Two weeks ago in Delhi, Punjab Kings chased 265 — the highest successful T20 run chase in cricket history. On Monday night at Dharamsala, Delhi Capitals walked into a ground that had never hosted an IPL 2026 fixture, tracked down 211, and finished with an over to spare. PBKS’s four straight losses have turned a fairytale season into a freefall.
The mirror cracked the other way this time.
How DC Chased 211 at Dharamsala
Priyansh Arya opened by hitting Mitchell Starc for a first-ball six — the second time he’s done that this season, surpassing a Kohli one-off. He top-scored with 56 before Madhav Tiwari, playing only his second IPL match, sent him back. Shreyas Iyer added a half-century — his third consecutive fifty against DC. Punjab posted 210/5.
Six weeks ago, that would have ended the contest. Not anymore.
Axar Patel walked in and hit 56. David Miller hammered 51 from 28 balls. KL Rahul fell early — Arshdeep Singh got him in the powerplay and the cameras caught Ricky Ponting laughing on the boundary at the irony. By the 19th over, DC had 216/7. The highest successful T20 chase at HPCA Stadium. The first IPL 2026 match in Dharamsala. Another record set at a ground that had never seen one.
This is the same DC side that scored 264 on Saturday and were all out for 75 on Monday — wildly inconsistent, but alive.
A win would have taken Punjab top of the table. They stay fourth.
PBKS Collapse: Four Straight Losses After Unbeaten Run
Two weeks earlier, PBKS chased 265 against this same DC side and looked uncatchable. Then Rajasthan ended their unbeaten run chasing 223. Gujarat chased 163. Sunrisers won by 33 despite a maiden century from the opposition dugout. Now Delhi — Axar Patel and David Miller sealing DC’s playoff hopes with a chase that mirrors what Punjab did to them.
Four straight losses. The batting still fires — Arya 56, Iyer fifty, 210 on the board. The bowling and fielding are not hiding behind run-rates anymore. Shreyas Iyer afterward, refusing to soften it: “Won’t beat around the bush, we failed badly.” He named his bowlers and fielders directly.
DC, meanwhile, climbed to seventh — alive in the playoff math, barely. Same two teams, same chase energy, opposite outcome. Punjab set the chase record by hunting. They’re being hunted now.