New Delhi: Punjab Kings produced a stunning victory against Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League by hunting down a target of 265 to record the highest successful run-chase in the history of T20 cricket.
Punjab crossed the line with seven balls to spare at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, surpassing their own previous best chase of 262 against Kolkata Knight Riders in 2024.
KL Rahul had struck an unbeaten 152 – the highest score by an Indian in IPL – as Delhi reached 264-2 batting first, but Punjab attacked from the outset and reached 116-0 – the second-highest powerplay score in the tournament.
Punjab openers Prabhsimran Singh, who hit a blistering 76 from just 26 balls, and Priyansh Arya, who scored 43 off 17 balls, set the tone for the visitors with a 126-run opening stand in the sweltering Delhi heat.
Captain Shreyas Iyer then capitalised on two dropped catches by Karun Nair to reach an unbeaten 71 from 36 balls and take Punjab home with relative ease.
However, the record-breaking win was interrupted by an injury to Lungi Ngidi, who had to be rushed out of the stadium in an ambulance though Delhi later confirmed via social media that the fast bowler was stable and set to be discharged from hospital.
With Punjab racing to 43-0 in the third over of the chase, the South African back-pedalled from mid-off to attempt a catch off Arya but fell backwards, hitting his head on the turf.
The match was stopped for 15 minutes as the 30-year-old received medical attention, with Vipraj Nigam coming on as a concussion substitute before the match resumed.
Unbeaten Punjab remain top of the table with 13 points from seven matches – three ahead of Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Rajasthan Royals. Meanwhile, Delhi are sixth with six points.
Delhi had looked firmly on top at the halfway stage – aided by Rahul’s sensational 152 not out from 67 balls.
It is the third-highest individual score in IPL history, surpassed only by Chris Gayle’s 175 not out in 2013 and Brendon McCullum’s 158 not out in the tournament’s opening match in 2008.
Rahul’s knock is also the highest by an Indian in the format – beating the previous mark of 151 set by Tilak Varma in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in November 2024.
The wicketkeeper-batter was supported by Nitish Rana, who scored 91 from 44 balls, as the pair added 220 runs – the highest partnership ever for Delhi and the second-highest in IPL after a 229-run stand between Royal Challengers Bengaluru duo Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers against Gujarat Lions in 2016.
But Punjab’s ruthless hitting made the target of 265 look nowhere near enough.
Delhi were given a brief lifeline when Kuldeep Yadav struck in consecutive overs to dismiss Prabhsimran and Cooper Connolly but Karun’s dropped catches off Iyer proved costly.
“We’re making the same mistakes repeatedly,” said Delhi captain Axar Patel.
“If you don’t support the bowlers on such a wicket, I think you deserve to lose. At the same time, our bowling unit also needs to take a look at themselves, given Punjab’s score in the powerplay. If we grab the crucial moments, two or three results would have gone our way.”
