So we have come to the end of our coverage for Mega Saturday. After LSG's win in the first game of the day, the Punjab Kings gets the better of the Capitals. DC are officially the first team to bow out of the tournament. The points table looks very interesting and it the pressure seems to be building with each game. Punjab will take confidence from this win. We will be back tomorrow for another double header but for now this is myself (Arya Sekhar Chakraborty) signing off also on behalf of my fellow commentator and good mate Pradeep. Goodnight! 

Prabhsimran Singh (Player of the Match): Nothing was going on in my mind really. When we lost two early wickets, I thought of batting deep. I have been with the team for a long time. Have spent enough time with the senior players. I have finally got a long run this year. Wicket looked bit difficult as the ball was turning. When Sam came in, it was all about building a partnership. This was a very important knock for me. When I had chats with senior players, they always told me to take it deep and stay there as long as possible. The celebration is the same in domestic competition. I was thanking the management you can say that.

Shikhar Dhawan (Punjab Kings captain): Yeah absolutely I was thinking about where te game was going. The way the boys got us back in the game was exceptional. Credit to both spinners and the pacers. It was an amazing knock from Prabhsiimran. I rate this knock very highly. Playing with that high strike rate and with the ball turning from the 4th over it was great. It was due to his knock we reached the score we did in the end. I have confidence in Harpreet Brar. I asked him to pitch it up a bit more as the ball was turning. The way he stood up and took those wickets, especially getting those left-handers turned the game for us. I see myself, I think I am still young (laughs). When I am with them, I behave like them only. The way the boys have taken responsibility, the maturity they have shown. Even Rahul Chahar bowled brilliantly, it was a turning track today but he bowled brilliantly in flat wickets as well. This win has certainly given us a lot of confidence. We have to stay calm and focused, we know we have to win the last 2 matches.

Time for the post-match presentation ceremony with Harsha Bhogle. 

Harpreet Brar (Punjab Kings): Was nervous as I conceded way too many runs in my first over of the spell, we thought when we were batting with the wicket was behaving the way it was, I was confident to make a come back into the spell, it was the same thing in my mind to play dot balls and the wickets kept coming. At the start I was short, then I changed the length to bowl it fuller and it worked. On a slow wicket, batting powerplay is crucial and they did well, Rahul bowled well from the other end, put the pressure and I got the wickets.

David Warner (Delhi Capitals captain): We did, it was about restrict to a decent total but they got more than we thought and Prabhsimran batted beautifully and the drop catches cost us and few runs. At the end of the day, if you take out the powerplay and you lose 6-13, you don't win too many games. You got to play for pride from here on and believe in yourself, just play freedom and just what was discussed with the guys, come out and execute the plans, disappointing effort with the bat after the good start we got. When you lose, there are the things that happen in this format, you lose wickets in a heap and you can't do that at this level.

Punjab Kings won by 31 runs

Punjab Kings 167/7 in 20 overs

Prabhsimran Singh 103(63) | Sam Curran 20(24)
Ishant Sharma 2/27(4) | Mukesh Kumar 1/3(1)

Delhi Capitals 136/8 in 20 overs

David Warner 54(27) | Philip Salt 21(17)
Harpreet Brar 4/30(4) | Rahul Chahar 2/16(4)


A comfortable victory for the Punjab Kings in the end by 31 runs but who would have expected this after DC had started off in a rollicking fashion in the powerplay. The wide array of shots from David Warner was out on display for the first time in the tournament, as he raced off to a half-century in just 23 deliveries.

Philip Salt also looked in good touch but once the opening partnership was broken, it went downhill for the Capitals as they kept losing wickets on a consistent basis. None of the batters could tackle the spin duo of Harpreet Brar and Rahul Chahar and surrendered meekly in front of their artistry.

Warner smashed the DC bowlers to all parts of the ground in the powerplay and it looked Warner would take his side to a comfortable victory. Harpreet Brar changed his lengths after going for three boundaries in the first over and that turned the game upside down. Harpreet finished with exceptional figures of 4/30 while Chahar starred as well, finishing with figures of 2/16. 

Salt, Warner, Rossouw and Manish Pandey fell prey to Harpreet as he got bite from the surface making the batters look ordinary. Rahul Chahar turned the ball a country mile and accounted for the wickets of Mitchell Marsh and Axar Patel. It was exceptional bowling in tandem from the duo as Punjab was reduced to 88/6.

There was no looking back from there on. Aman Hakim Khan struck some lusty blows but the equation was always going to be too difficult with the ball not coming onto the bat. Nathan Ellis bowled splendidly in his final spell, eventually finishing with figures of 2/26 in his 4 overs.

19.6 Nathan Ellis to Kuldeep Yadav, IT'S ALL OVER! Punjab keep their playoff hopes alive as they win this crucial encounter. For Delhi, it's all over as they lose yet another game of the season. Pace off, short and well outside the off-stump. Kuldeep skies it down to long-off, falls safely as they get one but doesn't matter.

19.5 Nathan Ellis to Mukesh Kumar, DROPPED! Brar drops a sitter there at deep mid-wicket, comes diving forward but spills it as he tumbles down. Mukesh looks to hoick the slower one and has miscued it, gets away with it as they get one.

19.4 Nathan Ellis to Kuldeep Yadav, full toss, thigh height as Kuldeep flicked it to deep square-leg for another single.

19.3 Nathan Ellis to Kuldeep Yadav, OH! Brilliant change of pace, short and wide of off-stump. Kuldeep thought it would be called a wide but it went inside the tramline to the keeper.

19.2 Nathan Ellis to Mukesh Kumar, OH! Another slower one, length delivery on the stumps. Right in the slot but Mukesh misses out, swings hard but mistimes it to long-on for one.

19.1 Nathan Ellis to Kuldeep Yadav, pace off to start with from around the wicket, short and wide. Kuldeep slaps it to sweeper cover for a single.

The penultimate over ticks by and the Delhi Capitals still need 37 runs from the final over. This has been a one-sided contest if you go by the scorecard but DC will feel extremely disappointed at falling off the hook and allowing Punjab to claw their way back in the game after a brilliant first 6 overs. 

18.6 Arshdeep Singh to Kuldeep Yadav, short delivery, follows the batter as Kuldeep skips down the track and he pulled it into the turf, straight to mid-wicket for a single.

18.5 Arshdeep Singh to Mukesh Kumar, short delivery on the stumps, Mukesh skips down the track and pulled it down to long-on, doesn't get hold of it as he gets just one.

18.4 Arshdeep Singh to Kuldeep Yadav, too full on the leg-stump, Kuldeep waits for the slower one this time and flicked it past backward square-leg for another single.