It was almost a perfect evening for Kings XI Punjab. Their skipper KL Rahul won the toss and his bowlers justified the decision by bowling brilliantly, particularly in the first 16 overs. Fielders also offered excellent support to restrict Delhi Capitals to a meagre 157 for 8 in the second match of the Indian Premier League at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
Kings XI Punjab medium-pacer Mohammed Shami is the most experienced bowler in the team and he lived up to his expectations with a lively spell. Shami’s accurate bowling derailed Delhi Capitals’s innings from the beginning. He finished with a fine figures of 3 for 15 from his four overs.
Put in to bat, Delhi Capitals were off to a disastrous start and could never recover. Some late onslaught by Marcus Stoinis helped them reach a respectable total of 157 for 8. In-form striker Stoinis hammered a swashbuckling 53 off just 21 deliveries to take his side to a somewhat challenging total. The Australian all-rounder struck seven fours and three explosive sixes to give his side the much-needed momentum in the last four overs.
Earlier, poor understanding between Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw resulted in run out of former without opening his account. Even Shaw (5) didn’t last long. Shimron Hetmyer (7) also failed to deliver as Delhi Capitals were tottering at 32 for 3 at the end of eight overs.
Although captain Shreyas Iyer (39, 32 balls, 3×6) and Rishabh Pant (31, 29 balls, 4×4) were involved in a small partnership, they couldn’t accelerate the scoring rate.
Iyer smashed three towering sixes straight down the ground, he was dismissed trying to hit another one after scoring 39.
Debutant leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi impressed with his accuracy. Barring Stoinis, Iyer and Pant none of the Delhi Capitals batsmen could even reach the double-digit scores.
Brief Scores
Delhi Capitals 157-8 in 20 overs (Marcus Stoinis 53, Shreyas Iyer 39, Rishabh Pant 31; Mohammed Shami 3-15, Sheldon Cottrell 2-24, Ravi Bishnoi 1-22) vs Kings XI Punjab