Delhi Capitals batsman Sameer Rizvi, who scored a half century during the IPL Match at the Sawai Man Singh Cricket Stadium in Jaipur on May 24, 2025
| Photo Credit: R.V. Moorthy

Punjab Kings suffered a setback in their quest for securing a place in Qualifier 1 after a six-wicket loss at the hands of Delhi Capitals in IPL 2025 at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Saturday (May 24, 2025).

Karun Nair’s anchoring innings of 44 and Sameer Rizvi’s 25-ball unbeaten 58 helped the side chase down the 207-run target with three balls to spare.

Impact Player K.L. Rahul and captain Faf du Plessis ensured that Capitals got off to a quick start in the chase, combining for a 50-run stand within five overs. Both batters fell in successive overs, leaving Karun and Sediqullah Atal to rebuild the innings.

The Afghan batter had an eventful IPL debut, launching two sixes and surviving two dropped chances before being dismissed for a 16-ball 22 by PBKS debutant Praveen Dubey.

Karun collected four boundaries off as many balls against Praveen, ensuring Capitals did not concede the momentum. Despite losing his experienced partner five overs from the end, Rizvi continued his penchant for boundaries to see his team across the line.

Earlier, after putting PBKS in, Mukesh Kumar and Mustafizur Rahman stuck to a back-of-a-length approach, pinning down the openers. Mustafizur (three for 33) removed Priyansh Arya early, inducing an edge on his hoick across the line.

Josh Inglis collected a few quick runs by using the horizontal bat shots to counter the lengths employed, but was stumped while charging Vipraj Nigam. Prabhsimran Singh survived a few false shots during the initial phase of play but was eventually castled by Vipraj while attempting a ramp shot.

Shreyas Iyer (53, 34b, 5×4, 2×6) ensured that the run rate hovered over nine with his take down of spin, bringing up his fifth half-century of the season in the process. Du Plessis’ ploy to bring back the opening bowlers paid immediate dividends, with both Nehal Wadhera and Shashank Singh falling cheaply.

Marcus Stoinis (44 n.o., 16b, 3×4, 4×6) ensured the innings clicked back into gear with some brutal hits. The Australian took down Mukesh Kumar and Mohit Sharma for 20-plus runs in their final overs. Despite Kuldeep Yadav picking up two wickets while conceding just three in the eighteenth, Stoinis ensured his team went past the 200-run mark, but it proved inadequate.