IPL 2020 Live Updates: Punjab defeat Delhi by 5 wickets, keep Qualifier hopes alive

"I feel that we fell around 10 runs short, but we got a lot of learnings from this game. Shikhar's batting was positive. Tushar leaked runs but that happens to the best of us. I'm sure he will come back. Shikhar read the wicket well, adapted to the situation, he went hard from Ball 1, and passed the message onto the youngsters that the wicket is stopping. He acclimatized to the conditions quicker the others. The good thing is that the boys will be charged up for the next game. We weren't up to the mark, but I'm sure we will be next time," says Shreyas Iyer.

"Wonderful game. We spoke of areas to improve. Very well done to not bring it down to the last over. I got a start and didn't finish the game, so that's disappointing for me. One of those nights, poor communication, simple (about the mix-ups between the wickets). We have to win games. We are ticking boxes, bowling well as a team. I am naturally an aggressive player. I am confident and hitting the ball well," says Nicholas Pooran

Jimmy Neesham smacks a huge six over deep mid wicket to keep Punjab's qualifying hopes alive. 
KL Rahul & Co. defeat Delhi by 5 wickets

Neesham & Hooda continue to pick constant singles

Punjab need 8 runs off 12

Ashwin gives away 3 runs off the 18th over, Punjab need 14 off 18

Rabada strikes again as Maxwell's careless shot lands the ball right into Pant's hands. Pant takes a commendable running catch to bid the Australian adieu, Punjab need 18 off 25

Punjab need 24 off 30 balls

Playing under pressure, Nicolas Pooran notches up a brilliant half-century

Rabada does the job, breaks the building partnership. A short bouncer from Rabada and Pooran gets a glove on it which Pant grabs easily

A busy day at work for Shikhar Dhawan and he walks off the field with a little niggle. Skipper Iyer brings back Rabada to break the partnership. Punjab are 121/3

Nicolas Pooran smashes Axar Patel for a massive maximum, takes Punjab to 109/3

Pooran continues to strike against Stoinis, gets 11 off the first 3 balls. Punjab are 98/3

15 runs off Deshpande's second over take Punjab to 87/3

Punjab seem to be panicking at the moment with another mix up between Pooran and Maxwell, however, Pant fails to knock off the bails giving Pooran another life at the crease. Punjab are 72/3

Mix up between Pooran and Agarwal and the latter pays the price as Ashwin makes no mistake. Punjab are 56/3

After a short cameo, Chris Gayle has to depart following a brilliant delivery from Ravi Ashwin that spun between his bat and leg to castle the stumps. Punjab are 52/2

Chris Gayle tears apart Tushar Deshpande, hits him for 18 runs off his first four balls

Rahul's departure slows down the scoring rate. Punjab are 24/1

Axar Patel dismisses in-form KL Rahul for just 15 runs. Punjab lose their first wicket at 17 

Proteas speedster gives way just 5 off his first over, Punjab are 13/0

Daniel Sams bowls a decent first over, Punjab are 8/0

Shami knocks over Hetmyer on the last ball. Dhawan's 100 guides Delhi to 164

Shikhar Dhawan brings up his second consecutive century in the IPL 2020, becomes the first player to do so across seasons. 

Shami's yorkers limit Delhi's scoring in the last over

Attempting to go big, Marcus Stoinis gets a leading edge and Mayank Agarwal gets a comfortable catch giving Shami his first wicket. Delhi are 141/4

Shikhar Dhawan into the nervous nineties, Delhi are 139/3 with Marcus Stoinis on the other end

Dhawan inches towards second consecutive century. With 4 overs to go, Delhi are 126/3

Glenn Maxwell reaps benefit with the ball as he dismisses Rishabh Pant for 14 (20). Tosses the ball up and the batsman tries to go big but mistimes and Agarwal rarely misses 

Dhawan smacks Bishnoi for a maximum over deep square leg to bring up 5000 runs in IPL. Delhi are 103/2

Dhawan & pant continue to keep the scoreboard ticking. Delhi are 94/2

Shikhar Dhawan brings up his half-century in just 28 deliveries. Delhi are 73/1

Ashwin deceives skipper Iyer with his spin. KL Rahul helps by taking a smooth catch behind the stumps. Delhi are 73/2

Dhawan crosses 400 runs in IPL 2020. The opening batsman is Delhi's highest-scorer this season

Gives just 5 runs off his first over, Delhi are 58/1

Apart from Neesham's over, Punjab have looked clueless against in-form Shikhar Dhawan. Delhi have raced past 50 in the first six overs and are at 53/1
Dhawan -  35 (20)

Iyer - 9 (5)

Dhawan continues to strike impeccably. Takes Delhi to 44/1 with 3 fours off Shami's second over

Jimmy Neesham gets the first wicket, dismissing Prithvi Shaw for just 7. Good length ball which Shaw tries to smash but does not connect well and Maxwell does not err in catching it. Delhi are 25/1

Punjab speedster gives away two boundaries in his first over. Delhi are 25/0

Shami gives away 3 runs off his first over. Delhi are 16/0

Dhawan continues his form from last match, smashes Maxwell for a maximum. Delhi are 13/0 after 1 over

Prithvi Shaw & Shikhar Dhawan are at the crease as the former looks to regain his batting touch. Glenn Maxwell has been handed the new ball

Delhi XI: Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer(c), Rishabh Pant(w), Shimron Hetmyer, Daniel Sams, Marcus Stoinis, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Tushar Deshpande, Kagiso Rabada

Punjab XI: KL Rahul(w/c), Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran, Glenn Maxwell, Deepak Hooda, James Neesham, Murugan Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh

Punjab bring in Jimmy Neesham in place of Chris Jordan

"We have had a lot of success doing that (Batting first). Need to maximise our powerplay and get to a good total. We had a dramatic game in our last encounter against them (KXIP), and they are also coming off a game with two Super Overs. We need to stick to our routines and come out all guns blazing. Players are returning from injuries," says Shreyas Iyer at the toss

Delhi make three changes: Daniel Sams, Rishabh Pant & Shimron Hetmyer come in

Delhi win the toss and choose to bat first. KL Rahul & Co. will chase.

The Dubai wicket has massively favored the team batting first in the Dream11 IPL 2020. Out of the sixteen matches played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, the teams batting first have won on ten occasions while three games ended in a tie. The team chasing at this venue have won only three matches. Batsmen should play a few balls and settle at the crease before deciding to shift gears.

The average first-innings score at this venue in the Dream11 IPL 2020 has been 176. The team bowling first should look to use the new ball effectively as there is swing initially. As the game progresses, spinners will come into action. According to our pitch report, the side winning the toss should look to bat first and post a big total on the surface as teams chasing have found it tough to get going at this venue.

However, it is likely that Punjab would not mind chasing after nearly overhauling Mumbai's 170+ target in their previous game, that historically ended up in 2 Super Over bouts, which saw KL Rahul's men eventually win the contest and stay alive in the tournament.

Table-toppers Delhi takes on resurging Punjab in the 38th match of the IPL 2020 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday. The previous time these two teams had met, they produced a cracker of a match leading to a nail-biting finish eventually being decided by a super over. Since then, Punjab have often found themselves on the losing side but late resurgence in the tournament puts them in tight contention for the fourth spot. The addition of Chris Gayle to the side has taken off some pressure off Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul at the top, however, ace all-rounder Glenn Maxwell is yet to make an impact in the IPL 2020. KL Rahul & Co. have also found a hidden gem in Arshdeep Singh who has been rattling the opposition with his pace and tight line and length. 

On the other hand, Delhi have been proving to be clinical every game and are probably having one of their best tournament across seasons. Several individuals have risen to the occasion to propel Shreyas Iyer & Co over the winning line. The pace battery comprising of Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada has been formidable while Marcus Stoinis has been their trump card. Axar Patel and Ravi Ashwin have also managed to spin their web around the Opposition and the all-round effort by Delhi has resulted in the franchise winning 7 out of their 9 matches. With Rishabh Pant expected to return to the side, Alex Carey will have to make way for the Indian wicketkeeper allowing Shimron Hetmyer to be back in the game.