Half-centuries from Abhishek Porel and Tristan Stubbs powered Delhi Capitals to a commanding 208/4 in their allotted 20 overs against Lucknow Super Giants in a crucial Indian Premier League (IPL) encounter at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday.
Chasing a playoff berth, Delhi elected to bat first and got off to a shaky start, losing opener Jake Fraser McGurk for a duck in the first over. However, Porel (58 off 33 balls) and Shai Hope (38 off 27 balls) steadied the ship with a 92-run stand for the second wicket. Porel smashed five fours and four sixes in his knock, while Hope contributed three fours and two sixes.
Skipper Rishabh Pant (33 off 23 balls) briefly threatened with the bat but was dismissed in the 17th over. However, the explosive Stubbs (57* off 25 balls) took center stage, hammering three fours and four sixes to notch up his third fifty of the season. Axar Patel (14* off 10 balls) provided valuable support in the death overs as Delhi finished their innings with a flourish.
Naveen-ul-Haq (2/51) was the most successful bowler for Lucknow, picking up two wickets. Ravi Bishnoi and Arshad Khan chipped in with a wicket apiece.
Delhi will now need to defend this imposing total to keep their playoff hopes alive.
