IPL 2024: Sam Curran ensures happy house-warming for Punjab Kings in new stadium

Punjab Kings star all-rounder Sam Curran smashed the first half-century of IPL 2024 to guide his side to a 4-wicket win over Delhi Capitals in the Northern derby.

The Englishman took home the laurels in a match whose build-up was dominated by the return of superstar wicket-keeping batter Rishabh Pant. With this win, PBKS inaugurated their new stadium with a victory, having moved to the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Stadium in Mullanpur from their old home, the PCA Stadium in Mohali.

The new stadium seems to have changed the fortunes for PBKS, as predicted by skipper Shikhar Dhawan prior to their match against DC. The match saw the return of Pant, who made a comeback to competitive cricket after a gap of 15 months. The Delhi Capitals captain had suffered a horrific injury following a car crash in late 2022. He scored a brisk 13-ball 18 and also kept the wickets for his side.

However, it was another wicket-keeping batter in the form of Abhishek Porel that stole the limelight in Mohali. Brought in as an Impact Player, Porel smashed 32 runs at a strike rate of over 300 to help DC post a fighting total in the first innings. His knock was amplified by the mauling of PBKS debutant Harshal Patel in the final over of the first innings, where he smashed the pacer for three boundaries and two sixes.

Chasing a competitive total of 175 runs, Sam Curran scored a 47-ball 63, while being supported by fellow countryman Liam Livingstone, who chipped in with 38 runs, to guide Punjab Kings to victory.

The win helped PBKS take a head-to-head lead over their North Indian rivals, winning their 17th match against DC having faced each other on 33 occasions in the IPL.

PBKS vs DC: AS IT HAPPENED

Delhi Capitals got off to a positive start with openers David Warner and Mitchell Marsh scoring at a healthy run-rate in the powerplay after being put in to bat first by PBKS skipper Shikhar Dhawan. The two batters smashed Curran for 10 runs in the first over, and he was never brought back in the attack by Dhawan.

Arshdeep Singh provided PBKS with their first breakthrough, getting rid of Mitchell Marsh in the fourth over. Warner looked good but was undone by PBKS debutant Harshal Patel in the eight over after scoring 29 runs off 21 deliveries.

Shai Hope picked up where Warner left off and smashed 33 runs off 25 balls, while hitting two boundaries and as many sixes before being undone by Kagiso Rabada. Pant, who was greeted with a standing ovation by the Mullanpur crowd, scored 18 runs off 13 balls before Harshal got the better of him in the 13th over. His innings also saw him score his 400th IPL boundary.

The Punjab Kings put the visitors under pressure in the middle overs and reduced DC to 147 for 8 in the penultimate over. However, a terrific knock by DC’s Impact Substitute Abhishek Porel helped them post a fighting total in the first innings.

The left-handed wicket-keeping batter hit 32 runs off 10 balls, while smashing four boundaries and two sixes. He hit Harshal for 25 runs in the final over to take DC to 174 for 9.

In the second innings, Dhawan and Jonny Bairstow got the home side to a phenomenal start, smashing Khaleel Ahmed for 17 runs in the first over. They continued the carnage until Ishant Sharma cleaned up Dhawan in the fourth over, before running out Bairstow four balls later.

Prabhsimran and Curran settled Punjab’s innings following the fall of quick wickets of their openers. The two batters formed a 42-run stand which was eventually broken by Kuldeep Yadav in the 10th over. Prabhsimran was the man who was dismissed after scoring a 17-ball 26.

Newly-appointed vice-captain Jitesh Sharma couldn’t make the desired impact on the match, and was stumped by Pant in the 12th over. Curran then smashed the first fifty of IPL 2024, getting to the landmark off 39 deliveries. He was ably supported by Livingstone, who hit 38 runs off 21 deliveries, while hitting two boundaries and three sixes.

In fact, Curran’s knock of 67 runs was his highest score in the IPL. The 67-run partnership between Curran and Livingstone led Punjab to a 4-wicket win over Delhi with 4 balls in hand. They will now turn their attention towards Royal Challengers Bengaluru, with the two sides set to clash at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Monday, March 25.