New Delhi: Gujarat Lions edged out a spirited Delhi Daredevils by one run in a thrilling Indian Premier League (IPL) clash that went right down to the last ball at the Ferozshah Kotla Stadium here on Wednesday.

Chris Morris produced a superb all-round performance for Delhi and almost snatched victory for the hosts before falling short in an exciting last over.

Chasing a competitive target of 173 runs, Delhi seemed to be in trouble after losing early wickets before Morris and his South Africa teammate J.P. Duminy produced a superb comeback.

Morris smashed an unbeaten 82 runs off just 32 balls, entertaining the home crowd with four hits to the ropes and eight towering sixes. The South African all-rounder was effective with the ball as well, returning fairly economical figures of 2/35.

Duminy played a patient knock of 48 runs off 43 balls, hitting three boundaries and a six along the way. He was unlucky to miss out on a half-century and was caught and bowled by Dwayne Bravo after offering an uncharacteristacally poor shot.

Wednesday’s victory took the lions to the top of the IPL table with 10 points. The IPL debutants have five wins from the six matches they have played so far. The Daredevils, who suffered their second defeat in five matches, are at the third spot with six points.

Delhi had a rocky start as Dhawal Kulkarni struck the crucial early blows, removing the top three Delhi batsmen in his first two overs. The Mumbai-born pacer eventually finished with figures of 3/19 in his four overs. James Faulkner (1/23) and Dwayne Bravo (1/40) were the other wicket-takers for the Lions.

Delhi opener Sanju Samson made a hash of what should have been an easy flick off his pads to a poor delivery on his legstump by Dhawal Kulkarni. What he did manage was to offer the leading egde to Faulkner at mid-on.

Kulkarni then removed Quinton de Kock and Karun Nair in his next over to leave the Daredevils struggling at 3/16 after four overs.

Duminy and Morris then came together to smash the Delhi bowlers all around the ground. But Duminy’s dismissal was the turning point. The young Pawan Negi — the most expensive Indian player at the IPL auction — was unable to provide the necessary support to Morris with the hosts needing 29 runs off 17 balls when he came in to bat. But an undaunted Morris continued to produce the big hits.

With the Daredevils needing four runs off the last ball, Bravo came up with an accurate delivery into Morris’ blockhole. Morris’ swing only carried the ball to Ravindra Jadeja at long-on and the batsmen could only complete two runs much to the disappointment of the home crowd.

Earlier, put into bat by Delhi, Gujarat Lions rode on quick-fire half-centuries from Brendon McCullum and Dwayne Smith to post 172/6 in their 20 overs.

McCullum plundered 60 runs off a mere 36 balls while Smith raced to 53 off 30 as the duo put together an opening partnership of 112 runs off just 63 deliveries to give the Lions’ innings a flying start.

At one stage, the Lions seemed to be heading for a total of around 200 runs. But a remarkable batting collapse that saw Gujarat lose six wickets in the space of just 30 runs broke the scoring momentum.

Leg-spinner Imran Tahir played a crucial role in the Delhi bowlers’ fightback with excellent figures of 3/24 in his four overs. South Africa pacer Chris Morris returned a fairly economical 2/35 while his compatriot Jean-Paul Duminy (1/4) bagged a wicket in the only over he bowled.

Smith was finally dismissed when he was trapped leg before by Imran Tahir with one that kept straight after pitching. The West Indies batsman played for the turn, only to see the ball hit him on the pads right on middle and leg.

McCullum followed his opening partner back to the pavilion in the very next over thanks to some strange shot selection. Faced with a slowish full toss from Chris Morris that kept slightly high, the Kiwi veteran attempted a wild cross-batted swing that was neither accurate nor well timed only to lose his stumps.

Morris struck another crucial blow off the last ball of the same over when he got Gujarat captain Suresh Raina with a well directed short pitched delivery. Ravindra Jadeja then fell to Duminy when he misjudged the bounce of one that was slightly wide of off-stump.

Tahir then dismissed Ishan Kishan and Dinesh Karthik off successive deliveries to plunge Gujarat into further trouble. James Faulkner attempted a late fight back with a 13-ball 22 to help the visitors to a competitive total.

Brief scores:

Gujarat Lions 172/6 in 20 overs (Brendon McCullum 60, Dwayne Smith 53; Imran Tahir 3/24, Chris Morris 2/35) vs Delhi Daredevils 171/5 in 20 overs (Chris Morris 82 n.o., J.P. Duminy 48; Dhawal Kulkarni 19/3).

(IANS)

Hyderabad: Rising Pune Supergiants ended their four-match losing streak in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with a 34-run win via D/L method over Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here on Tuesday.

The foundation of the big win for Pune in the rain-marred contest was set up by medium pacers Ashok Dinda (3/23) and Mitchell Marsh (2/14) as Sunrisers Hyderabad were restricted to 118/8 in 20 overs.

In a match marred by delayed start, half of the Hyderabad team was back in the dug-out by the ninth over with only 32 runs on the board. But a 47-run stand between Shikhar Dhawan (56 not out) and Naman Ojha (18) came to Hyderabad’s rescue as it ensured that the team crossed the 100-run mark.

Dhawan was the only bright spot for Hyderbad as the left-hander scored his second consecutive fifty. With the help of two fours and a six, he made 56 off 53 deliveries.

At the fag end, Bhuvneshawar Kumar’s brisk cameo of eight-ball 21 lifted them to 118/8.

In reply, Steve Smith (46 not out) and Faf du Plessis (30 off 21 deliveries) put Pune in strong position to overhaul the target. Pune lost Ajnikya Rahane (0) early – dismissed by Bhuvneshwar. But South African du Plessis and Australian Smith forged an 80-run stand for the second wicket to put the chase in commanding position.

They were cruising at 94/3 in 11 overs when rain halted play, forcing the umpires to decide the match Duckworth/Lewis method through which Pune were declared triumphant by 34 runs.

This was Pune’s second win – having won the opening match, while Hyderabad suffered a loss after hat-trick of wins and overall, third defeat in six outings.

Earlier, put into bat by Pune captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Hyderabad batsmen were undone by reckless batting and poor shot selection. It started with the very first over when in-form David Warner hit a wide ball from right-armer Dinda straight to Ajnikya Rahane at backward point in the first over. The wicket of the Australian left-hander, who had scored four fifties in five games before Tuesday, for a duck gave a big relief to Pune.

Dinda removed Aditya Tare (8) when the right-hander top-edged a wide delivery to Thisara Perera at cover as Hyderabad lost their second wicket at 26 runs in five overs.

Medium pacer Mitchell Marsh reduced Hyderabad to 27/3 in the next over as England left-hander Eoin Morgan’s drive found an edge to wicket-keeper Dhoni.

After a quiet seventh over bowled by Perera, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin gave further joy to Pune camp as he dismissed Deepak Hooda (0), who edged it to Dhoni.

Marsh continued the flow of wickets as he got rid of compatriot all-rounder Moises Henriques (1), who managed to find an edge to a ball outside the leg stump to Dhoni.

At this stage, Hyderabad were reeling at 32/5 in 8.1 overs and were in desperate need of a partnership. Dhawan found support from Ojha as the duo tried to resurrect the innings, with ones and twos.

The gentle medium pace bowling from Rajat Bhatia also allowed them to score occasional boundaries as they stitched a 47-run stand for the sixth wicket.

Dinda broke the stand when he rattled Ojha’s stumps as the right-hander batsman missed the line.

Later, Hyderabad were propped up by Bhuveshwar’s three hits to the fence and one over it to recover a bit from ignominy.

Brief scores: Hyderabad: 118/8 (Shikhar Dhawan not out 56; Ashok Dinda 3/23, Mitchell Marsh 2/14). Pune: 94/3 in 11 overs (Steve Smith 46 not out; bhuvneshawar Kumar 1/17). Pune won by 34 runs via D/L method.

(IANS)

Mumbai Indians players celebrates the wicket of Kings XI Punjab player Murli Vijay during their IPL match at the IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali on Monday. PTI Photo.

Mohali: Mumbai Indians defeated Kings XI Punjab by 25 runs to bag their third victory in the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium here on Monday.

Mumbai rode on strong batting performances by Parthiv Patel (81) and Ambati Rayudu (65) to post 189/6 in 20 overs. The duo added 136 runs between them for the second wicket to lay the foundation for a big total.

In reply, Punjab were lifted by an 89-run third wicket stand between Shaun Marsh (48) and Glenn Maxwell (56). But at the end, the combined brilliance of Mumbai pace trio — Jasprit Bumrah (3/26), Mitchell McClanaghan (3/32) and Tim Southee (2/28) — ensured that Punjab fall short by 25 runs, scoring 164/7.

It was Mumbai’s second win in last five matches that takes them to the fifth spot in the points table, while Punjab succumbed to their hat-trick of losses and remained at the bottom.

In a match between two struggling sides, Punjab captain David Miller won the toss and asked Mumbai to bat. Mumbai had a shaky start as skipper Rohit Sharma lasted all of two balls before edging a Sandeep Sharma inswinger to the wicketkeeper.

That was the only piece of celebration the Punjab players and their home crowd could indulge in for a considerable period of time as Patel and Rayudu proceeded to hit the bowlers to all parts of the ground.

Opening the batting along with skipper Rohit, Parthiv batted almost till the end of the innings. The discarded India wicketkeeper showcased some superb batting form to plunder 81 runs off just 58 deliveries.

He smashed 10 boundaries and a couple of sixes to notch up his highest ever IPL score before falling to a well directed bouncer from veteran Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson.

Parhiv’s entertaining strokeplay was well-matched by Rayudu at the other end. The 30-year-old right-hander slammed 65 runs off 37 deliveries with the help of four boundaries and an equal number of sixes.

Rayudu finally fell to some poor shot selection as an attempted sweep off Axar Patel travelled straight to Manan Vohra at deep midwicket.

Jos Buttler (24) walked in to play a fast paced innings full of innovative shots, hitting three boundaries and a massive six over long-on off Pardeep Sahu in his 12-ball stint. He was bowled by a slowish, incoming delivery from Mohit Sharma while attempting another big hit.

That triggered a flurry of late wickets as the Punjab bowlers staged a late comeback. But by the time Johnson finally managed to send Parthiv back to the pavilion, Mumbai were well on their way to a big total.

Mohit Sharma was the most successful among the Punjab bowlers. The medium-pacer was a bit expensive in a wicketless first spell, but did better in his second spell to return figures of 3/38. Sandeep Sharma (1/20), Axar patel (1/41) and Johnson (1/43) claimed a wicket each.

And in reply, Punjab didn’t start well, losing opening batsmen Vohra (7) and Murali Vijay (19) inside the first five overs. While Vijay offered a catch to Jos Buttler at point off New Zealander Southee, Vohra gave a simple catch to the same fielder at cover points off Bumrah.

The hosts needed a big partnership and Marsh and Maxwell rose up to the task. Maxwell, having scored a meager 39 runs in the previous matches, came good finally, hitting five fours and a six.

They shared an 89-run stand for the third wicket before Southee returned to dismiss left-hander Marsh, who scored 45 runs in 34 balls.

After his wicket in the final ball of the 15th over, the hosts needed 69 runs with seven wickets in hand. Bumrah almost sealed the match in Mumbai’s over in the 18th over as the right-armer removed the dangerous Maxwell and Nikhil Nayak (1).

With 49 required of two overs, it was always going to be a difficult task and it proved so. Another Kiwi pacer, McClanaghan ended Punjab’s hopes by scalping the wicket of Axar Patel (1) and Mitchell Johnson (0) in the penultimate over that yielded only 10 runs. Captain Miller scored a brisk 17-ball 30 but it was not enough.

Brief scores:

Mumbai Indians: 189/6 in 20 overs (Parthiv Patel 81, Ambati Rayudu 65; Mohit Sharma 3/38). Kings XI Punjab: 164/4 (Glenn Maxwell 56, Shaun Marsh 48; Jasprit Bumrah 3/26, Mitchell McClanaghan 3/32, Tim Southee 2/28).

(IANS)

Pune: Star batsmen A.B. de Villiers and Virat Kohli smashed quick-fire half-centuries followed by a disciplined bowling effort which guided Royal Challengers Bangalore to a comfortable 13-run victory over Rising Pune Supergiants in an Indian Premier League (IPL) contest here on Friday.

De Villiers (83 off 46 balls) and Virat Kohli (80 off 63 balls) helped Bangalore post a competitive total of 185/3 in 20 overs. In reply, despite opener Ajinkya Rahane’s 60, the hosts lost wickets at regular intervals and could manage only 172/8 in 20 overs.

Kane Richardson (3-13) and Shane Watson (2-31) were the pick of the bowlers for Bangalore, while Harshal Patel and Tabraiz Shamsi claimed one wicket each.

Chasing a challenging target of 186, Pune got off to a disappointing start, losing opener Faf du Plessis (2) and Kevin Pietersen (0 retired hurt) inside two overs.

The hosts received yet another blow as the side lost Steve Smith (4), after Virat Kohli ran him out to put Pune in a spot of bother at 18/2 in 2.3 overs.

But opener Rahane along with new batsman and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (41) used their experience to best effect to hold on to the wicket and sneaking in with runs to help team post 36/2 after completion of powerplay.

Rahane showed his class yet again with the bat to bring up his half-century in just 37 balls and help team stay in hunt for the run chase.

Dhoni-Rahane combined to post 73/2 in 10 overs.

As Rahane was looking set after striking eight boundaries, debutant left-arm chinaman bowler Shamsi fooled the right-handed batsmen to get him stumped and put Bangalore back into the game.

But as Dhoni was aiming to take on the bowlers, he was dismissed in the 16th over to have the team in trouble.

Thisara Perera hit Patel for 25 runs in the 18th over to put Pune back into the run chase. But the 19th over saw Watson dismissing Perera to have match turned on in favour of the visitors.

Earlier put into bat, Bangalore got off a slow start, losing opener K.L. Rahul (7) in the fourth over to put a breaks on the scoring.

But his opening partner Kohli and de Villiers kept the scoreboard ticking, sneaking in with ones, twos to take the score to 48/1 after completion of the powerplay.

But soon after the powerplay, the in-form duo unleashed their pyrotechnics to smash boundaries and sixes at regular intervals without losing any wickets to take team to 97/1 in 11 overs that set up the stage for yet another big score.

Kohli and de Villiers made it look simple as the Indian and South African pair brought up their 100-run partnership for the second wicket in just 69 balls and helped their team reach 128/1 in 15 overs.

Kohli got a life in the 16th over while batting on 49. Trying to hit off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin out of the park, he eventually got a top edge which was put down by Ankit Sharma at mid-off.

The duo put on 155-run partnership for the second wicket to take team to a competitive total, before Kohli and De Villiers were dismissed in successive balls in 20th over.

Perera (3-34) was the pick of the bowlers for Pune.

Brief Scores: Royal Challengers Bangalore: 185/3 in 20 overs (AB de Villiers 83, Virat Kohli 80; Thisara Perera 3-34) vs Rising Pune Supergiants 172/8 in 20 overs (Ajinkya Rahane 60; Kane Richardson 3-13, Shane Watson 2-31).

(IANS)

Rajkot: Sunrisers Hyderabad ended Gujarat Lions’ three-match winning streak with a 10-wicket thumping win in an Indian Premier League (IPL) encounter at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium here on Thursday.

Sunrisers rode on a blistering opening wicket partnership from captain David Warner (74 not out in 48 balls) and Shikhar Dhawan (53 not out in 41 deliveries) to overhaul the small target of 135 for eight in 20 overs with 5.1 overs to spare.

The visitors raced to 63 in six overs to set it up, thanks to early asssault from Warner, who hit three fours in the fourth over bowled by Praveen Kumar to launch the charge. The Australian hit nine fours in total.

His side also got the good news of Dhawan’s returning to form as the left-hander took time to settle down before hitting some trademark shots towards the end as the visitors registered an easy win — their second on the trot.

Rival captain Suresh Raina utilised as many as seven bowlers, even using Dale Steyn and the returning Ravindra Jadeja — but none of them managed to break the opening stand.

However, the foundation of the big win was laid by bowlers, especially Man-of-the-Match Bhuvneshwar Kumar (4/29) and Mustafizur Rahman (1/19). Raina cracked 75 but others struggled against the impressive bowling performance from Hyderabad.

After Warner won the toss and elected to bowl against, Gujarat got off to a strong start despite losing Australian opening batsman Aaron Finch early.

Finch, who had scores of 74, 50 and 67 not out respectively in the first three matches, lost his wicket for a duck. The right-hander missed the line as an incoming delivery from Bhuvneshawar disturbed his stumps.

Raina dominated the 56-run second-wicket stand with Brendon McCullum (18). Raina looked in ominous touch from the first ball he faced as his powerful front-foot push sent the ball towards the cover boundary in a flash in the first over. It was followed by a gentle straight drive which also had the same result.

Left-arm medium pacer Barinder Sran struggled with his line, asking for punishment by bowling outside the leg stump and Raina and New Zealander McCullum were in a punishing mood.

Later, against the spinners, the left-hander Raina used his feet to nice effect — welcoming Deepak Hooda with a slap towards the cover boundary and later a hoick to the mid-wicket ropes.

Left-arm spinner Bipul Sharma ended the partnership when McCullum was holed out at mid-wicket by Hooda, as Gujarat reached 56/2 in 7.2 overs.

Gujarat then lost Dinesh Karthik (8) and Dwayne Bravo (8) fell cheaply. Karthik offered a catch to Bipul at deep square leg off a full toss from off-spinner Hooda, while Bravo failed to negotiate a slower ball from Sran only to be caught by Bhuvneshwar at deep square leg. Following Bravo’s departure, Gujarat were 91 for four in 13.1 overs.

Meanwhile Raina completed his fifty in 34 deliveries as the run rate dropped due to the quick wickets.

All-rounder Jadeja, who returned to the team after missing a game due to his marriage, shared a 26-run stand with Raina until Bangladesh left-arm pacer Mustafizur dismissed the former (14).

Mustafizur continued to be impressive with his death-overs bowling as he conceded only 19 runs in his four overs.

In the final over, Bhuvneshwar conceded only six runs while picking three wickets as the hosts struggled to score 135/8.

Brief scores: Gujarat Lions: 135/8 (Suresh Raina 75; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 4/29). Sunrisers Hyderabad: 137/0 in 14.5 overs (David Warner 74 not out, Shikhar Dhawan 53 not out).

(IANS)

Mumbai: Leading from the front, skipper Rohit Sharma smashed 62 off just 44 balls to guide Mumbai Indians to a comfortable six-wicket victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the Wankhede Stadium here on Wednesday.

Batting first, Bangalore managed 170/7 in 20 overs. Travis Head (37) was the top scorer for the side.

In reply, riding on Rohit’s innings and Kieron Pollard’s quick-fire unbeaten 19-ball 39, defending champions Mumbai chased down the total easily as they posted 171/4 in 18 overs to bag their second win of the season.

Iqbal Abdulla (3-40) was the pick of the bowlers for Bangalore.

Chasing a challenging target of 171, Mumbai got off to a poor start, losing opener Parthiv Patel (5) in the second over itself.

But his opening partner Rohit Sharma and incoming Ambati Rayudu (31) held on to score at a good pace without losing any further wickets to score 51/1 after the completion of the powerplay.

As Rayudu was looking set after striking five boundaries, off-spinner Iqbal Abdulla scripted the much-needed breakthrough for the visitors, removing the right-handed batsman to put Mumbai at 82/2 in the 11th over.

The duo struck a 76-run partnership for the second wicket.

Despite the fall of wicket at the other end, skipper Rohit used his experience to best effect to bring up his half century in 38 balls and keep the hosts on course towards the run chase.

But Abdulla struck for the second time to dismiss Rohit in the 13th over to put Bangalore back into the game. Mumbai were 109/3 at his point of the game.

New batsmen Kieron Pollard and Jos Buttler (13) held on for a couple of overs before the latter gave his wicket away in the 16th over.

But Pollard, who failed to impress in earlier matches, came up with a quick-fire knock, smashing four boundaries and three sixes to steer his team to second victory in the IPL-9.

Earlier put into bat, the visitors got off to a flying start, scoring 49 for the loss of one wicket after the completion of powerplay.

K.L. Rahul took the initiative at the start, smashing two fours and two sixes for his 14-ball 23, but the right-handed batsman fell in the fourth over to the bowling of Mitchell McClenaghan to give Mumbai their first breakthrough.

But the wicket did not stop incoming batsman AB de Villiers (29) and opener Virat Kohli (33) from playing their natural game.

The duo, who in the previous season smashed an unbeaten 215-run partnership at this venue against the same opposition, made batting look simple, piling on boundaries and sneaking in with twos at regular intervals to bring up a 50-run partnership for the second wicket in just 35 balls and help the team post 89/1 in 10 overs.

But the 11th over of the Bangalore innings saw a big twist in the game as off-spinner Krunal Pandya dismissed in-form Kohli (caught at long-off) followed by De Villiers (stumped) to bring Mumbai back into the game.

Bangalore, after the two quick blows, were reduced to 93/3.

Incoming batsman Shane Watson (5) too didn’t last long. Trying to guide an outside off stump delivery to third man, he eventually got a thin edge which was grabbed well by wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel.

Young Sarfaraz Khan (28) and Head held on to guide the team to 112/4 after the completion of 15 overs.

The right- and left-handed batting duo played sensibly to put up a much needed 50-run partnership for the fifth wicket in just 30 balls.

Jasprit Bumrah (3-31) and Krunal Pandya (2-27) were the pick of the bowlers for Mumbai.

(IANS)

Sunrisers Hyderabad captain David Warner plays a shot during the 2016 Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 cricket match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians at The Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on April 18, 2016. AFP / Noah SEELAM

Hyderabad: Leading from the front, skipper David Warner smashed an unbeaten 90 to single-handedly steer Sunrisers Hyderabad to a comfortable seven-wicket victory over Mumbai Indians in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here on Monday.

Batting first, Mumbai lost wickets at regular intervals and could manage only 142/6 in 20 overs. Ambati Rayudu (54) was the top scorer for the visitors.

In reply, Warner struck seven boundaries and four sixes, as the home side comfortably chased down the total, posting 145/3 in 17.3 overs.

Chasing 143, the home side got off to a disappointing start losing opener Shikhar Dhawan (2) in the very first over. The poor form for the left-handed batsman continued as he was cleaned up after failing to read an inswinging yorker from pacer Tim Southee.

But his opening partner and skipper David Warner used his experience to good effect to hold on and score runs at a good pace to keep his team well in course towards a win.

He was well supported at the other end by Moises Henriques (20) as the duo struck an important 62-run partnership for the second wicket before Henriques was dismissed in the 11th over to hand Mumbai some hope of getting back into the game. Hyderabad were then 66/2.

But Warner held on to take his team over the line in style.

Southee (3-24) was the pick of the bowlers for Mumbai.

Earlier put in to bat, the defending champions got off to disastrous start, losing debutant hard-hitting batsman Martin Guptill (2) in the first over itself to have the team on the backfoot.

His opening partner Parthiv Patel (10) also departed in the fourth over after striking two boundaries to leave the team struggling at 23/2.

From there on, Ambati Rayudu (54) and skipper Rohit Sharma (5) held on for a couple of overs to help the team reach 40/2 in the powerplay.

But a big confusion between the two saw the skipper being run out in the eighth over to leave the team in a spot of bother at 43/3.

Despite the wicket, Rayudu played positively along with Jos Buttler (11) to take the team to a stable position. But as the Englishman was looking set and ready for a good partnership with Rayudu, Sran removed Buttler to pile on more trouble for the visitors.

Next up, all-rounder Krunal Pandya (49 not out), who was promoted up the batting order, played positively with a couple of boundaries and sixes to help the team cross the 100-run mark.

But the much needed 63-run partnership for the fifth wicket came to an end as Rayudu was dismissed in the 18th over to put a halt to Mumbai’s scoring rate.

Brief scores: Mumbai Indians 142/6 in 20 overs (Ambati Rayudu 54, Barinder Sran 3/28) vs Sunrisers Hyderabad 145/3 in 17.3 overs (David Warner 90 not out; Tim Southee 2-24)

(IANS)

Bengaluru: Riding on opener Quinton De Kock’s heroics, Delhi Daredevils (DD) on Sunday defeated the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the group stage match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Chinnaswami Stadium here.

Leading the run chase for the visitors, De Kock hit a superbly-crafted century (108 of 51 balls), first century in IPL 9, with 15 fours and three sixes to guide his team to win the match by seven wickets in 19.1 overs.

The South African southpaw was a beauty to watch and a virtuoso in action with his boundaries zooming all over the ground, especially his masterclass off-side shots.

From an asking rate of 87 runs in 48 balls after 12 overs, the going got so easy that DD only needed 21 runs in 26 balls by the 17th over and just one run off the final six balls.

Karun Nair, unbeaten at 54 off 42 balls with six fours and one six, stood by De Kock to see the victory in the 20th over.

Though DD started off their chase of 192 runs shakily, losing Shreyas Iyer (0) and Sanju Samson (9) early, the win was comprehensive and facile.

David Wiese took a spectacular catch to get rid of Iyer in the first over off S. Aravind, but from then on there was no looking back for DD, with De Kock and Nair in action.

Nair reached his half century in the 17th over off 37 balls with six fours and a sixer.

Shane Watson emerged the most successful bowler for RCB, claiming two wickets for 25 runs in his quota of four overs while Sreenath Aravind was the only other bowler 1/32 to claim a wicket.

Earlier, after winning the toss, DD captain Zaheer Khan chose to filed first and put the home team to bat.

Captain Virat Kohli, with a fighting 79 off 48 balls, was the chief architect of RCB’s 191/5 in 20 overs.

Steadying the ship after losing swashbuckling Chris Gayle for a duck, Kohli was joined by mercurial A.B. De Villiers to build the innings.

Gayle, who opened the innings, virtually threw his wicket, offering a simple catch to J. P. Duminy off Zaheer Khan in the first over.

Succeeding him, De Villiers smashed two back-to-back fours to complete the first over, and proved his credentials to be a vital cog in the team by hitting 55, off 33 balls, garnished with nine fours and a six.

Like an one day international match, Kohli and De Villiers stole quick singles during the match to build a partnership of 107 runs, before the latter was caught by Mohammed Shami off Carlos Brathwaite.

Shane Watson, who came in next, scored a fast-paced 33 (off 18 balls) before he was caught by Chris Morris off Shami in the 17th over while attempting a huge shot.

Sarfraz Khan (1) however failed to recreate the scoop and back shots magic of RCB’s first match against Sunrisers Hyderabad as he was run out by Shami with a superb piece of fielding off his bowling.

Shami took two wickets for an economical 34 runs while Zaheer Khan and Brathwaite claimed a wicket each.

DD points tally rose to four with the latest victory, two wins in three matches, while Royal Challengers continue with points with a win and a loss after two matches.

Brief Scores: Delhi Daredevils 192/2 (Quinton De Cock 108, Karun Nair 54; Shane Watson 2/25, Sreenath Aravind 1/32) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore 191/5 (Virat Kohli 79, A.B. De Villiers 55; Mohammed Shami 2/34, Carlos Brathwaite 1/18).

(IANS)

Hyderabad: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) once again put up a disciplined bowling show as they restricted Sunrisers Hyderabad to 142/7 in an Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket match at the Rajiv Gandhi International stadium here on Saturday.

Eoin Morgan top-scored for Sunrisers with a 43-ball 51 and was well supported by Naman Ojha who smashed 37 off 28 balls. Pacer Umesh Yadav bagged figures of 3/28 for the visitors.

The hosts were jolted upfront as KKR picked up two early wickets. First to head back was the out-of-form Shikhar Dhawan (6) who managed to slash one through to the wicket-keeper Robin Uthappa of a Morne Morkel delivery in the third over.

Next, Umesh foxed captain David Warner (13) with a cutter and the powerful left-hander only managed to scoop it till short-cover.

In the last over of the powerplay, Umesh struck again as he trapped Moses Henriques (6) in front of the stumps with the score reading 36/3.

Morgan and Deepak Hooda (6) tried to resurrect the wobbly innings with a 14-run partnership but the latter threw his wicket away.

Sunrisers finally got some momentum in the 13th over as Morgan hit spinner Sunil Narine for two consecutive boundaries, much to the delight of the crowd. The next over from leg-spinner Piyush Chawla also helped the hosts as it yielded 13 runs.

The hundred came up in the 16th over for Hyderabad as Ojha, who was providing strong support to Morgan, smashed a six off Morkel.

It took a brilliant catch to break the 67-run partnership as Ojha was holed out. Andre Russell held onto the ball first but seeing that he would cross the boundary line he threw it back to Chawla who grabbed it on the second attempt.

Thereafter Morgan also fell trying to heave one to the leg side and with it went Sunrisers’ hope of getting to the par 160 mark.

(IANS)

New Delhi: Leg-spinner Amit Mishra’s 4/11 proved crucial as Delhi Daredevils thrashed Kings XI Punjab by eight wickets in an Indian Premier League (IPL) contest at the Ferozeshah Kotla here on Friday.

After Delhi won the toss and opted to field, Mishra, coming in to bowl in the seventh over, rocked Punjab’s boat. When he started his spell, they were 37 for one in six overs, and at the end of his three-over haul, the visiting side was 59 for five in 11 overs. His victims included Shaun Marsh (13), David Miller (9), Glenn Maxwell (0) and Manan Vohra (32).

Punjab batsmen showed lack of intent and discipline and fell one after another. Opening batsman Vohra was the only one who showed the will for a fight even as his team was restricted to 111/9 in 20 overs.

In pursuit of the low total, Delhi were led by South African opener Quinton de Kock (59 not out), who shared a 91-run stand for the second wicket with Sanju Samson (33) in 10.4 overs, as the hosts overhauled the target with 6.3 overs and eight wickets to spare. De Kock milked nine fours and a six of the 42 deliveries he faced.

It was Delhi’s first win in two matches, while Punjab suffered their second loss on the trot.

In the match between the teams who have lost their first matches, Punjab failed to gather any momentum right from the start. In the second over bowled by left-arm spinner Pawan Negi, Zaheer Khan dropped Vohra’s catch at the point and as the ball neared towards the boundary, the openers decided to take three runs.

But Murali Vijay was found to be short of the crease as the relay throw between Zaheer and Karun Nair reached wicketkeeper de Kock in time for the stumps to be dislodged, leaving the team at eight for one in 1.3 overs.

Even though Zaheer seemed to be lethargic while dropping the catch, the veteran left-arm seamer maintained a tight line and length. The captain conceded only 14 runs in his four overs, taking a wicket.

After the powerplay overs, which yielded 37 runs, Zaheer brought in Mishra and the leg-spiner struck in his first delivery. Left-handed batsman Marsh danced down the track, only to miss the line before being stumped by de Kock.

Mishra dealt a double blow in his second over, removing skipper Miller (9) and Maxwell (0). While left-hander Miller was trapped in front of the wickets in the first ball of the ninth over, Maxwell was holed out by Carlos Brathwaite at long-off.

Mishra’s next victim was right-hander Vohra, who moved back at the crease while fending off a sharp googly.

Following this, the tail-enders tried their best but the damage was already done. Spinner Jayant Yadav and fast bowler Chris Morris chipped in with a wicket each.

During the chase too, Delhi were in control, thanks to de Kock. At the start, he went through some anxious moments. He not only lost his partner Shreyas Iyer (3) early but also survived following a dropped catch at square leg by Vijay when the left-hander was at seven in the fifth over bowled by left-arm spinner Axar Patel.

De Kock tried to forge a partnership with Samson and they were successful in doing so. They scored at a decent pace and took their total to 28 for one in six overs.

Growing in confidence, the duo put out their attacking shots and reaped a lot of runs – highlighted by three fours hit off Patel in the eighth over.

Samson took confidence from his partner and hit leg-spinner Pradeep Sahu for a maximum, before thrashing Maxell with two consecutive fours. By this time, Delhi were 79/1 in 11 overs.

Knowing, they are very much in control, de Kock turned the heat on Punjab’s pace spearhead Mitchell Johnson, who went for two fours and a huge six, which completed the South African’s fifty in 38 deliveries.

Later, Samson was bowled by Patel but it was a matter of just 12 runs and de Kock and Negi made it with ease.

Brief scores: Kings XI Punjab: 111/9 (Manan Vohra 32; Amit Mishra 4/11, Zaheer Khan 1/14). Delhi Daredevils: 113/2 in 13.3 overs (Quinton de Kock not out 59, Sanju Samson 33; Sandeep Sharma 1/6).

(IANS)