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Mayank Agarwal
PBKS opening batsman Mayank Agarwal was announced as the captain of Punjab Kings after KL Rahul was diagnosed with Acute Appendicitis. Mayank Agarwal had missed out on Punjab Kings' previous match against Royal Challengers Bangalore. Despite that, he was handed over the captaincy reins on Sunday. PBKS skipper KL Rahul, who had smashed 91 runs against RCB, was rushed to a hospital in Mumbai after being diagnosed with acute appendicitis. On his captaincy debut, Mayank Agarwal slammed 99* runs in 58 deliveries as he helped his team to post 166/6 in 20 allotted overs. Agarwal's 99* is now the second-best score on a captaincy debut in IPL. The 30-year-old is next to Rajasthan Royals' Sanju Samson, who scored 119 against PBKS this season.
Mayank Agarwal did not let the nerves affect his performance: Kevin Pietersen
Speaking after PKBS innings, retired England cricketer Kevin Pietersen praised Mayank for not letting the nerves affect his performance. Shikhar Dhawan's 69 overshadowed Mayank Agarwal's unbeaten 99. Delhi Capitals defeated Punjab Kings by seven wickets to go atop the points table. Agarwal who was leading the team in the absence of KL Rahul single-handedly took Punjab Kings to 166 for six. Delhi Capitals hardly broke a sweat in the run chase and won the game in just 17.4 overs. This is Delhi's sixth win in eight matches so far. For Punjab Kings, it was their fifth defeat in eight games, summing up their inconsistency so far in the season.
Delhi's chase began in right earnest with opening batsman Prithvi Shaw extending his red-hot form. The young batsman struck Mohammed Shami for 14 runs in the second over. Shaw had scored 39 runs off 21 balls when Punjab's latest sensation, Harpreet Brar, weaved his magic to bowl him out in the seventh over.
After his dismissal, Dhawan used his experience and great form to guarantee that the team always stayed in the contest despite the loss of Smith and Pant. Dhawan took a particular liking for leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi (0/42) and Shami (0/37) as DC cruised to their sixth win in eight matches. After this win, Delhi Capitals will next face Kolkata Knight Riders on 8th May at the Narendra Modi Stadium.