Central Delhi Kings narrowly lost to West Delhi Lions by 3 runs in a thrilling finish in Match 29 of the DPL 2025. Central Delhi Kings, through Yash Dhull and Jonty Sidhu, developed some momentum but could not finish in the final overs. Ravneet Tanwar's explosive batting gave the Lions the kick start they needed, and the disciplined bowling applied the necessary pressure later in the over. In short, Central Delhi Kings made some small mistakes under pressure, losing a match they could have won. Here are the top reasons why Central Delhi Kings lost the match.

1. Ravneet Tanwar’s Late-Cameo Heroics 

Ravneet Tanwar's brilliant knock, scoring 38 runs off just 12 balls, with 2 fours and 4 sixes in it, changed the game completely. His last cameo lifted WDL's innings to 178/8 in 20 overs after looking to finish with a lot fewer. CDK's bowling was fought in the death overs, conceding the vital runs when WDL needed it.

2. Central Delhi Kings’ Death-Over Collapse 

Yash Dhull (72 off 49) and Jonty Sidhu (56 off 41) gave CDK a perfect start but CDK fell apart at the critical moment. In their last five overs, they scored only 50 runs and lost 2 wickets, including Sidhu's wicket in the 19th over. That collapse left them with only 175/6 in 20 overs, exactly 3 runs short of winning the match.

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3. West Delhi Lions’ Tight Bowling and Fielding

The Lions’ bowlers held their nerve in the crunch moments, led by Shivank Vashisht (1/16 in 3 overs), Anirudh Chowdhary (1/24 in 3 overs), and Shubham Dubey (1/26 in 2 overs). They didn’t allow CDK’s middle and lower order to finish strongly despite Dhull and Sidhu’s half-centuries. With disciplined lines and sharp fielding support, WDL successfully defended 178/8, restricting CDK to 175/6 in 20 overs.