QUICK SINGLES
The stage was set for an intense #NorthernDerby with the Feroz Shah Kotla painted blue by our fans. After winning the toss, skipper Iyer decided to field first. The match was a crucial encounter as we aimed to fine our grip in the playoff spot. Furthermore, with a defeat in Mohali in our last clash with KXIP, it was vital for us to take all the points in the reverse fixture!
THE POWERPLAY: ACT 1
Ishant Sharma bowled a tidy over first up and gave away just three singles. Lamichhane went for a few quick boundaries upon his return into the playing XI but he was as unnerved as he could be with him eventually dismissing the in-form KL Rahul with a delivery that spun away more than the KXIP keeper expected.
Chris Gayle continued his terrific form and kept getting the boundaries for the visitors. Kings XI were moving at a swift pace thanks to their Jamaican superstar. At the end of 4 overs, the opposition scoreboard read 42/1.
Rabada was brought on in the 5th over. Providing a wicket has become customary for our speedster. He put pressure on Mayank Agarwal by bowling 4 dots. The 28-year-old eventually swung wildly on the 5th delivery but only to get a top edge. Rutherford, our IPL debutant, hung on to the catch.
It was proving out to be an even contest as Kings XI had 50 runs on board at the end of 6 overs while we had also taken 2 wickets and kept the pressure on with timely dot balls.
HITTING THE MIDDLE
Sherfane Rutherford bowled brilliantly in the 11th over. Kagiso Rabada who was brought into the attack to slower the run-rate kept the opposition batsmen quiet. Gayle and Mandeep could only manage to score 8 runs from these two overs combined.
THE TURN
The stage was set for the 13th over - which has to be the game changing point of the match.
Lamichhane was brought into the attack again and Gayle hit him for a six on the first ball. He bowled a wrong ‘un on his next one and that did the trick.
Gayle attempted another big shot but the ball went to Ingram at deep midwicket. Our Protean player took the catch, but he was right at the boundary rope and knew he would go over in his follow through. He showed exceptional presence of mind and relayed the ball towards Axar Patel before going over the rope. The all-rounder took the easy catch in the end.
A brilliant team effort helped us get the big fish of Gayle. The effort from Colin Ingram was the moment of the game. The duo of Axar and Ingram also won the Perfect Catch of the Match for the breath-taking effort.
The young Sandeep continued to bowl brilliantly. A superb caught and bowled got Sam Curran out in the 13th over itself. These two wickets in quick succession helped in curbing the runs as well. With four overs to go, Kings XI were at 127/5. Lamichhane won the Stylish Player of the Match award for his spell of 3 for 40 in 4 overs.
SUPER COLIN!!!! Describe this moment using an emoji! ⬇️#DCvKXIP #ThisIsNewDelhi #DelhiCapitals pic.twitter.com/Obz8qWuoDo
— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) April 20, 2019
THE TARGET
Axar Patel got the important wicket of a well-set Mandeep Singh in the 17th over. Kagiso Rabada also got his 2nd wicket of the day in the form of the opposition skipper Ashwin in the last over. KXIP's debutant Harpreet Brar played a good cameo of 20 runs to help his team to a total of 163/7 in 20 Overs.
164 to win. 120 deliveries. Qila Kotla was ready.
THE POWERPLAY: ACT 2
The crowd at Kotla roared loud as Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw walked out in the middle to bat. The atmosphere was just electric with fans cheering their hearts out for the boys. The boys made a watchful start and scored just 1 run in the first over, which was bowled by Shami. Both our batsmen started playing their shots in the subsequent overs.
There was an unfortunate mix-up in the 4th over. Dhawan chipped the ball to the covers. Both the players went for the single but Gabbar changed his mind after taking a couple of steps. Shaw was stranded and Mandeep’s direct hit at the non-striker's end meant he would have to return to the hut.
Skipper Iyer walked out to the middle to join Dhawan. Both our batsmen were in sublime touch. They thrashed Harpreet Brar for 17 runs in the 5th over. At the end of the powerplay, our scoreboard read 60/1.
THE HOOK
Shikhar Dhawan and Skipper Shreyas showed their experience and kept the scoreboard ticking in the middle overs. Our Gabbar added another feather to his cap as he became the first batsman in IPL history to hit 500 fours. Our experienced southpaw also won the Game-changer of the Match award for his splendid outing with the bat.
Iyer also reached the landmark of 1500 IPL runs. They put our ship in cruise mode by taking calculated risks. Halfway through the innings, we were at 90/1. The way the both of them timed their inning was truly commendable especially in seeing off Ashwin and Brar’s variations. Gabbar reached his fifty in the 12th over before Viljoen dismissed him in the 14th.
THE CLIMAX
We were in a comfortable position as 28 runs required from the last 4 overs.
Ingram and well-set Iyer were in the middle now after Rishabh was dismissed early. They rotated the strike and we started inching closer.
Colin Ingram smashed Viljoen for three fours in the 18th over. Just 10 more runs were required in the last 2 overs. Meanwhile, captain cool Shreyas Iyer also reached his fifty in 45 balls! There were a few nervy moments in the penultimate over when Shami bowled Colin Ingram on the 3rd delivery and Axar was run out on the 4th when he attempted to run two.
Only 6 runs were required off the last over. Rutherford and Iyer did the job. Our captain deservedly hit the winning boundary and scored the winning runs. We got another crucial 2 points by defeating the Kings XI Punjab by 5 wickets and 2 balls to spare.
The boys would really take a lot of positives from the game. We remain at 3rd position on the IPL 2019 table and further bolster our chances for the playoffs. Iyer got the Man of the Match award for his captain's knock!
THE QUOTE
“I focus on my process and of course I feel that as an experienced player, I communicate more in the middle”
-Shikhar Dhawan
“It was really satisfying to stay till the end. One of the top four has to stay till the end”
-Shreyas Iyer
Dilli, this one's for you ❤️#DCvKXIP #ThisIsNewDelhi #DelhiCapitals pic.twitter.com/aWWRYo0sUQ
— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) April 20, 2019
We now head to the pink city to take on a resurgent RR on Monday in their own backyard!
QUICK SINGLES
The stage was set for an intense #NorthernDerby with the Feroz Shah Kotla painted blue by our fans. After winning the toss, skipper Iyer decided to field first. The match was a crucial encounter as we aimed to fine our grip in the playoff spot. Furthermore, with a defeat in Mohali in our last clash with KXIP, it was vital for us to take all the points in the reverse fixture!
THE POWERPLAY: ACT 1
Ishant Sharma bowled a tidy over first up and gave away just three singles. Lamichhane went for a few quick boundaries upon his return into the playing XI but he was as unnerved as he could be with him eventually dismissing the in-form KL Rahul with a delivery that spun away more than the KXIP keeper expected.
Chris Gayle continued his terrific form and kept getting the boundaries for the visitors. Kings XI were moving at a swift pace thanks to their Jamaican superstar. At the end of 4 overs, the opposition scoreboard read 42/1.
Rabada was brought on in the 5th over. Providing a wicket has become customary for our speedster. He put pressure on Mayank Agarwal by bowling 4 dots. The 28-year-old eventually swung wildly on the 5th delivery but only to get a top edge. Rutherford, our IPL debutant, hung on to the catch.
It was proving out to be an even contest as Kings XI had 50 runs on board at the end of 6 overs while we had also taken 2 wickets and kept the pressure on with timely dot balls.
HITTING THE MIDDLE
Sherfane Rutherford bowled brilliantly in the 11th over. Kagiso Rabada who was brought into the attack to slower the run-rate kept the opposition batsmen quiet. Gayle and Mandeep could only manage to score 8 runs from these two overs combined.
THE TURN
The stage was set for the 13th over - which has to be the game changing point of the match.
Lamichhane was brought into the attack again and Gayle hit him for a six on the first ball. He bowled a wrong ‘un on his next one and that did the trick.
Gayle attempted another big shot but the ball went to Ingram at deep midwicket. Our Protean player took the catch, but he was right at the boundary rope and knew he would go over in his follow through. He showed exceptional presence of mind and relayed the ball towards Axar Patel before going over the rope. The all-rounder took the easy catch in the end.
A brilliant team effort helped us get the big fish of Gayle. The effort from Colin Ingram was the moment of the game. The duo of Axar and Ingram also won the Perfect Catch of the Match for the breath-taking effort.
The young Sandeep continued to bowl brilliantly. A superb caught and bowled got Sam Curran out in the 13th over itself. These two wickets in quick succession helped in curbing the runs as well. With four overs to go, Kings XI were at 127/5. Lamichhane won the Stylish Player of the Match award for his spell of 3 for 40 in 4 overs.
SUPER COLIN!!!! Describe this moment using an emoji! ⬇️#DCvKXIP #ThisIsNewDelhi #DelhiCapitals pic.twitter.com/Obz8qWuoDo
— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) April 20, 2019
THE TARGET
Axar Patel got the important wicket of a well-set Mandeep Singh in the 17th over. Kagiso Rabada also got his 2nd wicket of the day in the form of the opposition skipper Ashwin in the last over. KXIP's debutant Harpreet Brar played a good cameo of 20 runs to help his team to a total of 163/7 in 20 Overs.
164 to win. 120 deliveries. Qila Kotla was ready.
THE POWERPLAY: ACT 2
The crowd at Kotla roared loud as Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw walked out in the middle to bat. The atmosphere was just electric with fans cheering their hearts out for the boys. The boys made a watchful start and scored just 1 run in the first over, which was bowled by Shami. Both our batsmen started playing their shots in the subsequent overs.
There was an unfortunate mix-up in the 4th over. Dhawan chipped the ball to the covers. Both the players went for the single but Gabbar changed his mind after taking a couple of steps. Shaw was stranded and Mandeep’s direct hit at the non-striker's end meant he would have to return to the hut.
Skipper Iyer walked out to the middle to join Dhawan. Both our batsmen were in sublime touch. They thrashed Harpreet Brar for 17 runs in the 5th over. At the end of the powerplay, our scoreboard read 60/1.
THE HOOK
Shikhar Dhawan and Skipper Shreyas showed their experience and kept the scoreboard ticking in the middle overs. Our Gabbar added another feather to his cap as he became the first batsman in IPL history to hit 500 fours. Our experienced southpaw also won the Game-changer of the Match award for his splendid outing with the bat.
Iyer also reached the landmark of 1500 IPL runs. They put our ship in cruise mode by taking calculated risks. Halfway through the innings, we were at 90/1. The way the both of them timed their inning was truly commendable especially in seeing off Ashwin and Brar’s variations. Gabbar reached his fifty in the 12th over before Viljoen dismissed him in the 14th.
THE CLIMAX
We were in a comfortable position as 28 runs required from the last 4 overs.
Ingram and well-set Iyer were in the middle now after Rishabh was dismissed early. They rotated the strike and we started inching closer.
Colin Ingram smashed Viljoen for three fours in the 18th over. Just 10 more runs were required in the last 2 overs. Meanwhile, captain cool Shreyas Iyer also reached his fifty in 45 balls! There were a few nervy moments in the penultimate over when Shami bowled Colin Ingram on the 3rd delivery and Axar was run out on the 4th when he attempted to run two.
Only 6 runs were required off the last over. Rutherford and Iyer did the job. Our captain deservedly hit the winning boundary and scored the winning runs. We got another crucial 2 points by defeating the Kings XI Punjab by 5 wickets and 2 balls to spare.
The boys would really take a lot of positives from the game. We remain at 3rd position on the IPL 2019 table and further bolster our chances for the playoffs. Iyer got the Man of the Match award for his captain's knock!
THE QUOTE
“I focus on my process and of course I feel that as an experienced player, I communicate more in the middle”
-Shikhar Dhawan
“It was really satisfying to stay till the end. One of the top four has to stay till the end”
-Shreyas Iyer
Dilli, this one's for you ❤️#DCvKXIP #ThisIsNewDelhi #DelhiCapitals pic.twitter.com/aWWRYo0sUQ
— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) April 20, 2019
We now head to the pink city to take on a resurgent RR on Monday in their own backyard!
