Axar & Miller Power Delhi Capitals to Record IPL Chase in Dharamsala

A strong performance from captain Axar Patel, an aggressive innings from David Miller, and a bold late cameo from IPL debutant Madhav Tiwari. Delhi Capitals chased down 211 after facing early setbacks at 14/2 and later 138/5.

The chase started poorly. Before this, the highest successful T20 chase in Dharamsala had been South Africa's 200 against India in 2015. In the IPL, Chennai Super Kings' 193 against Kings XI Punjab in 2010 set the record. PBKS' opening bowlers seemed ready to defend 210 as Arshdeep Singh conceded only six runs in the first over, despite an edged boundary. The first blow came quickly. Playing his first game of the season, Shardul Thakur bowled Abishek Porel with a well-placed ball that knocked the middle stump out of the ground.

Things got worse when KL Rahul top-edged a pull shot off Arshdeep, allowing Marco Jansen to sprint from first slip to make a spectacular diving catch ahead of Prabhsimran Singh. At 14/2 after three overs, DC was under significant pressure.

Debutant Sahil Parakh briefly lifted the mood. After almost getting out on his second ball against Bhuvneshwar Kumar, he opened his account with a six over long-off off Thakur and later contributed a boundary in a 20-run fourth over that also included two fours from Tristan Stubbs. But Arshdeep returned in the third Power-play to dismiss Parakh for 14. The batter mistimed a ramp shot towards short fine leg, where Yuzvendra Chahal nearly dropped a simple catch before securing it.

DC stood at 38/3 after five overs, but Axar and Stubbs began to build a solid partnership. However, PBKS's fielding mixed moments of brilliance with mistakes. Arshdeep dropped Stubbs at long-on off Ben Dwarshuis, while Suryansh Shedge later misjudged Axar's shot at deep square leg. Eventually, Stubbs was run out after a mix-up, with Cooper Connolly making a sharp direct hit at the bowler's end.

Miller then entered the game and, along with Axar, reignited the chase. Dew settled in, making the ball slippery, which led PBKS to change it after giving away 15 wides in 13 overs. Axar, who had scored just 44 runs in eight innings before this match at an average of 6.3, finally found his rhythm. He hit Marcus Stoinis for three consecutive boundaries, reaching a 28-ball fifty, and added a six off Dwarshuis as DC reached 113/4 after 12 overs.

Arshdeep performed well, finishing with 2/21 after allowing only five runs in the 15th over, but Miller kept DC's hopes alive. He hit Jansen for a six and a four before Ashutosh Sharma contributed another boundary in a 15-run over. Chahal, trying to stop one of those boundaries, appeared to injure his left shoulder and didn't bowl for the rest of the innings.

The match shifted again in the 17th over. Miller hit two huge sixes off Jansen, putting DC in a stronger position. However, attempting a third six, he top-edged a pull shot, and Prabhsimran made a diving catch near short third.

Still, the game had one more twist. IPL debutant Madhav Tiwari displayed remarkable composure under pressure. After hitting a boundary through a backward point, he partnered with Ashutosh to score 19 runs off Stoinis in the 18th over. Tiwari's 18 runs off just eight balls changed the game and kept DC in the fight.

Needing 17 runs in the final two overs, Tiwari started with another boundary before Ashutosh hit a six, only to get out immediately after. A no-ball boundary shifted the momentum again. Auqib Nabi finished the chase with a massive six, allowing DC to complete the highest successful IPL chase in Dharamsala and keeping their playoff hopes alive.

Brief scores:

Punjab Kings 210/5 in 20 overs (Shreyas Iyer 59 not out, Priyansh Arya 56; Madhav Tiwari2-40, Mitchell Starc 2-57) lost to Delhi Capitals 216/7 in 20 overs (Axar Patel 56, David Miller 51; Arshdeep Singh 2-21, Yash Thakur 2-55) by three wickets.

- IANS