New Delhi: Defending champions Delhi paid the price for complacency as they were knocked out of the North Zone leg of the Vijay Hazare Trophy after a 44-run defeat at the hands of a gritty Services, who qualified for the main round along with Punjab, here today.

The decision by Delhi team management to rest three seniors -- Ashish Nehra, Mithun Manhas and Ishant Sharma -- in the pretext of rotation policy backfired badly while captain Gautam Gambhir's bowling changes left a lot to be desired. Put into bat, Services scored a healthy 257 for five, riding on a fine unbeaten century by Rajat Paliwal (105 not out) and skipper Yashpal Singh's gutsy 75.