Tristan Stubbs' unbeaten fifty, alongside Abishek Porel's solid knock, propelled Delhi Capitals to a crucial victory over Lucknow Super Giants in their last league match of the IPL. Despite the win, Delhi's playoff hopes hang by a thread due to their negative run-rate.
Delhi skipper Rishabh Pant expressed optimism about their playoff chances, stating, "We are still in contention even after the last game." Pant returned to lead the team after a one-match ban for slow over-rate, acknowledging the missed opportunity in the previous match.
Batting first, Delhi posted a challenging total of 208-4, with Porel and Stubbs leading the charge.
The left-handed Porel hit 58 before Stubbs smashed an unbeaten 57 off 25 balls at their high-scoring home venue, Arun Jaitley Stadium. Pant also contributed with a crucial 33 runs.
Lucknow, led by KL Rahul, faced an uphill battle with Nicholas Pooran's 61 and Arshad Khan's unbeaten 58. However, Delhi's bowling, spearheaded by Ishant Sharma's three early wickets, restricted Lucknow to 189-9.
Delhi stumbled after a solid start but were lifted by Stubbs' aggressive batting, pushing them past 200.
Lucknow struggled from the beginning, losing key wickets to Ishant and facing pressure from Stubbs' spin.
Pooran's valiant effort and Arshad's late charge weren't enough as Lucknow fell short of the target.
Lucknow have 12 points with one more match to play and have their hopes hanging by a thread.
The result confirmed a playoff spot for Rajasthan Royals, who became the second team to enter the final four alongside table-toppers Kolkata Knight Riders.
The top four teams make the playoffs. The final is on May 26 in Chennai.
Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma attend the Indian Sports Honour Awards 2017Getty Images