Capitals go top with easy victory

A lot was asked of Mayank Agarwal in the lead up to the IPL game against Delhi Capitals on Sunday. With Punjab Kings captain, KL Rahul, out with acute appendicitis that will require a surgery, fellow opener Agarwal was handed the mantle for the game in Ahmedabad.

Also, apart from a 69 in the first leg against Delhi, Agarwal didn’t have much to show this edition coming into the game. He responded to the challenges in splendid fashion, scoring a 58-ball 99* on captaincy debut. Off the first 29 balls, Agarwal had scored only 35 with three fours. Off the next 29 deliveries, he accelerated with 64 runs (3x4, 4x6). None from his team could even reach 30. That singular effort meant Punjab Kings put up a respectable 166/6 in 20 overs. However, a dashing performance from rival opener Shikhar Dhawan took Delhi home in 17.4 overs. He scored 69 off 47 balls, his third half-century of this edition. It helped Delhi climb to the top of the table with 12 points in eight games.

Delhi’s chase began in right earnest with opener Prithvi Shaw hitting Mohammed Shami for 14 runs in the second over. He had raced to 39 off 21 balls when left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar bowled him out. Delhi were 63/1.

Dhawan ensured Delhi always stayed on course despite the loss of Steve Smith (24) and Rishabh Pant (14). He was harsh on legspinner Ravi Bishnoi (0/42) and Shami (0/37) as DC cruised to their sixth win in eight matches. Brief scores: PK 166/6 (Mayank Agarwal 99*; Kagiso Rabada 3/36). DC 167/3 in 17.4 ovs (Prithvi Shaw 39, Shikhar Dhawan 69*).

DC won by 7 wkts.