Delhi Capitals pacer Lungi Ngidi has been discharged from hospital after suffering a head injury during the IPL clash against Punjab Kings. Ngidi was stretchered off after a fall while attempting a catch in a match that PBKS won in a record chase.
The Proteas pacer faced a nasty landing on the back of his head and neck. He was discharged from BLK-Max Super Speciality Hospital. He was brought to the hospital after he sustained a head injury during the IPL match against the Punjab Kings.
Kiran Kumar Grandhi, Chairman and co-owner of the Delhi Capitals, went to the hospital to meet Ngidi.
Record-Breaking Chase Overshadows Injury Scare
Despite KL Rahul's record-breaking 152*, a sensational 126-run stand between openers Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya and a hard-hitting 71* by skipper Shreyas Iyer powered PBKS to an all-time record chase of 265 at Arun Jaitley Stadium.
It was a horror show with ball for DC, who missed Ngidi, who had to be stretchered out of the field and hospitalised after his fall while attempting a catch.
How the Injury Occurred
In the third over of Punjab Kings' innings, bowled by Axar Patel, Ngidi went for a catch off a lofted shot from Priyansh Arya. He tracked the ball while back-pedalling but never seemed in control of the attempt, stretching backwards without getting a fingertip to it. In the process, he landed heavily on his head, making for a worrying moment on the field and causing the action to stall for over 10 minutes, with spin all-rounder Vipraj Nigam brought in as a concussion substitute.
Following his injury, the IPL issued an update saying that Ngidi is "stable and due to be discharged from the hospital today" and indeed, Ngidi has been discharged from the hospital hours after suffering the ball.
Coach on Ngidi's Injury and DC's Performance
Speaking on Ngidi's injury, Venugopal said during the post-match presser, "Still, I think it is not serious. We will update, but nothing serious."
Ngidi has been a key bowler for DC this season, taking seven wickets in seven matches at an average of 29.42, with an economy rate of 8.70 and best figures of 3/27.
Venugopal also stressed on overcoming poor catching, pointing out that the team dropped "almost six catches", including two of skipper Shreyas Iyer by Karun Nair. He highlighted the need to hold on to these chances to have any chance at defending the total.
"See, when you are dropping at a crucial time, I do not think we will win these kinds of matches. Chances to players like Prabhsimran, Priyansh Arya and Shreyas, we need to take those. If we drop catches, we cannot defend," he added.
Speaking on recovering from the loss, Venugopal said, "We will see. Next game when we come, we will answer. There are a lot of positives. But the areas to improve are powerplay bowling and catching."
Praise for KL Rahul's Record Knock
Lastly, on KL's record-breaking 152*, which made him the third-overall and first-ever Indian member of IPL's 150 run club and the holder of the highest score by an Indian in T20s, Venugopal pointed to the responsibility KL took as a senior player.
"See, after scoring and putting a target of 264, still we could not defend. First of all, credit goes to KL, the way he handled it. Nobody knows how the pitch behaved, but he kept striking the ball well. The way he played till the last over, hats off. He continued his form. In this format, you cannot relax. He took responsibility as a senior player and you saw the difference this year in what he can bring. I am happy for him. We could not get the win, but we will come back strong next match," he signed off.
Match Summary and Standings
With this win, PBKS stand unbeaten with six wins and a no result, giving them 13 points. DC is at the sixth spot, with three wins and four losses, giving them six points. PBKS broke their record of chasing down 262 against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the 2024 season.
Coming to the match, after DC opted to bat first, an entertaining 220-run second-wicket stand between KL Rahul (152* in 67 balls, with 16 fours and nine sixes) and Nitish Rana (91* in 44 balls, with 11 fours and four sixes) took DC to 264/2.
PBKS did not put their weapons down either, as Priyansh Arya (43 in 17 balls, with two fours and five sixes) and Prabhsimran (76 in 26 balls, with nine fours and five sixes) shaved off 116 runs in the powerplay, later, Shreyas (71* in 36 balls, with three fours and seven sixes) put partnerships with Nehal Wadhera (25) and Shashank Singh (19*), completing the chase in 18.5 overs with six wickets left. (ANI)
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