Chasing a meagre target of 166 runs, the Delhi Capitals lost seven wickets in a span of eight runs and lost a game that was well within their reach

On Saturday afternoon, i.e., April 25, the Delhi Capitals (DC) and the Punjab Kings (PBKS) will face off, with the PBKS sitting at the top of the table and DC in sixth position. For the record, both sides have played against each other on 35 occasions, with 17 wins and losses in each team’s favour, whereas one game ended without a result. In short, no team has dominated the other in terms of wins since 2008.

However, in 2019, the Punjab Kings, who were then known as the Kings XI Punjab, left the Delhi Capitals red-faced.

A strong start

On April 1, 2019, Kings XI Punjab batted first and set a meagre target of 166 runs on the board. The DC bowlers had a decent job by not allowing Punjab to score above 180, which means the target is easily chaseable.

(Credit- Moneycontrol)

While Prithvi Shaw got on a duck, the rest of Punjab’s top order was well on the target. Shikhar Dhawan had scored 30 runs; Shreyas Iyer made 28 runs; 39 runs came from the willow of Rishabh Pant; and Colin Ingram contributed another 38 runs.

The Punjab Kings’ score stood at 144 in 16.4 overs, with only 22 runs needed in 3.2 overs—an easily reachable target.

The embarrassing slump

However, Punjab’s bowlers had other plans. They took seven of DC’s wickets in a span of eight runs and wrapped up DC’s innings at 152 runs from 144 runs. Chris Morris was dismissed for a duck due to a runout by Ashwin, and then Hanuma Vihari was bowled out by Shami for 2 runs. The last three wickets were picked by Sam Curran, who dismissed Harshal Patel, Kagiso Rabada and Sandeep Lamichhane for ducks. In 2.2 overs, Sam Curran grabbed four wickets while giving away 11 runs.

(Credit- IPL)

Sam Curran won the Player of the Match award not only for his four wickets, which included a hat-trick, but also the 20 runs he scored in 10 balls against the DC bowlers.

Disappointed Iyer

Shreyas Iyer said, “I just want to throw it out there in the universe. I want to lift the IPL trophy with Punjab Kings. It’s going to be a team’s effort, and everyone has to think in that direction”. (Star Sports). pic.twitter.com/T4vmuOssXo

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) April 18, 2026

Delhi’s then captain Shreyas Iyer was disappointed with the team, stating, “Really disappointing. We didn't play smart cricket. They outplayed us in all departments. They were really cool and calm in that situation. I'm speechless. Losing such games is not going to help us in the end. It was really difficult to even see from outside, the batsmen not taking the initiative.”