IPL SRL | KKR vs DC Evaluation Chart - Shikhar Dhawan’s unbeaten 92 thunders the Knight Riders

ByAakash Sivasubramaniam, SportsCafe Editor

07/02/2020

The stage was well set by the Delhi openers, Dhawan and Shaw, as they put on 90 runs for the first wicket before Dhawan continued his impressive display through to the end of the innings, scoring 92 in Delhi’s 205. Despite a futile attempt from Gill, KKR could only score 162, falling 43 runs short.

Match Review

After being sent to bat first, the duo of Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan started the game in peace, scoring just 23 runs in the first four overs. However, after that, they picked up a pace that remained the heartbeat of the entire innings, with the Indian duo - Dhawan and Shaw scoring 28 runs to end the powerplay, at 51/0. By the time the KKR bowlers struck, Delhi had already scored 90, with Russell accounting for Shaw. However, on the back of the Delhi opener’s spectacular 55-ball 92, where he plummeted the KKR bowlers and Marcus Stoinis unbeaten cameo, the visitors put up a total of 205 for the loss of four wickets.

The second innings started with a thundershock, as both the KKR openers came out blazing their swords. However, the swords were wielded away, as Kagiso Rabada struck to remove Narine out for three, as the score read 25. Despite the constant presence of Shubman Gill KKR continued to lose wickets from the other end, as Nitish Rana, Eoin Morgan and Dinesh Karthik all fell cheaply for 5, 4 and 12 respectively. While Gill top-scored with a 45-ball 65, with five boundaries and four sixes, Andre Russell, Rahul Tripathi and Pat Cummins scored 16, 23 and 19 in the home side’s 43-run loss against Delhi.

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Turning Point

Shikhar Dhawan’s late partnership alongside Marcus Stoinis changed the entire encounter, with Delhi still miles away from the 200 mark when the Australian all-rounder walked in to bat. Alongside the southpaw, the two put on 43 runs in the last four overs to take the Capitals to a capitalistic total of 205 for the loss of four wickets.

Highs and Lows

Shikhar Dhawan’s heroic innings, arguably the most entertaining on the night, with a sensational 55-ball 92. Early on in the innings, he stemmed down the heat from the Knight Riders’ bowling unit before he picked up the pace. There were runs all around the ground for Dhawan, including eight boundaries and four sixes as he took his side to a total of 205 for the loss of four wickets. On top of that, he remained not-out, just eight short of a fabulous century.

The experienced willow of Eoin Morgan failed to seize the opportunity and messed up the run-chase for the hosts. Despite Gill putting on a show from the other end, the Englishman could not get himself accustomed to the conditions and after facing ten deliveries, scoring just the four runs. Tactically, Delhi brought on Lamichhane to disturb the English skipper’s rhythm, which ultimately resulted in his downfall.

Rating Charts

Powerplay exploitation: DC 6.5/10 and KKR 5/10

At the end of third over in the powerplay, both Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw’s start resembled a safe start in Test cricket, with just 12 runs on board, without losing a wicket. However, after that, they picked pace in dramatic fashion, converting the singles and doubles to multiple boundaries in the span of a few deliveries. Against Krishna and Narine, the openers put on a blockbuster, with five boundaries in the span of 12 deliveries. It did not stop there, as the two continued their momentum, with a 14-run over to end the proceedings, at 51/0, with Shaw on 28 and Dhawan on 22.

On the other hand, KKR’s plans were well set, even engraved on a stone that they were going to attack from the first ball. In that attempt, the Indian opener Shubman Gill scored a six right off the fifth ball before a calm second over took them to 15/0. Despite Gill scoring two boundaries, KKR were jolted by the wicket of Sunil Narine before Nitish Rana too walked back with Rabada and Ishant accounting for the two. On the back Gill’s 26-ball 33, the home side concluded their powerplay at 43/2.

Middle-overs manoeuvring: DC 7/10 and KKR 4/10

Post the powerplay overs, the Delhi side did not slow down, with an impressive showing against Sunil Narine, picking up 17 runs off his over. However, just before the end of the tenth over, the youngster Shaw walked back, undone by the pace of Andre Russell as the score read 90/1. Ajinkya Rahane’s brief cameo lasted just seven deliveries, where he scored 11 runs before Russell accounted Rahane for his second wicket. Despite the two falling wickets, Dhawan punished both Kuldeep and Russell in the span of two overs to take their total to 149 for the loss of just three wickets.

However, after the first six overs, KKR started getting themselves more into the encounter, courtesy of Shubman Gill. In particular, the right-handed Gill took on Keemo Paul, where he milked 17 runs off the over. Around Gill, however, they lost the wicket of Eoin Morgan and Dinesh Karthik, both getting out to the Nepali spinner, Lamichhane. Despite that, the opener continued to impress one and all, reaching 65 off 43 deliveries in just the 13th over of the innings. Andre Russell’s efforts alongside the 21-year-old Gill’s took the home side to a total of 123/6, adding 80 runs on board in the 15-over phase.

Death bowling: KKR 4/10 and DC 8/10

As soon as the death overs kicked off, there were two southpaws at the crease, Rishabh Pant and Dhawan. Facing the familiar left-arm spin of Kuldeep Yadav, the explosive Pant cleared the boundary twice, to score 15 runs in the very first over before holing out. However, after that, Marcus Stoinis and Dhawan absolutely smashed KKR’s bowling unit, as the Indian opener ended up scoring 92 (55). Stoinis, on the other hand, scored an 18-ball 27 as the KKR bowlers conceded 56 runs in the last five.

Towards the end of the innings, the target never mattered, with Delhi already playing their last straw in the encounter, with over ninety runs to win. That led to some entertaining cricket, where all of their batsmen went on a run-scoring spree, and in particular, Rahul Tripathi and Pat Cummins scored 23(15) and 19(13) to pile 49 runs in the last five in a lost cause, as they came out second best by a margin of 43 runs.

Match Frenzy O Meter - Exciting

The match definitely had everything in it - purchase for batsmen, for bowlers and more importantly two great openers in play - Shikhar Dhawan and Shubman Gill. Both of them did not disappoint, as the southpaw scored a 92 while Gill scored 65. From the bowling front, there was an impressive display from the trio of Rabada, Lamichhane and Ashwin to take Delhi home.