside for a sensible 30 from Mandeep and an unbeaten 12-ball 20 from the debutant Harpreet Brar, there was nothing much to talk about Punjab's batting.

How to look at 163? Let us try two ways - A. You are just tuning in and seeing that on a dry turning wicket at the Kotla, Punjab have got 160. Match-winning. B. You have been following the game pretty well and seen that Punjab were 92/3 at the halfway mark. That means only 71 runs scored in the second half with 4 wickets lost. Match-turning.

K Rabada to H Brar, SIX! A biggie to finish the innings! Will this hurt Delhi later on? Short and outside off, Harpreet rocks back and pulls it with consummate ease over mid-wicket! Punjab finish on 163/7!

K Rabada to H Viljoen, Another bye. Outside off, HV swings hard, to miss again. Another bye is stolen as another under-arm shy from Pant goes wide of the stumps.

K Rabada to H Viljoen, An all South African affair. Rabada digs it short and outside off, Viljoen swats it through mid-wicket. Colin Ingram races to his left from the ropes and dives full length to stop the boundary. Two runs taken.

K Rabada to H Viljoen, TWO BYES. One off an overthrow. Schoolboy stuff from Rabada. First, a bouncer to his countryman. Viljoen ducks and then Brar calls Hardus for the bye. Pant under-arms the ball to Rabada who tries to back-flick the ball at the non-striker's end. But misses. The ball goes to long on and the second is taken.

K Rabada to H Brar, Short and around middle, Brar looks to pull but is done in by the bounce. Mistimes his shot wide of short mid-wicket and gets a single.

Hardus Viljoen comes out at number 9, with 5 balls left.

K Rabada to R Ashwin, OUT! Rabada strikes on the first ball of the final over. Short and around off, cutting in, cramping the batsman for room, Ashwin, looking to back away and pull is cramped. He goes through with the shot but only manages to make feeble connection. The ball barely carries to his counterpart at long on but Shreyas Iyer charges in and dives forward to take a clean catch. For some reason, Ashwin stands his ground and waits for the confirmation that the catch is clean. Is not kept waiting for too long as the replays come in pretty quickly and convincingly.

I Sharma to R Ashwin, Fuller length delivery on leg, following the batsman. Ashwin drives it to long on for a single.

I Sharma to H Brar, Fuller length by Ishant, Brar squeezes it towards the cover region for a single.

I Sharma to R Ashwin, A short delivery on off, Ashwin jumps to his off stump so that he can swing his arms. In the end pulls it towards the mid on region for a single.

I Sharma to H Brar, Too full length delivery on off almost a yorker, Brar squeezes to point for a single.

I Sharma to H Brar, FOUR! PUMMELED! This kid can bat. Short and wide outside off, Harpreet crashes it through the covers and beats the sweeper in the deep.

I Sharma to H Brar, Wide! Another wide by Ishant. Full outside off, this one goes past the guidelines again. Wide given.

I Sharma to H Brar, Wide! Ishant tries to keep it away from Brar, tries too much. Wided.

I Sharma to H Brar, Ishant bowls this outside off. Brar looks to heave it above bowler's head, but is beaten due to lack of pace.

Surprising. Ishant Sharma is bowling the 19th over. 3-0-19-0 so far. Those are not poor figures but given that Axar has picked up 2 wickets, one guessed the left-arm spinner could have been given the nod.

K Rabada to R Ashwin, A short delivery on middle and leg, Ashwin looks to upper cut it towards third man but fails to make any connection.