IPL 10 DD vs RPS: Delhi breaks Pune's winning streak with 7-run win

New Delhi: Delhi Daredevils (DD) managed to break the winning momentum of Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) in Indian Premier League (RPS) match, by registering a commendable 7-run victory at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground here on Friday.

RPS batsman Manoj Tiwary peaked a little too late in his 64-run inning that came off 44 balls and was laced with 6 fours and 3 sixes. He was batting at 48 runs off 39 balls before the start of the final over of the match, in which RPS required 25 runs to win the match.

He smashed two back to back sixes on the first two deliveries bowled by Pat Cummins but failed to capatilise the next two balls. He, however, got a boundary on the second last ball of the match, before being cleaned up on the final delivery. Before the start of the last over, he looked in no mood to hit big shots and continued to rotate the strike after the departure of Ben Stokes, who was looking dangerous in his 33-run knock. Stokes took 25 balls and laced his inning with 3 fours and 2 sixes.

RPS lost Ajinkya Rahane on the very first ball as the chase of 169 runs began. His opening partner Rahul Tripathi also failed this time getting out at 7 runs off 6 balls. Both of them were dismissed by Daredevils skipper Zaheer Khan.

Captain Steven Smith and Manoj Tiwary reconstructed RPS's inning with 38-run partnership for the third wicket, before the former departed at the individual score of 38 runs off 32 balls, with 4 fours and a six. Stokes was looking dangerous before he was sent back by Mohammed Shami.

MS Dhoni fell prey to a brilliant throw by Shami as he looked reluctant in completing an easy single. He could only add 5 runs off 5 balls. Daniel Christian got out in his attempt to scoop the ball to the third-man boundary as he missed the line completely and Shami trapped him in front of the middle-stump. He scored 3 runs off 3 balls. Washington Sundar remained unbeaten at 5 runs off 3 deliveries.

DD captain Zaheer Khan was once again exceptional in his four-over spell as he conceded only 25 runs to send both the RPS openers back to the dug-out. Shami, however, conceded 37 runs in his four overs but bagged two important wickets.

Shahbaz Nadeem bowled three overs and spent 21 runs for the wicket of Steve Smith. Pat Cummins, who bowled the final over of the match, took one wicket of Tiwary and conceded 31 runs in four overs. Amit Mishra (0/26, 3 overs), Corey Anderson (0/4, 1 over) and Marlon Samuels (0/12, 1 over) remained wicket-less.

Earlier, Delhi Daredevils won the toss and chose to bat first. Rising on Karun Nair’s brilliant half century, DD posted 168/8 against Rising Pune Supergiant.

Nair’s 45-ball 64, laced with nine hits to the fence, helped Delhi recover from a precarious position after the visitors had reduced the home side to 9/2 after three overs. He was also named man of the match for his tremendous performance.

Daredevils were off to a disastrous start, losing the key wickets of Sanju Samson (2) and Shreyas Iyer (3) cheaply. Nair and wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant (36 off 22) then steadied the ship with a 74-run third wicket stand as the right-left combo took the attack to the opposition in no time.

Also Read: IPL 10: Karun Nair’s patient half century takes Delhi to 168/8 vs Pune

The first three overs yielded only 11 runs for Delhi before Nair started the onslaught slamming Washington Sundar and Ben Stokes for five boundaries in two overs.

Pant wasn’t left too far behind, slapping Sundar for a flat six over midwicket before milking Shardul Thaur for three boundaries as Delhi got back the momentum to yield 62 runs in the next five overs.

The strategic time-out once again brought smiles back to the Pune camp, but not before Pant had smacked leg-spinner Adam Zampa for a four and a six.

Zampa, however, got the southpaw the very next ball with a flatter delivery which Pant failed to connect properly to be caught by Daniel Christian at long-on.

The fall of Pant brought in West Indian Marlon Samuels (27 off 21), who looked good during his 21-ball stay at the crease.

Samuels slammed two consecutive maximums of pacer Shardul Thakur to add 34 runs for the fifth wicket with Nair before stumper Mahendra Singh Dhoni plucked off a stunning catch off Christian to pack back the Caribbean batsman.

Comfortably placed at 117/4 after 14 overs, the stage was set for Nair and New Zealander Corey Anderson (3) to step up the gas after the second time out.

But Dhoni’s brilliance behind the stumps foiled Delhi’s plans, when the former India skipper effected a perfect stumping to end Anderson’s five-ball stay.

Despite losing his partners at the other end, Nair, who had faced 37 balls by then completed his half century and was joined briefly by Pat Cummins (11), before Stokes packed back the Australian.

Towards the end, veteran leggie Amit Mishra (11 not out) joined Nair to add a quick-fire 22-run stand for the seventh wicket before the Karnataka batsman got a top edge off Stokes to be caught by Jaydev Unadkat at midwicket.

Unadkat bowled a brilliant final over, leaking five runs and taking the wicket of tail-ender Mohammed Shami (2) as the home side failed to get the push.