Dharamshala: In the 15th over, Kings XI Punjab played exactly the way they wanted to. Delhi Capitals were hammered at 33/3 and faltered again at 74/4, chasing 211 on a challenging Dharamshala surface seemed like a mountain too high to climb. Everyone felt the killing intent. Punjab’s sense of rush collapsed and the game seemed to be going in only one direction. Then Derry started stealing the ball. Not the loud, frantic theft that often happens in T20 cricket, but planned theft. A borderline here, an overturn there, a partnership that pulls their faith back from death.
By the time Punjab realized it, Axar Patel had knocked down the door, with David Miller chasing in his ‘arc’. DC’s lower order became their accomplices. What followed was one of the boldest chases in IPL 2026, with DC winning by three wickets and by one ball.
Axar’s 56 off 30 balls changed the emotional temperature of the game. Punjab had put Delhi into survival mode, but Aqsa dragged them back into the fight with sheer force.
Miller then did what Miller has been doing in the T20 league for over a decade. He scored 51 off 28 balls, including three fours and four sixes, giving Delhi the confidence and hope they desperately needed. But Delhi’s lower and middle classes refused to surrender.
Ashutosh Sharma came on swing and blasted 24 off just 10 balls, including two fours and two sixes, before Madhav Tiwari completed the perfect finishing subplot. Earlier in the evening, the young all-rounder had taken figures of 2/40, preventing Punjab from reaching a more daunting target. Then, under pressure to test more young players, he struck an unbeaten 18 off 8 balls to tip the scales decisively in Delhi’s chase.
While Punjab were still hoping for a late turn, Oqib Nabi ended the match with two swings – a four and a six in his unbeaten ten-ball stand – to seal a three-wicket win.
Earlier, on the ground in Dharamshala, there was enough life to keep the seamers interested, with Kings XI Punjab openers Priyansh Ariya and Prabhusimran Singh deciding that the best form of negotiation would be to remove the risk altogether. In the first three games, the duo forced Delhi Capitals to abandon their traditional plans and chased down 51 runs unbeaten, effectively setting the tone for everything to come.
Priyansh (56 off 33b; 2×4, 6×6) announced his intentions with a pair of sixes that were less laborious and more calculated in nature. Soon after, Lungi Ngidi received similar treatment. Two more sixes, another boundary on Monday night and Delhi Capitals reacted suddenly, not as planned at the HPCA Stadium.
It’s not just the aggression that’s striking, but also the clarity. Priyansh had two quiet outings and despite the defeats, he didn’t get stuck. There was something very simple about him at the moment. He sees length early, trusts his swing arc and doesn’t overthink reputation. The knock didn’t lead to victory, however, as the Capitals stole the show.