The reaction of the two captains was therefore obvious. While the DC Warner skipper, who battled for Delhi with his 54, lamented his team’s batting effort, Dhawan praised Prabhsimran for coming up to score a 103 from 65 balls.
Continuing Punjab’s 167/7 in Delhi, the hosts could only score 136/8, despite 81/2 at one point, to suffer a 31-point loss.
The loss knocked DC out of playoff contention.
On a slow turn, Warner gave DC a perfect start as his side went 69 unbeaten by the end of the power play, but they crashed to 88 for 6 in 10.1 overs and never recovered. .
“The way we started and then lost six (wickets) for 30 (runs), you’re not going to win a lot of games,” Warner said during the post-match presentation. “Another disappointing effort with the bat after the start we had.”
DC will play its two remaining games purely for pride.
“I think we’ve found the right combination but we keep losing 4-5 wickets in the middle and that’s something you can’t do at this level,” Warner said.
01:48
Prabhsimran and Brar shine as Punjab Kings end Delhi Capitals’ IPL hopes
He also regretted Prabhsimran Singh’s chance of falling who got a reprieve at 68 from Rilee Rossouw.
“A few lost chances cost us a few points,” Warner said. “You have to play with pride, believe in yourself and play with freedom.”
On a tough pitch where none of his teammates broke the 20 mark, Prabhsimran showed the way for Punjab.
PBKS skipper Shikhar Dhawan said: “I rate this shot quite high, playing this kind of shot with this high strike rate and the shots he (Prabhsimran) also played against the bend – that was amazing.”
Dhawan also praised the spin duo of Harpreet Brar (4/30) and Rahul Chahar (2/16) and the beautifully led pace bowling of Nathan Ellis (2/26).
“Credit goes to the spinners and then the fast bowlers for closing it out.”
The victory kept PBKS’ slim playoff hopes alive.
“I like the way the boys took responsibility. I’m very happy with the way they are growing. This victory gives us a lot of confidence.
“We know we have to win both games. We have to stay calm and focused because staying calm and focused works for us.”
(With contributions from the agency)
