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Mitchell Marsh's gritty fifty, capped by an all-round bowling performance helped Delhi beat Punjab by 17-runs on Monday evening to make into the top four of the IPL 2022 points table. After Delhi were restricted to 159 in the first innings, Shardul Thakur bagged four wickets and a two-wicket haul from the spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel meant Punjab could only muster 142 in their 20 overs.
After being invited to bat first, Delhi suffered an early blow in the form of David Warner, who perished on a golden duck. However, Sarfaraz Khan tried to gear up Delhi's innings by scoring a quick 38 in 16 deliveries before being hunted down by Arshdeep Singh. Yet another batter Lalit Yadav (24 off 21), who was looking in fine touch, was dismissed by Arshdeep Singh.
While Marsh notched up valiant fifty, the rest of the other batters fell like a pack of cards. Marsh went on to score 63 to help Delhi notch up 159 runs on the scoreboard. Delhi got a decent start in response as Jonny Bairstow and Shikhar Dhawan added 38-runs for the first wicket, but the spin dup Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel made it tough for batters to flourish. Jitesh Sharma made a valiant effort with his 44 in 34 deliveries but could not help Punjab secure a win. Let's look at the points table after match number 64 in the IPL 2022 season.
Points table:
Delhi got back their momentum right as they managed to secure the fourth spot in the points table, with 14 points under their belt. Meanwhile, Punjab slipped to the seventh position and made their way to the playoffs more challenging. Punjab has 12 points to their name, and with one game remaining in the league stage, it's going to be a daunting task for them to expect qualification for the next round.
What did the captains say?
Rishabh Pant was delighted to see his bowlers stepping up and defending a low score in such a crucial game. However, Pant highlighted the team's inconsistency by saying that they have been 'losing one and winning one game but was happy to bounce back at the right time. Pant informed that they would get an update on Prithvi Shaw's injury in the coming days. On the other hand, Mayank Agarwal confessed that his side didn't play the best cricket they could but showed confidence that Punjab players would display their best in the last league stage game.
Today's game:
Mumbai Indians will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad on Tuesday (May 17) at the iconic Wankhede Stadium. While Mumbai is already out of contention, Hyderabad needs to win both their remaining games to stay alive in the tournament. However, Hyderabad lost five matches on the trot and winning the game against Mumbai Indians will be an uphill task for the Kane Williamson-led side.