At the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, Delhi Capitals (DC) defeated Punjab Kings (PBKS) by six wickets in Match 66 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. With this win, PBKS maintained its second-place standing with 17 points, while DC maintained its fifth-place standing with 15 points.
Talking Points
The hitters for PBKS put out a cumulative effort.
PBKS got off to a rough start as they batted first, as teenage opener Priyansh Arya was out cheaply. However, in the powerplay, Australian Josh Inglis (32 off 12) and Prabhsimran Singh (28 off 18) added swift runs. Marcus Stoinis gave late pyrotechnics by hammering 44 off only 16 deliveries, while Shreyas Iyer, the captain of PBKS, steadied the innings with a cool 53 off 34 balls.
DC bowlers limited the damage.
In a few phases, DC’s bowlers were able to control the run rate despite the PBKS hitters smashing runs all over the place. Mustafizur Rahman, a left-arm pacer, took three wickets, while Kuldeep Yadav and Vipraj Nigam, both spinners, contributed two each.
Plessis Rahul-du set the tone
DC’s openers, Faf du Plessis (23 off 15) and KL Rahul (35 off 21), provided their team a strong start in the chase by combining for a 55-run partnership in 33 balls. The aggressive strategy gave the DC chase a strong start.
Punjab Kings temporarily retaliated.
KL Rahul was removed by Marco Jansen, and du Plessis was removed by Harpreet Brar as PBKS quickly responded with wickets. Sediqullah Atal was next dismissed by Praveen Dubey, leaving DC struggling a little at 93/3 after 10.1 overs.
Rizvi and Nair complete the transaction.
With a rapid 61-run partnership in just 30 balls, Karun Nair and Sameer Rizvi subsequently took control of the chase. Rizvi hammered 58 runs off 25 balls, including five sixes, while Nair struck a solid 44 off 27 balls. With three balls remaining, Rizvi led DC home after finishing the game with a six against Marcus Stoinis.
Shreyas Iyer, Punjab Kings (Losing Captain)
It was a fantastic score. There was some odd and variable bounce. It was above par. I think we weren’t disciplined enough with our lengths. We went overboard with the bouncer. Couldn’t hit the hard length. It is bigger than the Premier League. You got to stay positive and calm. You come in with fresh mindset on the next day. You have to stick to the present. We got to go back to the drawing board. We will look to come in with some strong plans. The finger (on injury concern) should be fine for the next game.
Faf du Plessis, DC (Winning Captain)
It is really important. We wanted to finish top four, but finishing in top five was a fair reflection on us. (on where did the campaign go wrong for them) It’s one of the great mysteries, we tried to answer that question a few times in the dressing room. Confidence, lack of runs, when you are playing well, you get to win the small margins. Every game that small window of 5-6 overs in batting and bowling and in a big tournament like that it cost us. IPL is all about young boys and domestic players, Vippy was amazing for us, not only with ball but bat as well, it’s rare for a legspinner to be an allrounder. Two or three batters in that lineup, if they keep learning and improving, they can go a long way.
Sameer Rizvi, Player of the Match
It feels really good. The hard work I put in the last 2-3 months has paid off. I did not have the confidence before that I can play like this at this level, but after one innings, that came and now I feel I can do it. When I went in, more than 100 was needed, I looked at my first three-four balls and then played my shots.
India
