Punjab Kings posted a challenging total but failed to defend it as Delhi Capitals rode on an unbeaten half-century by Sameer Rizvi to score a six-wicket victory in Match 66 of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 and ended their campaign on a winning note at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Saturday.
Skipper Shreyas Iyer struck a half-century -- 53 off 34 balls -- as Punjab Kings, who are already qualified for the playoffs and needed to win the match to move up to the top spot, reached 206/8 in their 20 overs with Prabhsimran Singh (28) and Josh Inglis (32) among other main contributors.
For Delhi Capitals, Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman claimed 3-33 while spinners Vipraj Nigam and Kuldeep Yadav bagged two wickets apiece for 38 and 39 runs respectively.
PBKS skipper Shreyas Iyer felt it was a defendable total but his team was not disciplined enough in their bowling.
07 was a fantastic score on this wicket. There was some variable bounce and it wasn't coming on at the same pace. We weren't disciplined enough with the ball. We assessed the wicket and decided to bowl hard lengths at the stumps, but we went overboard with bouncers trying to take wickets.
Chasing 207, Delhi Capitals, who are already out of contention, were off to a good start thanks to KL Rahul (35), stand-in skipper Faf du Plessis (23) and Karun Nair (44). Sameer Rizvi top-scored for them with an unbeaten 58 off 25 balls while Sediqullah Atal scored 22 runs). Delhi thus reached 208/4 in 19.3 overs to seal victory and ended the tournament in fifth place with 15 points from 14 matches.
Delhi Capitals skipper Faf du Plessis said that was the true reflection of the team's strength.
Finishing on a high is important. Fifth is a fair reflection of our season, need to be more consistent to be in the top-four.
Talking about how the season slipped from their hands after four wins in their first four matches, the South African termed it as a great mystery.
One of the great mysteries. Combination of confidence, lack of form, and basics. When you're playing well, small margins go with you. Every single time, there were five-six over windows in both batting and bowling where we let it slip.
Though PBKS lost the match, they still have a chance of finishing in the top spot as they have one more game to play -- a clash with Mumbai Indians at the SMS Stadium in Jaipur on Monday. Iyer said they will come back strongly in their next match before the playoffs.
Every team is equally poised in this tournament, you gotta stay positive and calm. We'll come back with a strong set of plans. (His injury) No issues with the body, just the finger, should be fine for the next game.
Brief scores:
Punjab Kings 206/8 in 20 overs (Shreyas Iyer 53, Marcus Stoinis 44; Mustafizur Rahman 3-33, Vipraj Nigam 2-38) lost to Delhi Capitals 208/4 in 19.3 overs (Sameer Rizvi 58 not out, Karun Nair 44; Harpreet Brar 2-41, Praveen Dubey 1-20) by six wickets.
