Mullanpur, Mar 23 (IANS): Sam Curran and Liam Livingstone played starring roles with the bat as Punjab Kings got their 2024 campaign in the Indian Premier League (IPL) off to a flying start with a four-wicket win over Delhi Capitals at their new home ground, the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, here on Saturday.
It was a seesaw battle between the two teams of North India, but PBKS were always in front, especially after Delhi Capitals' Ishant Sharma went off the field after twisting his right ankle while fielding. It meant DC’s bowlers, barring a superb Kuldeep Yadav, didn’t come well, while dropped catches added more misery to their woes.
Curran top-scored with 63, while Livingstone was not out on 38 as PBKS closed the chase with four balls to spare, scoring 177/6 in 19.2 overs after restricting Delhi Capitals for 174/9 in 20 overs.
Chasing 175, Shikhar Dhawan and Jonny Bairstow hit two fours each in the 17-run opening over by Khaleel Ahmed. Ishant Sharma began with three wides, as Dhawan took a boundary each off him and Mitchell Marsh. But Ishant bounced back as his length ball went past Dhawan’s swipe across the line to hit the stumps.
Prabhsimran Singh got going with two fours, but Jonny Bairstow was run out at the non-striker's end as Ishant got a finger-tip on a drive by Prabhsimran and crashed into the stumps. Prabhsimran hit two wow fours off Khaleel – pulling over mid-wicket on the back foot and driving on the front foot wide of cover.
DC suffered a big blow when Ishant walked off the field after badly twisting his right ankle while trying to throw the ball from the deep. The 42-run stand between Prabhsimran and Curran ended in the tenth over when the former went for a loft on a googly from Kuldeep Yadav and holed out to long-on.
Two overs later, Jitesh Sharma was stumped by Pant while going for a reverse sweep off Kuldeep Yadav. Curran was handed a lifeline at 34 when Tristan Stubbs spilled his catch at long-on off Kuldeep in the 14th over. To rub salt in the wounds, Curran slapped and pulled Marsh for two fours in the next over, with Livingstone ending the 18-run over it a massive six heaved over mid-wicket.
After Curran got his fifty in 38 balls, Livingstone took a brace of fours off Khaleel to put PBKS in the hunt for a win. Curran continued to find boundaries by hooking and cutting off Marsh for six and four, before Livingstone hooked him for a six to end another 18-run over for PBKS.
Khaleel bounced back by castling Curran with his slower ball to end his 67-run standoff 42 balls with Livingstone and bounced out Shashank Singh for a golden duck on consecutive deliveries. He could have got his third wicket of the 19th over if Harpreet Brar wasn’t dropped at long-on by Warner. Livingstone finished off the chase in style by swinging over mid-wicket for six off Sumit to get their campaign off to a flying start.
Brief scores:
Delhi Capitals 174/9 in 20 overs (Shai Hope 33, Abishek Porel 32 not out; Arshdeep Singh 2-28, Harshal Patel 2-46) lost to Punjab Kings 177/6 in 19.2 overs (Sam Curran 63, Liam Livingstone 38 not out; Kuldeep Yadav 2-20, Khaleel Ahmed 2-43) by four wickets.