"Declare Liam Livingstone as the new King of UK" - Twitter hails PBKS batsman Liam Livingstone for valiant knock in losing cause against DC

Fans on Twitter reacted to Punjab Kings' (PBKS) batter Liam Livingstone's incredible knock against the Delhi Capitals (DC) at Dharamsala on Wednesday, May 17. The middle-order batter played one of the best knocks of the season to nearly pull off a miraculous win for his side.

Chasing an improbable 214 for victory, the 29-year-old came in at 50-2 with a further 164 required off 80 balls. He smashed a breathtaking 94* off 48 deliveries. His knock, which included five 4s and nine 6s, almost single-handedly won the game for PBKS as they eventually fell 15 runs short of DC's total.

Livingstone's brutal hitting brought an improbable equation down to 16 needed off the final three balls until Ishant Sharma held his nerves to deny PBKS victory.

Renowned as one of the best power hitters in the game, Livingstone was picked by PBKS ahead of the 2022 season. He had a magnificent season a year ago, scoring 437 runs at an average of 36.42 and a strike rate of 182.08.

Despite a late start to this season due to injury, Livingstone has continued his imperious form. He has scored 270 runs in eight games at an average of 38.57 and a strike rate of 170.89.

Although Liam Livingstone's masterclass ultimately ended in agony, fans took to Twitter in appreciation of the right-hander's scintillating knock.

Here are some of the best reactions:

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"We should have taken some wickets the way it was swinging" - PBKS skipper Shikhar Dhawan on the bowling performance after loss to DC

Punjab Kings skipper Shikhar Dhawan expressed his disappointment with the team's bowling performance, particularly in the powerplay after the crucial 15-run defeat to the Delhi Capitals.

The PBKS bowlers conceded 61 runs without picking up a single wicket in the first six overs. The DC batters took advantage of some listless bowling to pile up a mammoth total of 213-2 in their 20 overs.

Speaking at the post-game presentation, Dhawan said:

"It was frustrating. We didn't bowl really well in the first six wickets, we should have taken some wickets the way it was swinging. It's quite a close game, but can't help it. There was hope after that no ball, Livi played a great knock, unfortunately we couldn't end up on the other side.Our bowlers didn't pitch the ball up in the powerplay. That was the plan and unfortunately they couldn't execute."

He added:

"In this sort of a wicket, whether we take wickets or not, we should bowl at the right areas which we are not doing for quite a long time. That's hurting us. Every powerplay, we have been giving 50-60 runs, we should be taking wickets as well. We knew that it'd swing for 1-2 overs."

Dhawan also took the blame for the decision to bowl Harpreet Brar in the final over of the innings, which ended up going for 23 runs.

"I fell my decision to bowl spin off the last over backfired. The momentum also went there. Before that, my fast bowlers got hit for 18-20 runs. Those two overs cost us the game."

The defeat left PBKS on the brink of elimination from a playoff spot with 12 points in 13 games. They will have to win their final game by a substantial margin and hope other results go their way to qualify for the playoffs.

PBKS play their final game against the Rajasthan Royals at Dharamsala on Friday, May 19.