IPL 2024: Delhi Capitals beat Lucknow Super Giants, but neither team likely to advance

After the auction where Delhi Capitals (DC) spent a whopping Rs 7.2 crore on Kumar Kushagra, back in Kolkata, Abishek Porel, watching the action with his cousin Ishan Porel, said: “Puro season bench e boshte hobe (Will have to sit on the bench the entire season).”

Abishek’s concern was justified because with Rishabh Pant back, Delhi had five wicketkeeper-batsmen in their squad. But at the pre-season camp in Kolkata, Sourav Ganguly and Pravin Amre told the youngster that he would be playing all the games and Porel repaid the trust with some impactful knocks. The youngster totalled 327 runs with a strike rate of 158.51.

On Tuesday evening, the left-hander scored his second IPL fifty in just 21 balls. Few of the shots he played through the covers would make even Ganguly proud. He whipped, caressed, swivelled, pulled and drove the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) bowlers with authority.

Delhi had lost destructive opener Jake Fraser-McGurk in the first over. It was the first time in the IPL that any team had implemented a successful plan against the young Australian. Left-arm seamer Arshad Khan started proceedings with a long-on, and hit a good length. Jake couldn’t get his timing right and holed out to Naveen-ul-Haq there.

Two stylish strokes, 1 result 💥

Tristan Stubbs reaches his fifty in style 🚀

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Porel then decided to take matters into his own hands. He pulled Mohsin Khan for a six to tee off and then hammered 23 runs in Arshad’s second over, including three fours and a six. Naveen was also welcomed with a six. The Afghan medium-pacer peppered Porel with some short-pitch bowling, resulting in some discomfort. But Porel responded with a pulled six into the second tier of the Gautam Gambhir Stand.

The cameos and Stubbs

Kuldeep Yadav might not be bowling to Tristan Stubbs in the nets, keeping the T20 World Cup in mind. But it should be the least of his concerns because the way the South African has batted in the IPL, he must have given analysts a lot to think about. Against LSG, he took nine balls to settle in before hitting his first boundary. He then smashed three fours and four sixes in his unbeaten 25-ball 57 that propelled Capitals to 208 for 4.

After being pummelled by Porel in the powerplay, Arshad faced the brunt of Stubbs’ power-hitting, conceding two fours and a six, with a reverse ramp taking the cake.

Stubbs lost skipper Pant (33 off 23 balls) but kept going, collecting a four and a six off Mohsin’s last over. Pant did some freaky stuff, like a one-handed pull and falling sweeps, but looked far from his best. Shai Hope also played a valuable knock of 38 but the flourish to the Capitals innings was again provided by finisher Stubbs.

After Pant’s departure, the South African slaughtered Naveen for 21 runs in an over. The two sixes he hit were probably the shots of the match, one almost landed in the third tier before he completed his half-century with an inside-out six over extra cover.

Ishant’s fine spell

Fresh from winning his battle against long-time friend Virat Kohli, Ishant Sharma dented LSG’s hopes in his opening burst. The veteran picked up three wickets, leaving LSG 59 for 4 after the Powerplay.

Ishant Sharma x Mukesh Kumar ⚡️⚡️

The duo combine to dismiss the #LSG openers 👏👏

Watch the match LIVE on @StarSportsIndia and @JioCinema 💻📱#TATAIPL | #DCvLSG pic.twitter.com/nuFD7AlK28

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Ishant dismissed LSG captain KL Rahul in the first over when Mukesh Kumar held onto the catch on the second attempt. Quinton de Kock was dropped by Khaleel at short fine leg, but the South African failed to make the most of it as Mukesh timed his jump to perfection at mid-on to take the catch. Then in his third over, Ishant pinned Deepak Hooda for a duck.

Pooran’s show & Arshad’s late heroics

Nicholas Pooran walked out with Lucknow reeling at 24 for 3 in 3.1 overs. Axar Patel had just dismissed Marcus Stoinis, but Pooran smoked two fours and two sixes in the next five balls.

Despite wickets tumbling at one end, Pooran kept swinging. Mukesh was welcomed with a six and a four. Pant brought on Kuldeep, who had dismissed Pooran five times. The West Indian greeted Kuldeep with a reverse-sweep over extra cover. He completed his fifty with back-to-back boundaries off Gulbadin Naib. An excellent catch from Axar at extra cover ended Pooran’s knock, a thunderous 27-ball 61.

Lucknow needed 108 from 54 balls when Arshad came to the crease. They had lost all hope but the Madhya Pradesh all-rounder had other thoughts, as he raced to his maiden IPL fifty in just 21 balls. He remained unbeaten on 58 runs.

No one was spared from Arshad’s late burst. Kuldeep was bashed for a maximum, and Ishant’s fine spell ended with a six. Khaleel Ahmed was clubbed for two sixes in the 17th over, which suddenly brought the visitors back in the game. But Mukesh and Rasikh Salam held their nerve in the last two overs to hand Delhi a 19-run win.

Brief scores: Delhi Capitals 208/4 in 20 overs (Abishek Porel 58, Tristan Stubbs 57 not out, Shai Hope 38, Rishabh Pant 33) beat Lucknow Super Giants 189/9 in 20 overs (Nicholas Pooran 61, Arshad Khan 58 not out; Ishant Sharma 3/34) by 19 runs