Delhi Capitals (DC) suffered a comprehensive 31-run defeat at the hands of Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Match 59 of IPL 2023 at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi on Saturday (May 13).

Chasing 168 to win, the hosts got off to a fantastic start as the duo of David Warner (54 off 27) and Philip Salt (21 off 17) added 69 runs for the opening wicket.

Once the partnership was broken, Delhi’s batting line-up collapsed dramatically as they slipped from 69/1 to 88/6. The spin duo of Harpreet Brar (4-30) and Rahul Chahar (2-16) were the wrecker-in-chief with the ball, sharing the first six wickets between them. 

After a cluster of wickets, the equation became difficult for the Capitals to chase. Nathan Ellis (2-26) also picked up a couple of scalps as PBKS eventually restricted DC to 136/8.

With this defeat, the Capitals got eliminated from the cash-rich tournament and skipper David Warner urged his troops to play their remaining games for pride.

"You got to play for pride, and play with freedom [in the remaining games]," Warner said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

Earlier, PBKS posted 167/7 on the board after being asked to bat first. Opener Prabhsimran Singh waged a lone battle with the bat for Punjab, slamming 103 off 65 balls – his maiden IPL ton.

"It was about trying to restrict them (PBKS) to a decent total. They got more than we would have liked. Prabhsimran batted really well, dropped chances cost us a few. At the end of the day after the powerplay when you lose 6 for 30 not going to win a lot of games," Warner said.

The DC captain also expressed his disappointment over their batting collapse after a blazing start against PBKS.

"Another disappointing effort with the bat after the good start we had. When you lose they are the things that happen in this format [on chopping and changing of their team]. We found the right combination but we keep losing 3-4 quick wickets and you can't do that at this level."

Delhi Capitals will next face Punjab Kings on May 17 in Dharamsala.