We did not assist Kuldeep by throwing away the receptions. – Anrich Nortje acknowledges Punjab Kings’ lackluster fielding strategy

Anrich Nortje, the fast bowler for the Delhi Capitals (DC), admitted that the fielding was quite careless, which hindered Kuldeep Yadav during the match against the Punjab Kings (PBKS). On Wednesday, May 17, Delhi defeated Punjab by 15 runs at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala to record their fifth victory of the IPL 2023 season.

In the midst of the pursuit, Nortje and Yash Dhull missed straightforward opportunities, causing Kuldeep Yadav to scream in frustration. Following the victory, Nortje lamented the missed opportunities and admitted that they were unable to assist Kuldeep, who, according to the DC pacer, was the’standout’ bowler.

“I must say that Kuldeep (Yadav) was our standout bowler tonight, and we didn’t help him by dropping catches,” Nortje said during the post-match presentation.

Notably, Kuldeep completed his three overs, allowing only 21 runs at a respectable economy of 7.00 runs per over. Despite a remarkable comeback by Liam Livingstone, who scored 94 off 48 balls with nine sixes and five fours, Delhi narrowly defeated PBKS to earn two points.

The Punjab Kings are effectively eliminated from the IPL 2023 quarterfinals.
Following the loss, Shikhar Dhawan’s Punjab Kings are effectively eliminated from the playoff competition. Punjab Kings, who are eighth in the IPL Points Table with 12 points after 13 matches and six victories, have one more league match remaining.

On Friday, May 19, Dhawan and co. will face Sanju Samson’s Rajasthan Royals at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala. In their 13 matches, Punjab have a dismal Net Run Rate (NRR) of -0.308 while the Royals have 0.140.

In order to qualify for the playoffs, Punjab will need to defeat Rajasthan by a significant margin and pray that RCB, MI, and KKR lose their remaining matches. On the other hand, the Royals will also seek a favorable outcome against the Kings and rely on the results of other teams for a playoff berth.