Punjab Kings captain Shikhar Dhawan has become a strong contender to bag the ‘Catch of the Season’ award, after he grabbed an absolute screamer to get rid of Delhi Capitals skipper David Warner (46).
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Opting to bowl first in what is a do-or-die match for them at Dharamsala’s HPCA Stadium, Kings’ bowling attack needed a piece of individual brilliance on the field after Capitals’ opening pair got their team off to a flier.
Coincidentally, the moment arrived exactly when the commentators were coming up with their favourite pick for the best catch of IPL 2023 so far.
Shikhar Dhawan Grabs Superman Catch to Dismiss David Warner
It happened during the 11th over of the innings after the duo of Warner and Prithvi Shaw had already added 93 runs on the scoreboard post the 10-over mark.
PBKS vice-captain Sam Curran bowled a back-of-the-hand slower delivery on length. The ball was aimed at Warner’s body in a possible bid to prevent him from opening his arms. However, the left-handed batter had already made up his mind to go for the almighty heave nonetheless.
In what can be described as a nothing shot, Warner only managed to abruptly slice the ball up in the air, after it hit the top-portion of his bat.
As the ball ballooned up in the air in the mid-off region, Dhawan scampered quickly across towards his left from the cover region and threw himself flat on the ground with both his hands outstretched.
While he went for the catch with both his hands, the ball luckily landed perfectly on his left palm. However, full marks to the Southpaw batter that he made sure to not let it pop out of his hands despite his arms landing heavily on the ground.
Absolutely Stunning! ⚡️ ⚡️
DO NOT MISS this brilliant catch from @PunjabKingsIPL captain @SDhawan25 🎥 🔽
A much-needed breakthrough for #PBKS 👌 👌
Follow the match ▶️ https://t.co/lZunU0I4OY #TATAIPL | #PBKSvDC pic.twitter.com/3j8NqsKJk8
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 17, 2023
David Warner lays solid platform for a DC power-finish
Warner, 36, was the aggressor-in-chief during the powerplay for Capitals. He scored 34 runs off mere 18 deliveries during this phase, thereby providing his side a perfect platform for a power-finish. Getting dismissed at the score of 46 (31) tonight, his innings comprised of 5 fours and a couple of sixes.
Ultimately, with the additional help of Shaw (54) and Rilee Rossouw (82*), the Capitals posted a challenging total of 213/2 on the board.