Match Review

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In any T20 encounter around the world, if there is one revered opener, who is feared by all the bowlers it is Chris Gayle. The tall Jamaican who is known for his game-changing ability quickly was turned into a mere spectator in the eight over of the innings by his nemesis Ravichandran Ashwin, which changed the game. Until then, Gayle scored a 21-ball 25, where he smashed two sixes. 

Highs and Lows

Just when the doctor ordered KXIP’s skipper to pick himself up and land a sucker punch on Delhi, Rahul failed. He took nine deliveries to help himself settle in the innings, in the early phase of the run chase. When Kagiso Rabada walked into bowl, the fear quickly turned into a nightmare for Rahul, who was found poking at the ball, straight into Ashwin’s hands as Punjab were off to the worst possible start at 10/1. 

Rating Charts

While Delhi Capitals, after being put to bat, might have expected a blazing start, it was the opposite that turned out to be the reality. In the first over, on the second delivery, Mujeeb ur Rahman got Prithvi Shaw’s number, with a stunning delivery even before they could put a run on board. However, soon after that, Shikhar Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane scripted another tale, with four boundaries and one six in the span of 18 deliveries to put the momentum back in Delhi’s favour, getting the score to 28/1. The partnership intensified in the sixth over, when Rahane launched an assault on Mujeeb, scoring 17 runs to take them to a respectable score of 51 after the first phase. 

The sight of KL Rahul and Chris Gayle at the top of the order surely would have put fear to the home bowlers. However, that was not the case as they were unperturbed by the two big names as KL Rahul fell to Kagiso Rabada’s top-class delivery. Former RCB pair of Gayle-Agarwal tried to resurrect the innings with no avail as Ishant Sharma accounted for Mayank Agarwal, with the score just reading 35. The tourists could only put up 35 runs at the end of the sixth over mark. 

At 51/1, the momentum was with the home side, who really put on a show after the early blow. However, just as soon as they started putting up the numbers, Shami accounted for Rahane, who scored a 23-ball 28. Gowtham removed Iyer immediately putting the pressure back on Delhi, who were reduced to 74/3. Twin boundaries from Rishabh Pant kick-started a late propel towards a big score before Dhawan joined in the party. On the back of the opener’s 42-ball 51 and Pant’s 18-ball 31, the Capitals got themselves to 117/4. 

Just after the powerplay phase ended, Punjab’s hopes of chasing down the total too started slowly fading. In just the seventh over, Glenn Maxwell walked back for a four-ball two before Chris Gayle joined him back in the dressing room, with only 13 runs added to the powerplay score. One of Mumbai’s Ranji heroes, Sarfraz Khan could not resist the offer of having a quick tea, scoring just the three as KXIP were restricted to 50/5. Nicholas Pooran and Krishnappa Gowtham, however, ensured that they go even deeper into the pit, adding 38 runs additionally on the board. 

Towards the end, the plans were simple for the home side, to go all-out attack. However, as simple as it sounds, KXIP’s strong bowling unit were not going to fall easy prey to it, which required Pant to return back to his familiar fore. Just as Delhi were picking themselves up and throwing the Punjab bowlers away, the Windies pacer Sheldon Cottrell sparked an incredible comeback, dismissing Stoinis. Subsequently, it rubbed off on Mujeeb who picked up Keemo Paul’s wicket before Cottrell completed with Ashwin’s wicket. Through all this action, Pant’s stay ensured that Delhi possessed the firepower to score 156/7, scoring 39 runs during the last phase. 

Delhi were spot on with their bowling throughout the innings, more specifically in the end overs, when the asking rate grew itself bigger on the tourists. First, it was Lamichhane, whose bowling seemed a bigger mystery than KL Rahul’s form to dismiss Nicholas Pooran and later it was Ashwin himself, who accounted for Gowtham. Ishant Sharma too was not far behind as he joined the party to send his fellow Indian pacer Shami back to the hut. It was just a formality in the end, as they crashed to a 42-run loss against Delhi. 

The contest was terribly one-sided, with Delhi swaying their momentum in their favour, all thanks to Shikhar Dhawan and Rishabh Pant. The duo truly put on a show for the fans, scoring at a steady pace, which was the only highlights from the entire encounter.