Delhi stays alive for IPL playoffs with 19-run win over Lucknow

NEW DELHI (AP) — Delhi Capitals kept their hopes alive for the Indian Premier League playoffs with a 19-run win over Lucknow Super Giants on Tuesday.

Delhi completed its league campaign with 14 points but its playoff hopes depend on other results as Sunrisers Hyderabad, Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru are also in the running for the remaining two spots.

Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals have qualified for the playoffs.

Tristan Stubbs powered Delhi to 208-4 as the South African power-hitter dominated the death overs and smacked unbeaten 57 off 25 balls. Opening batter Abishek Porel provided the early momentum with a 33-ball knock of 58.

Ishant Sharma’s (3-34) triple strike in the power play had Lucknow reeling at 44-4 before Nicholas Pooran made a whirlwind 61 off 27 balls and No. 8 batter Arshad Khan (58 not out) smashed a 25-ball half-century took took Lucknow to 189-9.

Porel set up Delhi’s early momentum despite Jake Fraser-McGurk falling to Khan’s second legitimate delivery of the game for a duck when he holed out at a long-on.

Porel added 92 runs with Shai Hope (38) before both exited while going for big shots. Captain Rishabh Pant, back after serving a slow over-rate suspension of one match, made 33 off 23 balls but it was Stubbs' clean hitting that powered Delhi.

Stubbs smacked Afghanistan fast bowler Naveen-ul-Haq (2-51) for 22 runs in the penultimate over as the South African ended up with four sixes and three fours.

Pooran revived Lucknow when he countercharged with four sixes and six boundaries before he was smartly held up by Axar Patel low at extra cover. Delhi was eyeing a big win when Krunal Pandya got stumped for run-a-ball 18 off Kuldeep Yadav (1-33) in the 15th over before Khan’s late onslaught brought down the target to 29 off the final two overs.

But fast bowlers Mukesh Kumar and Rasikh Salam squeezed Khan and gave away only nine runs off the final two overs as Lucknow stayed at No. 7 with 12 points from six wins with its last league game against Mumbai Indians to go.

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