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On Saturday, March 23, the Punjab Kings registered a decent four wicket win over Delhi Capitals, to start their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 campaign on a high. At the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur, Sam Curran scored a fantastic fifty for the PBKS, to help them chase down the 175-run target comfortably.
After winning the toss, the PBKS captain, Shikhar Dhawan, decided to field first, wanting the DC batters to take the strike early on at the newly inaugurated Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium. The Australian duo of Mitchell Marsh and David Warner provided a good start at the top of the order, but they lost their wickets in the 20s.
Shai Hope kept the innings together for Delhi Capitals in the middle order, but after his fall of wicket, they were looking down the barrel. Although the introduction of Abishek Porel as an impact substitute paid dividends for DC, who scored 23 runs in the final over, to propel their total to 174/9 in their allotted overs.
In the run chase for PBKS, Shikhar Dhawan and Jonny Bairstow struck a few fierce boundaries in the early stages of the powerplay, but they lost their wickets in quick succession. Prabhsimran Singh played well for his 26 off 17, but Kuldeep Yadav dismissed him and Jitesh Sharma in back-to-back overs to bring DC back into the contest.
It led to the fifth wicket partnership of 67 runs between Sam Curran and Liam Livingstone, which proved to be decisive for PBKS in achieving their first win of the IPL 2024 season. Sam Curran scored 63 off 47, an innings comprising six fours and one maximum.
This match also marked the emotional return of Rishabh Pant to cricket, captaining the Delhi Capitals after a 15-month absence due to a horrific car accident suffered in December 2022.