IPL: KXIP beat DC

Nicholas Pooran scored a stroke-filled 53 as Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) beat Delhi Capitals (DC) by five wickets.

Dubai: Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) continued their resurgence in the season, as they beat Delhi Capitals (DC) by 5 wickets to register their third consecutive win. Despite being bottom of the table two games ago, the K.L. Rahul-led side are now fifth in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 points table, with eight points from 10 games.

They are tied on points with Rajasthan Royals (RR), but have a better Net Run Rate (NRR). Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), who have played a game less, have the chance to go above both RR and KXIP if they win their next match as they have a better NRR.

DC remain on top of the table, despite the defeat. However, both Mumbai Indians (MI) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) can pull level with them on points if they win their games in hand.

The match saw the top three batsmen in the race for the Orange Cap fight it out. While K.L. Rahul and Mayank Agarwal fell cheaply, Shikhar Dhawan’s second century in a row saw him break the KXIP duopoly at the top of the run-scorers’ list. While Rahul is still the leading run-scorer this season with 540 runs, Dhawan is now in the 2nd position with 465 runs. Mayank is behind them at third, with 398 runs.

Kagiso Rabada, meanwhile, took two wickets to take his tally to 21 for the season. Mohammed Shami also took two in the game to move up to second in the race for the Purple Cap, with his tally standing at 16 this year so far.