On Monday night, May 11, Indian Premier League fans witnessed another high-octane clash between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals after the previous meeting between the two sides had produced a historic successful 265-run chase by the Shreyas Iyer-led team. Although the IPL Revenge Week ended on May 10, the Axar Patel-led side got the better of PBKS this time, thanks largely to the brilliant efforts of their middle order, which had struggled for consistency this season and remained heavily dependent on a top order led by KL Rahul. Constant changes in the batting unit in search of the right balance further hampered DC’s campaign, with the team sitting eighth on the table before Monday’s clash in Dharamsala.
However, after weeks of criticism and questions surrounding their batting line-up, Delhi bounced back emphatically to keep their playoff hopes alive with a successful chase of 210, sealing victory with six balls to spare at the picturesque Dharamsala Cricket Stadium.
Former India batting coach and current commentator Sanjay Bangar highlighted that the biggest positive from the win was the performance of the middle order, which had underperformed for most of the season while relying heavily on Rahul to anchor the innings and guide successful chases. Bangar further pointed out that players like Nitish Rana at No. 3 and Sameer Rizvi had made notable contributions earlier in the campaign, but failed to consistently support Rahul.
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“Delhi Capitals’ win against Punjab Kings was powered by their middle order and finishers. So far this season, DC’s success has relied heavily on the top order. KL Rahul has been their main batter, scoring the bulk of the runs. Nitish Rana at number three has also played key roles, though he missed this game. Sameer Rizvi helped them win early matches as well,” Bangar said while speaking on Star Sports’ ‘Amul Cricket Live’.
Bangar’s remarks carry weight as Rahul has indeed been in red-hot form and remains a strong contender for the Orange Cap this season with 477 runs in 12 matches. Rana has scored two fifties, including a notable 91 off 44 balls in the previous outing against PBKS, while Rizvi also started the season strongly with a superb 90 against the Mumbai Indians. However, both have struggled to consistently complement Rahul’s efforts, while the middle order too has failed to deliver regularly, as highlighted by Bangar.
“But the middle order has been a weak link. They have struggled to finish games. David Miller has been in and out, Ashutosh Sharma has barely played, and Tristan Stubbs has been out of form. That inconsistency has hurt DC.
“But against Punjab, the middle order finally stepped up. Axar played a captain’s knock. Miller was at his brutal best with power-hitting. Ashutosh played a superb 24-run cameo. Young Madhav Tiwari made a pressure chase look easy. That middle-order performance won them the game. Had they done this earlier, Delhi would not be stuck at seventh on the points table,” Bangar added while analysing DC’s season.
A major shift was indeed visible against Punjab, with Miller returning to the side and scoring a match-winning 51, reminding everyone of his pedigree as a veteran finisher after missing the previous three matches. Axar also stepped up after a relatively quiet season with the bat. His 56 stabilised the innings after an early top-order collapse and laid the platform for the middle order to capitalise on. Ashutosh Sharma then smashed a blistering 24 off 10 balls before Player of the Match Madhav Tiwari sealed the win for DC.
As Bangar pointed out, had such combinations and decisions clicked earlier in the season, Delhi — currently seventh on the table with 10 points — would have been in a far stronger position to comfortably qualify for the playoffs rather than relying on other results and net run rate to keep their hopes alive.