Miller and Axar keep Delhi alive with stunning chase
Delhi Capitals kept their IPL 2026 playoff hopes alive with a dramatic three-wicket victory over Punjab Kings in Dharamsala, completing the highest successful T20 chase at the venue after overhauling 211 with an over to spare.
Punjab Kings posted 210 for 5 after half-centuries from Priyansh Arya and Shreyas Iyer, but Delhi responded through crucial knocks from Axar Patel and David Miller before Ashutosh Sharma and Madhav Tiwari sealed the chase in tense fashion.
The defeat marked PBKS’ fourth successive loss and further dented their campaign after another match slipped away despite strong batting contributions.
Arya launches PBKS into top gear
Priyansh Arya set the tone immediately after Mitchell Starc opened with a full ball outside off stump. Arya lofted it over cover-point for six and never eased off in the powerplay.
Starc struggled badly for rhythm, conceding 22 runs in the opening over — the most expensive first over of his T20 career. The over also included five wides as PBKS surged ahead aggressively.
Arya then attacked Lungi Ngidi with back-to-back sixes as Punjab raced to 51 without loss after just three overs. Questions had recently surrounded Arya’s handling of short-pitched bowling, but he countered both pace and bounce confidently during his 24-ball half-century.
Nabi and Mukesh restore balance
Delhi finally slowed the scoring through Mohammad Nabi and Mukesh Kumar, who used the seam movement effectively during the middle overs.
Nabi closed out the powerplay with a two-run over while Mukesh removed Prabhsimran Singh for 18 off 15 balls. Soon after, Madhav Tiwari dismissed Arya at deep cover, reducing PBKS to 97 for 2 after nine overs.
Despite the flying start, Punjab lost momentum briefly between overs 11 and 14, managing only 33 runs during that phase.
Iyer and Shedge push PBKS beyond 200
Shreyas Iyer anchored the innings smartly from No. 3 and steadily rebuilt after the middle-over slowdown. Cooper Connolly eventually found his rhythm too, striking Starc for a massive 96-metre six before adding another four and six against Ngidi.
Iyer reached his half-century off 32 balls with consecutive sixes off Tiwari. Although Tiwari later removed Connolly, PBKS found another late surge through Suryansh Shedge.
Mitchell Starc briefly threatened to derail the finish when he dismissed Marcus Stoinis and Shashank Singh off successive deliveries in the 19th over. But Shedge counterattacked immediately, smashing the hat-trick ball for six before adding another six and a boundary to lift Punjab past 200.
Arshdeep and Thakur shake DC early
Delhi’s chase began poorly as Yash Thakur struck in his first game of the season, uprooting Abishek Porel’s middle stump.
Arshdeep Singh then removed KL Rahul with a sharp short ball, Marco Jansen completing an excellent diving catch running back from first slip. Arshdeep struck again during the powerplay when Sahil Parakh mistimed another short delivery.
At 33 for 3, Delhi were under heavy pressure, especially with Punjab’s seamers extracting significant assistance from the surface. Remarkably, not a single over of spin was bowled in the match — the first IPL game of substantial length without spin since 2008.
Axar and Miller swing the contest
Axar Patel and Tristan Stubbs briefly stabilised the innings before Stubbs was run out following a mix-up. That dismissal left Delhi at 74 for 4 in the ninth over.
Punjab missed a critical opportunity immediately afterwards when Shedge dropped Axar on 25 at deep square leg. The missed chance proved costly.
Axar and David Miller transformed the chase with a 64-run stand in just 34 balls. Axar attacked Marcus Stoinis with three consecutive boundaries to bring up his half-century before falling while attempting another big shot.
Even after Axar’s dismissal, Miller continued to shift momentum. PBKS had briefly regained control when Arshdeep completed his spell early and conceded only five in the 15th over, leaving Delhi needing 68 from the last five overs.
But Miller changed the equation rapidly, smashing Marco Jansen for two sixes at the start of the 17th over. Though he fell attempting a third maximum, the damage had already been done.
Ashutosh and Tiwari finish the job
With the pressure mounting again late in the innings, Ashutosh Sharma and Madhav Tiwari remained composed to finish the chase.
Ashutosh manipulated the field cleverly while Tiwari produced clean strikes at key moments to close out the game with six balls remaining.
Delhi’s win not only kept their playoff hopes alive but also highlighted their ability to recover repeatedly in high-pressure situations. For Punjab Kings, another strong batting effort ultimately went unrewarded as missed chances and expensive bowling at crucial moments proved decisive.
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