Delhi Capitals registered the highest-ever T20 chase at the HPCA Stadium, Dharamsala, as they hunted down 211 against the Punjab Kings in their IPL 2026 clash on Monday, May 11. DC handed PBKS their fourth straight loss of the tournament and kept themselves alive to fight for another day in the race for the playoffs.
Fifties from David Miller and Axar Patel set the foundation for the Capitals after they lost wickets in a flurry. The visitors were in choppy waters at 33/3 after 4.3 overs as their powerplay woes continued, but Axar and Miller resurrected the hopes with a 64-run stand for the fifth wicket.ย
Axar took the bowlers on as he made 56 from 30 balls with eight fours and two sixes, while Miller was also at his aggressive best, threatening to take the game away. The Proteas star made 51 from 28 deliveries with four sixes and three fours. He could have taken the team home easily had Prabhsimran Singh not plucked out an impressive aerial catch off debutant Benย Dwarshuis.ย
Ashutosh, Madhav hold nerves
After Axar and Miller departed, PBKS sensed a comeback as DC still needed 41 from the last 21 balls. But Ashutosh Sharma and all-rounder Madhav Tiwari, who was playing his second IPL match, took the team home. Madhav struck crucial boundaries after coming in the 17th over as he made an unbeaten 18 from eight balls with two fours and a six, while Ashutosh scored 24 from 10 deliveries, laced with two fours and as many sixes.
It was Auqib Nabi later who smashed a six and four in the second last over of Yash Thakur to take the team home with an over to spare.
Ashutosh Sharma, Madhav Tiwari and Auqib Nabi provided the finishing touches as DC won by three wickets with an over to spare.
PBKS put up strong 210/5 after being put in
With their campaign hanging by a thread, Delhi Capitals chose to bowl first in the seasonโs first match at the picturesque Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, making five changes to the playing XI. Mitchell Starc endured a difficult start, conceding 22 runs in the opening over as Priyansh Arya launched a brutal assault featuring sixes on both sides of the wicket.
The left-hander smashed Starc for a first-ball six and continued his aggressive approach against Lungi Ngidi and Mukesh Kumar as well. Starc initially searched for swing with fuller deliveries, but DCโs pacers quickly realised that bowling full was ineffective on the surface after leaking 51 runs in the first three overs.
Aquib Nabi sparked Delhiโs comeback by extracting seam movement from a good length, troubling Priyansh during the latter half of the powerplay. At the other end, Prabhsimran Singh struggled for fluency during his 15-ball 18 before falling to Mukesh at fine leg. Madhav then claimed his maiden IPL wicket by dismissing Priyansh at deep point in the ninth over. Despite a flying start, Punjab Kings reached only 107 for two at the halfway mark.
Captain Shreyas Iyer remained unbeaten on 59 off 36 balls, while Cooper Connolly contributed 38 from 27 deliveries as the pair added 83 runs for the third wicket. However, PBKS struggled to accelerate as quickly as they would have wanted in the latter stages.
Starc bounced back impressively in the 19th over, dismissing Marcus Stoinis and Shashank Singh off successive deliveries, before Suryansh Shedge struck two stunning sixes off the left-arm quick. Ngidi then delivered an excellent final over to restrict Punjab Kings from crossing the 210-run mark.
ALSO READ |ย Priyansh Arya creates history, achieves what Rohit, Kohli have not in IPL during DC clash