IPL: Punjab Kings restrict Delhi Capitals to 159/7 despite Marsh's half-century

Marsh (63 off 48 balls) first added 51 runs with Sarfaraz Khan (32), who played a cameo, and then another 47 runs with Lalit Yadav (24), after DC lost opener David Warner (0) off the first ball of the innings.

Navi Mumbai:Arshdeep Singh and Liam Livingstone snared three-wickets each as Punjab Kings restricted Delhi Capitals to 159 for 7 despite Mitchell Marsh's fine half-century in their IPL game here on Monday.

Marsh (63 off 48 balls) first added 51 runs with Sarfaraz Khan (32), who played a cameo, and then another 47 runs with Lalit Yadav (24), after DC lost opener David Warner (0) off the first ball of the innings. DC scored at a brisk pace at the start after being asked to bat but they suffered a a middle-order collapse, losing three quick wickets.

It was Australian Marsh, who anchored the DC innings. He completed his fifty with a boundary in the 17th over. He hit four fours and three sixes but ran out of partners. The move to open bowling with Livingstone (3/27) worked as he removed Warner, who gave a sitter to Rahul Chahar at backward point.

Marsh and Sarfaraz then tried to steady the ship. Marsh hammered back-to-back sixes off pacer Kagiso Rabada (1/24), including one lofted shot as Delhi added 15 runs in the second over. Sarfaraz was brutal on left-arm orthodox bowler Harpreet Brar (0/29), hammering him for a maximum, a slog sweep and two successive boundaries, as Delhi fetched 15 runs in the third over.

Sarfaraz hammered five boundaries and a six as Delhi raced to the 50-run mark in the fifth over. But Sarfaraz's cameo ended after he mistimed a lofted shot off Arshdeep Singh (3/37) with Chahar taking a running catch. Then Marsh and Lalit mixed caution and aggression. At 86/2 after 10 overs, the stage was set for a big score.

But Punjab pegged back DC, by grabbing three quick wickets and reducing the opposition to 112/5. First, Arshdeep used his slow bouncer to remove Lalit and then Livingstone sent back Rishabh Pant (7), who was stumped by Jitesh Sharma.

Livingstone had his third wicket, when he removed Rovman Powell (2), whose skier was caught by Shikhar Dhawan in the long-off region. Marsh, who added 37 runs with Axar Patel (17 not out), upped the ante in the 18th over, but it was too late. Wickets kept tumbling for Delhi even as Punjab bowlers conceded 43 runs in the last five overs.