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Delhi Capitals (DC) ended their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 campaign with an emphatic six-wicket win over Punjab Kings (PBKS) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 clash at the Sawai Man Singh stadium in Jaipur on May 24.
PBKS rode on Shreyas Iyer's robust fifty to post a total of 206/8. In reply, Sameer Rizvi led DC's batting with a blistering 25-ball 58 as he sealed the deal for his team with a six.
This defeat took a hit at second placed PBKS' top two finish chances as they remain stranded at 17 points in 13 matches with a game to spare. Notably, Gujarat Titans, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Mumbai Indians have 18, 17 and 16 points each respectively with a game in hand and also have a chance to make it to top two in the standings. PBKS will next face Mumbai Indians (MI) on May 26.
Sameer Rizvi's fifty in DC's stylish win over PBKS
The Delhi innings got off to a blistering start, with KL Rahul and Faf du Plessis combining for 50 runs in just five overs; Rahul himself contributed 35 off 21 balls. Although Jansen dismissed Rahul in the final over of the powerplay, Karun immediately counter-attacked, hitting the pacer for a six, ensuring 61 runs came from the first six overs.
However, Du Plessis's wicket in the very next over slowed the scoring rate and allowed Punjab to claw their way back into the contest. IPL debutant Sediqullah Atal showed promise, starting with a six off Jansen, but Punjab's bowlers effectively reined in the scoring. Atal eventually fell at the start of the 11th over to Pravin Dubey. Karun, making his return to the Indian team after 3000 days, then hit four consecutive boundaries to regain momentum. Sameer Rizvi provided excellent support from the other end, also beginning to take on the bowlers.
The 14th over from Jansen proved expensive, conceding 18 runs, as Karun and Rizvi set the stage for a grand finish. Although Harpreet Brar was brought back into the attack and hit for a boundary by Karun, the PBKS spinner had the last laugh, cleaning up Karun. This brought Stubbs to the crease, but Rizvi continued to lead the charge. Brar's final over went for 14 runs, leaving Delhi needing 34 off the last three overs. Rizvi then struck a couple of boundaries off Omarzai, reducing the equation to 22 off 12 balls.
Shreyas turned to Arshdeep for the penultimate over, and Rizvi impressively picked the knuckleball, depositing it into the stands to reach his fifty in just 22 balls. A boundary from Stubbs further tilted the equation in Delhi's favor, leaving Stoinis to bowl the final over. A decisive six from Rizvi sealed the game for Delhi, allowing them to end a season that had promised much on a high note.
Earlier, while batting first, PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer delivered a stellar performance, leading from the front with a brisk 53 runs off just 34 balls to help his team post a big total of 206/8 in their stipulated 20 overs.
While the captain anchored the middle overs, Marcus Stoinis provided a stunning late flourish, smashing 44 runs off only 16 balls, including three fours and four sixes. Earlier in the innings, opener Prabhsimran Singh got the team off to a solid start after an early wicket, contributing 28 runs from 18 balls. Josh Inglis, batting at number three, maximised the powerplay with a quickfire 32 runs off just 12 balls, an innings punctuated by three fours and two sixes.
For DC, Mustafizur Rahman proved to be an effective replacement, registering impressive figures of 3/33 from his four overs. The spin duo of Vipraj Nigam and Kuldeep Yadav also picked up two wickets each, though both conceded runs at over nine an over.
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