Punjab Kings lost a game in the ongoing IPL season after a month and at a critical juncture in their campaign with top-two spot on the line as Delhi Capitals ended their campaign on a high with Sameer Rizvi, Karun Nair, KL Rahul and Tristan Stubbs stood up to the challenge with the bat, chasing a score in excess of 200. Punjab Kings bowlers were found short to defend a strong score in absence of their key spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, who missed the game due to a niggle.
From start to the ones in the middle order, none of the Delhi Capitals batters let the required rate go up and helped Delhi achieve their first win since April 22 and end on a high. This was Punjab Kings' sixth defeat while defending a 200-plus score, which is the joint-most by any team in the IPL, equalling Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) record.
On the other hand, Shreyas Iyer, the Punjab Kings captain, now has the most number of defeats as a skipper defending 200-plus scores in the IPL, surpassing MS Dhoni, who had lost three matches in the same way as captain. This was Iyer's second defeat as captain defending a 200-plus score this season, following that Sunrisers Hyderabad loss in Hyderabad where the Orange Army made a mockery of a 245-run target.
Captains to lose most matches while defending 200-plus scores
Shreyas Iyer - 4 (Punjab Kings - 2 {2025}, Kolkata Knight Riders - 2 {2024})
MS Dhoni - 3 (Chennai Super Kings - 2014, 2021, 2023)
Virat Kohli - 2 (Royal Challengers Bangalore - 2018, 2019)
Faf du Plessis - 2 (Royal Challengers Bangalore - 2022, 2023)
Sanju Samson - 2 (Rajasthan Royals - 2023)
Shubman Gill - 2 (Gujarat Titans - 2024, 2025)
Rishabh Pant - 2 (Lucknow Super Giants - 2025)
Teams to lose most matches while defending 200-plus scores
6 - Punjab Kings (in 20 matches)
6 - Royal Challengers Bengaluru (in 27 matches)
5 - Chennai Super Kings (in 26 matches)
4 - Gujarat Titans (in 10 matches)
4 - Kolkata Knight Riders (in 19 matches)
However, Punjab Kings also became the first team to score 200-plus on seven occasions batting first in one T20 competition breaking KKR (IPL 2024) and Sussex's (T20 Blast 2024) record, who both had six scores.
On the other hand, the Kings need to beat the Mumbai Indians in their final league stage clash in Jaipur to stay in contention for a top-two spots with Gujarat Titans and RCB also in the running.