Bowlers propel Delhi into top 4 with 17-run victory over Punjab
Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav shared four wickets between themselves while Shardul Thakur picked his career-best IPL figures of 4/36 as Delhi Capitals defeated Punjab Kings by 17 runs at the D.Y Patil Stadium on Monday.
Ater Mitchell Marsh’s 49-ball 63 carried them to 159/7, Axar, Kuldeep and Thakur triggered a collapse which saw Punjab lose six wickets before reaching the halfway mark of the chase. Though Jitesh Sharma tried his best with a 34-ball 44, Punjab could make only 142/9 in their 20 overs.
The win also marks Delhi winning two matches in a row for the first time in the tournament and doing the double on Punjab. With 14 points in their tally, Delhi have also managed to displace Royal Challengers Bangalore from fourth place on the points table on net run rate.
In their defence of 159, Khaleel Ahmed and Anrich Nortje were hit for five fours and a six in the first four overs, with Jonny Bairstow hiting five of those boundaries. Nortje came back in his second over to bounce out Bairstow and the top-edge on hook was caught by deep square leg.
Pace brought more rewards for Delhi as Thakur removed Bhanuka Rajapaksa and then struck the crucial blow by dismissing Shikhar Dhawan on the last ball of the powerplay. While Rajapaksa’s cross-bat swipe went to backward point, Dhawan was cramped for room, giving a healthy edge behind to Pant.
Post-powerplay, Axar grabbed his 100th IPL wicket with a length ball around off-stump skidding in to castle Mayank Agarwal through
Ater Marsh’s 49-ball 63 carried them to 159/7, Axar, Kuldeep and Thakur triggered a collapse which saw Punjab lose six wickets before reaching the halfway mark of the chase
the gate. Punjab’s trouble increased when Liam Livingstone danced down the pitch to dispatch Kuldeep over long-on. But he completely missed the googly from the let-arm wrist-spinner and was easily stumped by Pant.
Kuldeep found more success with the wrongun when he beat Harpreet Brar’s inside edge on defence to bowl him through the gate. Axar’s arm ball fetched him another scalp when Rishi Dhawan missed his sweep and the ball straightened ater pitching to hit the top of the off-stump.
Jitesh, who survived a run-out chance, waged a lone batle with the bat, swating Nortje, Ahmed and Thakur for boundaries. Giving him good support was Rahul Chahar, who smacked Ahmed for a four past mid-off and muscled a pull over deep mid-wicket for six. With 39 needed off 18 balls, Rovman Powell produced a moment of brilliance in the 18th over by leaping to his let and throwing the ball back to the field before losing his momentum backward, saving five runs.
Four balls later, Thakur broke the 41-run stand as Sharma couldn’t get the needed elevation on knuckleball outside the off-stump and was caught by Warner running in from long-off.
Though Kagiso Rabada muscled him for a pulled six over deep mid-wicket, Thakur had the last laugh as the South African holed out to long-off. Despite two dropped catches in the last two overs, Delhi were able to close out a victory.
Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals all-rounder Riyan Parag courted controversy during the match against Lucknow Super Giants when he took a catch to dismiss Marcus Stoinis at the Brabourne Stadium on Sunday.
The incident took place in the final over of the match when the Australian all-rounder Stoinis smashed a low full toss from Prasidh Krishna for a six to begin the over. However, on the next ball, he again tried to smash it over the rope, only to find Parag at long-on.
Parag decided to make a bit of a show of the catch as he pretended to nearly touch the ball to the ground, a gesture that did not impress the commentators or even many fans. He gestured that the ball had not touched the ground, probably mocking the third umpire.
Earlier, Parag had claimed a catch of Stoinis but the third umpire ruled that the ball had bounced before reaching the RR player. Parag, nonetheless, found another opportunity to hold on to Stoinis’ catch in the 20th over.
Seeing his unprecedented gesture on the field, former Australia and Chennai Super Kings bater Mathew Hayden who was doing commentary said, “I have got some advice for you young man, cricket is a very, very long game and we all have very long memories. Never ever tempt fate because it comes around quickly.”