A blinder of an innings by Marcus Stoinis propelled Delhi Capitals to a huge total of 196 for 4 against Royal Challenges Bangalore in the Dream11 Indian Premier League at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Monday.
The useful all-rounder Stoinis proved his worth with the bat again with a blistering knock of 53 not out to help his team reach the 200-run mark. The 31-year-old Australian remained undefeated on 53 which came off just 26 balls with the help of six fours and a couple of towering sixes.
Limited overs specialist Stoinis completed his fifty in 24 balls by playing an improvised flick off Mohammed Siraj on the last ball of the 19th over.
Shrimon Hetmyer gave the innings a perfect finish with a 7-ball 11. Stoinis and Pant entertained the fans with their free-flowing batting. They were involved in a big 89-run partnership for the fourth wicket which gave the momentum to the Delhi innings.
Pant was dismissed by Mohammed Siraj after scoring 37 off 25 balls when the score was 179 for 4. The flamboyant wicketkeeper-batsman hammered three boundaries and two huge sixes.
Put in to bat by RCB skipper Virat Kohli, Delhi Capitals looked a different team from the beginning. Prithvi Shaw (42: 23 balls, 5×4, 2×6) and Shikhar Dhawan (32: 28 balls, 3×4) provided Delhi Capitals a flying start.
The left-right opening combination worked wonders for Delhi Capitals as they added 68 for the first wicket. They were so dominant from the word go that they raced to 63 at the end of Power Play, which was the best score after 6 overs in this IPL season.
After losing crucial wickets of Dhawan, Shaw and skipper Shreyas Iyer, Delhi Capitals still managed to register a strong total on the board, courtesy Stoinis and Pant. In the last five overs, Delhi Capitals amassed 62 for the loss of Pant. Tall off-spinner Washingston Sundar, who bowled with the new ball, went wicketless but completed a tidy spell and conceded mere 20 runs from his four overs.
Leggie Yuzvendra Chahal also failed to pick up any wicket on Monday as his three overs cost 29.
Playing his first match of the season, Moin Ali got rid of Shreyas Iyer as Devdutt Padikkal held an acrobatic catch at the mid-wicket fence. Isuru Udana also took a wicket.
Kohli’s side is currently third in the league table after four matches. They began their campaign with a win against Sunrisers Hyderabad, followed by a defeat to Kings XI Punjab, win against Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals.
Delhi are in second spot after four wins. They started their new season with a win over KXIP, followed by a victory against Chennai Super Kings, defeat to SRH and a win against KKR.
Both teams will be aiming to win and occupy top spot in the league table. Mumbai are currently on top, level on points with DC and RCB, but have played an extra match.
Brief Scores
Delhi Capitals 196 for 4 in 20 overs (Marcus Stoinis 53 not out, Prithvi Shaw 42, Rishabh Pant 37, Shikhar Dhawan 32, Shimron Hetmyer 11 not out, Shreyas Iyer 11; Mohammed Siraj 2-34, Moin Ali 1-21, Isuru Udana 1-40) vs Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Courtesy:Â orangecitysports.com