The Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Delhi Capitals (DC) clash at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala on Monday produced one of the strangest records in Indian Premier League (IPL) history. In an era where teams routinely use multiple spin options in T20 cricket, not a single over of spin was bowled across the entire match. Yes, you heard that right.
Fans would’ve come to see the battle between ‘KulCha’ back on the field but neither of them rolled their arm over. Axar Patel himself played as a specialist batter, with Kuldeep Yadav making way for Auqib Nabi in the conditions that offered enough seam.
Yes, all 39 overs in the contest were delivered by pace bowlers as captains Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel independently arrived at the same tactical conclusion to trust the seamers completely on a lively Dharamsala surface offering bounce and movement. DC first did it in the first innings before PBKS replicated the same. Delhi eventually chased down 211 with an over to spare to win by three wickets.
First such full IPL game in 18 years
This was the first non-rain-affected IPL match in 18 years where not one delivery of spin was bowled in either innings. Only once before has an IPL game seen more deliveries bowled by pacers, which was the famous Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) vs Chennai Super Kings (CSK) clash in 2008, which lasted 39.4 overs and was played entirely by seamers. MS Dhoni hammered a 30-ball 65 in that game in Bengaluru, which helped CSK win that clash by 13 runs.
Most overs of pace in an IPL match
| Match | Overs bowled by pacers |
|---|---|
| RCB vs CSK, Bengaluru, 2008 | 39.4 |
| PBKS vs DC, Dharamsala, 2026 | 39.0 |
| KXIP vs DD, Dharamsala, 2013 | 36.0 |
| RR vs DD, Brabourne, 2015 | 36.0 |
| MI vs DD, DY Patil, 2008 | 35.5 |
Globally, only one other major T20 game has seen more seam bowling. It was a South African domestic T20 fixture between the Dolphins and the Titans in 2004 where all 40 overs were bowled by pacers.
Interestingly, the game also marked the first time in IPL history that a team bowled its entire 20-over quota without using a spinner at all. The previous such instance came in 2016, when Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) avoided spin against RCB, although that innings did not complete the full 20 overs.
The conditions in Dharamsala played a huge role. The surface offered steep bounce and seam movement under lights, and both captains sensed that pace variations and hard lengths would be far more effective than conventional spin. Punjab Kings had perhaps the more shocking tactical call. Despite having IPL’s highest wicket-taker, Yuzvendra Chahal, available, Shreyas Iyer never introduced him into the attack as PBKS relied solely on their pace battery.
Delhi were reduced to 74/4 in the chase before Axar Patel and David Miller turned the game around with counter-attacking half-centuries. The two had a match-changing partnership 64 (34) before some important cameos from Ashutosh Sharma, Madhav Tiwari and Auqib Nabi stunned PBKS.
- Axar Patel: 56 off 30
- David Miller: 51 off 28
- Ashutosh Sharma: 24 off 10 balls
- Madhav Tiwari: 18* off 8 balls
Highest successful chases for Delhi Capitals in IPL
| Target | Opponent | Venue | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 226 | RR | Jaipur | 2026 |
| 211 | PBKS | Dharamsala | 2026 |
| 210 | LSG | Vizag | 2025 |
| 209 | GL | Delhi | 2017 |
| 207 | PBKS | Jaipur | 2025 |
This was also the first-ever successful 200-plus chase in Dharamsala IPL history. Before this, the highest successful chase at the venue was Chennai Super Kings’ pursuit of 193 against Kings XI Punjab in 2010.
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