Delhi Capitals did not have the best of starts to the week after losing Mitchell Marsh and a few from the support staff to Covid-19 and heading into their sixth game of IPL 2022 against Punjab Kings, their participation in the game was further thrown into uncertainty after Tim Seifert tested positive hours before the start of the game at the Brabourne Stadium on Wednesday. In the end, the game was on and probably Punjab Kings would have loved for the game to have not started at all, instead.
Dispelling any concerns within the team, the Rishabh Pant-lead DC produced the most one-sided game of IPL 2022 demolishing the Mayank Agarwal-led PBKS by nine wickets and 57 balls remaining. A returning Agarwal lost the toss and was inserted into bat and he had a rollicking start hammering Shardul Thakur for 14 runs in the 3rd over of the match itself. Those were ominous signs for Delhi, but not really. That third over was probably the high point for PBKS in the entire match as a string of wickets not only halted PBKS’s momentum but their innings went nowhere – they were eventually bundled out for a below-par total of 115 – on the same track in which two nights ago 417 runs were ransacked by KKR and RR.
Still, it was a total worth defending for PBKS. But the memo did not reach DC openers. Prithvi Shaw and David Warner were at their marauding best and put on 83 runs in just 6.3 overs to not just push PBKS out of the game, but shove them down a huge gorge. Without a sniff at victory, PBKS bowlers were helpless as the assault continued. Warner notched up his 53 IPL fifty, striking the ball at over 200. Shaw departed for 41 off 20 – striking at 205 – caught beautifully by Nathan Ellis at deep mid-wicket off Rahul Chahar. Sarfraz Khan, playing in place of Marsh hung around with Warner adding a relatively slow 12 off 13 balls as DC knocked off the required runs in 10.2 overs.
