Rana tears into Bartlett in one over
Nitish Rana turned the game in a single burst, taking apart Xavier Bartlett in the 12th over. It read 6, 4, 4, 4, 4, 6 — 28 runs, six boundaries on the trot in a single over. Each ball found the rope. A pull over midwicket, a scoop fine, a top edge that flew, and clean strikes through the off side. It was not chance; it was control.
Delhi had chosen to bat in the heat, close to 40 degrees at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. This was the phase where the pitch eased and the bowlers missed. Bartlett missed most. Rana did not.
Rahul and Rana build, then break it open
Alongside him, KL Rahul kept pace. The stand was worth 124 in 59 balls, built first on placement, then on force. Rahul matched Rana run for run through the middle, rotating early and then finding boundaries once the field spread.
Rana reached his fifty in 29 balls. Rahul followed with similar fluency. What stood out was the shift in tempo — from steady to relentless in a span of overs. Punjab had just come off a controlled spell, including a tidy over from Yuzvendra Chahal. Then came the release.
Punjab lose grip, questions for the bowlers
One over changed the balance. Punjab had kept things tight through phases, but lengths slipped and plans unraveled. There was also poor fielding from Punjab Kings. Shashank Singh dropped KL Rahul early in the over off Arshdeep Singh. Later, both Shashank and Yuzvendra Chahal were guilty of misfields, adding to the pressure.
Rana’s assault did not just add runs, it removed pressure. From a contest, it became a chase of control. Delhi did not look back from there.