Delhi Capitals Triumph Over Punjab Kings in IPL 2025 Match 66
Delhi Capitals Secure Victory Against Punjab Kings
In IPL 2025, Match 66, the Delhi Capitals (DC), under the leadership of Faf du Plessis, faced off against the Punjab Kings (PBKS), captained by Shreyas Iyer. The match took place on Friday, May 23, at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, where DC emerged victorious by six wickets, marking their place among the top four teams.
After winning the toss, DC opted to field first, allowing PBKS to post a challenging score of 206 runs for 8 wickets. Mustafizur Rahman was the standout bowler for DC, claiming 3 wickets for 33 runs, while Vipraj Nigam (2/38), Kuldeep Yadav (2/39), and Mukesh Kumar (1/49) also contributed with key dismissals.
During the chase, contributions came from Faf du Plessis (23), KL Rahul (35), Karun Nair (44), and Sediqullah Atal (22). However, it was Sameer Rizvi who stole the spotlight with an impressive unbeaten 58 runs, leading DC to victory with three balls remaining. Following the match, Faf expressed that while they aimed for a top-four finish, ending up fifth reflected their overall performance this season.
He remarked, "It is really important. We wanted to finish top four, but finishing in top five was a fair reflection on us."
Faf acknowledged the efforts of local players like Vipraj Nigam, calling it "one of the great mysteries" of the season. Earlier, DC had suffered a four-wicket defeat to PBKS in Mullanpur on March 23, 2024.
He further stated, "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."
DC's innings began positively with David Warner scoring 29 runs off 21 balls and Mitchell Marsh adding 20 runs off 12 balls. However, the middle order faltered, with Shai Hope managing 33 runs off 25 balls and Rishabh Pant contributing 18 runs.
Despite the middle order's collapse, DC found a late surge from Abishek Porel, who scored a rapid 32 runs off just 10 balls, helping the team reach 174 runs for 9 wickets.
Kuldeep Yadav excelled with the ball, taking 2 wickets for 20 runs by dismissing Prabhsimran Singh and Jitesh Sharma. Khaleel Ahmed (2/43) and Ishant Sharma (1 wicket) also played crucial roles in restricting PBKS. The match concluded with Curran scoring 63 runs off 47 balls and Livingstone finishing with 38 runs off 21 balls, guiding PBKS to victory.