IPL 2022, DC vs PBKS, Top Performances: Marsh 63, Shardul 4-36 take DC to number 4

IPL 2022, DC vs PBKS, Top Performances: Mitchell Marsh's 63, Shardul Thakur's 4-36 and Liam Livingstone's 3-27 are top three performances. Delhi Capitals move to 4th place.

Delhi beat Punjab Kings and replaces RCB from top 4 in table (Images ©BCCI/IPL)

Brief Scores: DC 159/7 (Mitchell Marsh 63, Sarfaraz 32, Livingstone 3/27, Arshdeep 3/37) beat PBKS 142/9 (Jitesh 44, Thakur 4/36) by 17 runs

Player of the Match: Shardul Thakur (4/36)

Delhi Capitals (DC) cruised to their 7th win in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, after trouncing Punjab Kings (PBKS) by 17 runs at Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai on Monday. In the first clash between two of the most explosive batting line-ups in the fray, Delhi Capitals had emerged victorious with a resounding 9-wicket win over the Mayank Agarwal-led side. Delhi’s spin trio weaved a web around PBKS' slam-bang batting strategy and managed to tie them down to a meager 115 for a comprehensive victory.

Both the teams came into this match with resounding victories in their previous respective encounters. PBKS, with a victory over RCB by 54 runs, added more hurdles in the latter’s road to playoffs. On the other hand, DC registered an impactful eight-wicket victory to keep their qualification dream alive. Ahead of this game, DC led the last five head-to-head match-ups with PBKS by 4-1 including a super over decider (in IPL 2020). Ahead of this game, both teams also carried an uncanny similarity this season, i.e., not having won two consecutive games on the bounce this season.

Punjab win toss but lose plot after monumental powerplay

On a pitch that indicated teams chasing would be at an advantage, PBKS skipper Mayank Agarwal won the toss and opted to bowl first. With the help of Liam Livingstone's best bowling figures in IPL of 3/27, PBKS managed to halt the DC scorecard at 159/7 in 20 overs. Sarfaraz Khan, who filled in the slot of Prithvi Shaw, scored 32 runs off 16 deliveries, while Mitchell Marsh (63 runs off 48 balls) remained the top-scorer for DC. For Punjab, Arshdeep Singh remained the top pick amongst pacers with 3/37, including crucial scalps of Sarfaraz, Lalit Yadav (24 runs off 21 balls) and Shardul Thakur (3 runs off 4 balls).

In their quest of 160 runs, PBKS started on a good note, after marching towards 50 runs during the powerplay. However, they started losing the plot after two back-to-back blows in the 6th over, which they seemed to have never recovered from during the entire chase. PBKS lost half the team at 61 runs in the 8th over, after Kuldeep Yadav sent back the menacing Liam Livingstone (3 runs off 5 balls) cheaply. Kuldeep finished with figures of 2/14 in three overs he bowled. Subsequently, PBKS fell short of deliveries and lost the game by 17 runs.

Here are the top three performances from PBKS vs DC, Match 64, IPL 2022:

Mitchell Marsh's 63 helps DC beat PBKS, DC in top 4 (Images ©BCCI/IPL)

Mitchell Marsh’s 63 emerges as highest score among both sides

In a game where batters found it difficult to breathe and score runs at will, DC opener Mitchell Marsh exemplified his batting prowess, coming at one down. DC lost their first wicket in the form of menacing opener David Warner, who departed on the first ball of the game bowled by Livingstone.

New batter Mitchell Marsh arrived at the crease and slammed DC’s and this season’s most successful pacer Kagiso Rabada for two consecutive sixes. Marsh started his innings from where he had left in the last game when he scored 89. The Australian all-rounder furthered his innings in a situation where Punjab’s pace duo of Arshdeep Singh and Kagiso Rabada, that boasts of the joint-best economy of 9.9 in death overs this IPL, tormented DC’s top order. However, Marsh stayed firm and kept his wickets until the 17th over, when he registered his 2nd IPL fifty on the trot. He went on to score 63 runs off 48 balls, including four boundaries and three sixes.

His crucial knock met termination at the hands of Rabada, who picked him for the first time in the tournament. Marsh ensured DC posted a competitive total that amounted to 159/7 after 20 overs.

Read More: IPL 2022, PBKS vs RCB, Top Performances: Bairstow 66, Livingstone 70, Rabada 3-21 keep Punjab afloat

Livingston's 3-27 goes in vain as DC beat PBKS, DC in top (Images ©BCCI/IPL)

Liam Livingstone delivers the perfect T20 package, picks 3/27

England all-rounder Liam Livingstone has been one of the Most Valuable Players (MVPs) of Punjab Kings as well as of IPL 2022, so far. PBKS skipper Agarwal, in an uncanny decision gave the ball to Livingstone for the opening over, and in no time his decision paid instant dividends.

Livingstone dismissed the in-form David Warner and got PBKS their first success in the game. He came back for his second spell and got the team two more crucial wickets in the form of skipper Rishabh Pant (7 runs off 3 balls) and Rovman Powell (2 runs off 6 balls) and held DC by the noose on 112/5 after 14 overs.

Livingstone also added a rare milestone under his belt by becoming the fourth spinner to have taken a wicket on the first ball in an IPL game.

Read More: IPL 2022, DC vs RR, Top Performances: Sakariya 2-23, Warner-Marsh 144-run stand keep DC alive

Thakur gets player of the match for his 4-36 against Punjab (Images ©BCCI/IPL)

Shardul Thakur wounds PBKS with 4/36

In a do-or-die situation for DC, Shardul Thakur was a force to reckon with. Shardul came to bowl his first over in PBKS’ final over of the powerplay, wherein they were comfortably ahead in the game with 44/1 in 5 overs. However, Shardul changed the course of the game with two crucial wickets in the 6th over that of Bhanuka Rajapaksa (4 runs off 5 balls) and the set batter Shikhar Dhawan (19 runs off 16 balls). That was two wickets in a span of three deliveries and cramped PBKS’s quest.

The next batter under his radar, Jitesh Sharma, who was leading the crusade for PBKS with Rahul Chahar (25* off 24 balls), got out on 44 runs off 34 balls after misjudging Shardul’s knuckle-ball and miscued it towards long-off where Warner took a stunning catch.

Shardul Thakur’s final prey Kagiso Rabada (6 runs off 2 balls) also got out in the 18th over to his death overs excellence. All in all, right from the beginning, Shardul Thakur got all the crucial scalps for DC and neutralized all potential damages from PBKS batters.

Read More: IPL 2022, CSK vs DC, Top Performances: Conway's explosive 87, Moeen 3-13 help CSK to 4th win

TATA IPL 2022 Points Table

TATA IPL 2022 Points Table: DC beat Punjab Kings and move to 4th place

Qualification Scenarios

Following this victory, DC now make their contention better for playoffs qualification. They will need to win against Mumbai Indians (MI) at Wankhede Stadium on May 21, to gain 16 points and put up a good fight for the playoffs place.

For now, DC have overtaken RCB to land in the top 4, pushing the latter to number 5 on the back of a better net run rate of 0.255.

What’s to come

Mumbai Indians (MI) will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on May 17.

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