Shikhar Dhawan leads DC to emphatic 6-wicket win over PBKS

MUMBAI: Shikhar Dhawan's 92 off 49 balls and Marcus Stoinis's finishing act helped Delhi Capitals (DC) beat Punjab Kings (PBKS) with 10 balls to spare in the Indian Premier League despite having to chase a target of 196 at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.

PBKS scored 195/4 but DC ended up scoring 198/4 in just 18.2 overs.

Dhawan wasted no time in going after the PBKS bowlers and set up strong partnerships with fellow opener Prithvi Shaw, Steve Smith and captain Rishabh Pant. He scored a majority of the runs in all the partnerships and looked set to reach his third IPL century comfortably.

He hit three consecutive fours in the 14th over but was dismissed in the 15th, which started with Pant hitting a six off Jhye Richardson's second ball. A slow delivery did the trick for the Australian as he split Dhawan's middle and off stump.

Stoinis then took over the chase, hitting two fours and a six in the 17th over bowled by Mohammed Shami, who by the end of it seemed to have lost his line and length. The over produced 20 runs and Shami ended his spell having given away as many as 53 runs with no wickets to show.

While Pant was dismissed by Richardson off the first ball of the very next over, it was too little too late for PBKS as Stoinis finished the match with a four in the 19th over.

Earlier an explosive 122-run opening partnership between KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal helped Punjab Kings (PBKS) make 195/4.

Agarwal was the more aggressive of the two, smashing 69 runs in 36 balls with seven fours and four sixes. The pair managed to get PBKS to 59 runs within the powerplay. DC managed to reign PBKS in after the dismissal of Rahul and Agarwal, preventing them from crossing the 200-run mark.

In post match presentation the captain of Delhi Pant said, "I've already started enjoying the captaincy but we were under pressure at the start because the wicket was not doing much and they had a good start. Good job by our bowlers to keep them to 190. There are many things you can talk to with Shikhar but end of the day what he's given to the team is commendable. I like to keep the environment light so that people enjoy their cricket and make the most of their opportunities.

Brief scores: Punjab Kings 195/4 in 20 overs (Mayank Agarwal 69, KL Rahul 61; Lukman Meriwala 1/32) lose to Delhi Capitals 198/4 in 20 overs (Shikhar Dhawan 92, Prithvi Shaw 32; Jhye Richardson 2/41) by six wickets. (IANS)

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