The 64th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, played between Delhi Capitals (DC) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, saw DC emerge victorious by 19 runs.
LSG won the toss and elected to field first. Opener Jake Fraser-McGurk fell on the second ball of the innings, but Abhishek Porel and Shai Hope steadied the ship with a 92-run partnership. Porel blazed to a quickfire half-century off just 21 balls. However, Ravi Bishnoi provided the breakthrough for LSG, dismissing Hope for 38. Naveen-ul-Haq then rattled DC’s middle order, dismissing Porel for 58 and Rishabh Pant for 33. A late flourish by Tristan Stubbs (57* off 25 balls) propelled the hosts to a mammoth 208-4, their fifth 200+ score in the season, setting an IPL record for most 200+ scores in a single season.
Chasing a daunting target of 209, LSG’s chase never quite took off. They lost four wickets in the powerplay, with Ishant Sharma delivering a fiery spell, dismissing KL Rahul (5), Quinton de Kock (12), and Deepak Hooda (0). Axar Patel from the other end joined the party, dismissing Marcus Stoinis for just five runs. Nicholas Pooran tried to revive the chase with a quickfire 61 off 27 balls, but Mukesh Kumar and Kuldeep Yadav snuffed out the resistance by dismissing Pooran and Krunal Pandya (18) respectively. While Arshad Khan’s late blitz of 58* off 33 balls kept the visitors in the hunt till the penultimate over, DC held their nerve to clinch a thrilling victory. Notably, this win maintained DC’s perfect record of defending 200+ totals in the IPL (13 wins out of 13).
With this result, Rajasthan Royals (RR) secured their spot in the playoffs. DC, having played all their 14 matches, finished the season with seven wins and seven losses. While technically still in contention, their negative net run rate makes their qualification chances improbable.
LSG, with one game remaining, face an uphill battle to reach the playoffs. Their losses against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and now DC have severely impacted their net run rate. Currently placed seventh on the points table with 12 points, they need a miracle to progress further.
Ishant Sharma was adjudged the Player of the Match for his fiery spell of three wickets upfront in the powerplay, which effectively derailed LSG’s chase.
Scorecard:
Delhi Capitals: 208/4, Overs 20, Abishek Porel 58, Naveen-ul-Haq 2/51
Lucknow Super Giants: 189/9, Overs 20, Nicholas Pooran 61, Ishant Sharma 3/34