The Delhi Capitals (DC) pace, Anrich Nortje, acknowledged that the fielding was quite sloppy which did not help Kuldeep Yadav during the clash against Punjab Kings (PBKS). Notably, Delhi registered their fifth win of the IPL 2023 season following a 15-run victory against Punjab at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala on Wednesday, May 17.
In the midst of the chase, both Nortje and Yash Dhull dropped simple chances which led the left-arm spinner, Kuldeep Yadav, to scream out of frustration. Following the win, Nortje rued the missed opportunities and acknowledged that they could not help Kuldeep, who was the ‘stand out’ bowler according to the DC pacer.
“I must say Kuldeep (Yadav) was our standout bowler tonight, and we didn’t help him by dropping the catches,” Nortje told during the post-match presentation.
Notably, Kuldeep completed his three overs, giving away mere 21 runs at a solid economy of 7.00. Despite a stunning fight-back from Liam Livingstone wherein he cracked 94 off 48 balls, featuring nine sixes and five fours, Delhi narrowly edged past PBKS to clinch the two points.
Punjab Kings are virtually knocked out of the IPL 2023 playoffs
Following the defeat, Shikhar Dhawan’s Punjab Kings are virtually eliminated in the race for playoffs. Placed eighth in the IPL Points Table with 12 points in 13 matches, courtesy of six wins, Punjab Kings have one more match remaining in the league phase.
Dhawan and Co. will lock horns with Sanju Samson’s Rajasthan Royals at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala on Friday, May 19. Currently, Punjab have a dismal Net Run Rate (NRR) of -0.308 whereas the Royals have 0.140 in their 13 matches.
Punjab will need to win by a big margin against Rajasthan to improve their NRR and hope that RCB, MI and KKR lose their remaining fixtures, so as to obtain a berth in the playoffs. On the other hand, the Royals, too, will look for a favourable result against the Kings and rely on the results of other teams in the mix for a spot in the playoffs.