Welcome back! The chase should be a stroll in the park unless DEL decide to do something dismal with the bat. Sandeep Sharma with the new rock. One slip in place and off we go...
Amit Mishra: "Thanks a lot (for the purple cap). Our captain Zak (Zaheer) wanted to give the pacers the ball in the slog overs. We are happy with what we have done today. All our plans came out right. I am very happy with how I bowled. All my variations came out well."
Backed by Mishra's heroics, Delhi bowlers throttled the tail and Punjab ended up getting a total which is low by every standard and condition. A special mention for captain Khan as well, who moves like a snail these days, but was brilliant with the new ball. In front of the home crowd, Delhi have been inspirational, all they need is some calm, sensible batting to get on board in the points table. Chase follows...
The scoreboard bears a parched look and Amit Mishra must be credited for desiccating it. Just when Punjab looked like they had seen off the first period of turmoil after Murali Vijay's suicidal run-out, Mishra proved that he knows this pitch like his shadow. Made subtle variations and a famed batting line-up which boasts of leather hunters surrendered meekly. Mishra's excellence was made to look even more lethal by some pretty ordinary stuff from Punjab. Especially the chip from Maxwell. Either he thought that his wrists packed enough to clear the short ground or he was clueless.
19.6 -
Brathwaite to Pardeep Sahu, no run, the slower one and outside off, Sahu tries to slap it and misses. It has been a poor effort by PUN. However, the credit has to go to DEL for their slick performance in the field. Now, their batsmen need to back it up by chasing this modest target down
19.5 -
Brathwaite to Sandeep Sharma, 1 run, the yorker and on the stumps, Sandeep digs it out to deep mid-wicket
19.4 -
Brathwaite to Pardeep Sahu, 1 run, very full from Brathwaite, Sahu drills it to mid-off
19.3 -
Brathwaite to Pardeep Sahu, 2 runs, good length delivery and on off-stump, Sahu clubs it to deep mid-wicket for a brace. It was the off-cutter from the bowler
19.2 -
Brathwaite to Pardeep Sahu, SIX, DEL would take any runs on offer. A six at this point of the innings is a bonus for them. The half-volley from Brathwaite, Sahu just butchers it over long-off for a maximum
19.1 -
Brathwaite to Pardeep Sahu, 2 runs, sharp work by Samson at deep mid-wicket. Sahu biffs it towards deep mid-wicket, where Samson runs around the boundary rope and puts in a dive to save a couple of runs
Carlos Brathwaite [3.0-0-21-0] is back into the attack
18.6 -
C Morris to Sandeep Sharma, no run, another well-directed yorker from Morris, Sandeep backs away and aims to guide it to third man and misses
Sandeep Sharma, right handed bat, comes to the crease
18.5 -
C Morris to Johnson, out Bowled!! DEL's planning and execution in the field has been top-drawer today. This time, Morris brings out the off-pace delivery by rolling his fingers on it. Johnson looks for the heave across the line and connects with thin air. His off-stump gets shattered. Johnson b C Morris 4(12)
C Morris to Johnson, THAT'S OUT!! Bowled!!
18.4 -
C Morris to Pardeep Sahu, 1 run, another superb yorker from Morris. In fact, it was the slower ball yorker from him. Sahu digs it out to mid-on. His control has been exemplary today
18.3 -
C Morris to Johnson, 1 run, very low full toss from Morris, Johnson makes room, but bunts it down to mid-off only for a single
18.2 -
C Morris to Pardeep Sahu, 1 run, very full and just outside off, Sahu slaps it to sweeper cover, but can collect only a single
18.1 -
C Morris to Pardeep Sahu, no run, the razor sharp yorker that is bowled on off-stump, Sahu digs it out
17.6 -
Zaheer to Pardeep Sahu, 1 run, very full and on the stumps, Sahu pushes it to long-off
17.5 -
Zaheer to Pardeep Sahu, no run, another slower one from Zaheer, Sahu misses with his heave across the line
17.4 -
Zaheer to Pardeep Sahu, FOUR, Sahu camps back and stays slightly leg-side of the ball to steer it past the diving de Kock for a boundary to third man
17.3 -
Zaheer to Pardeep Sahu, no run, Sahu tries to butcher this delivery that slants across him and connects with thin air. It was the off-cutter
17.2 -
Zaheer to Johnson, 1 run, low full toss and on the stumps, tucked to mid-wicket
Pardeep Sahu, right handed bat, comes to the crease
17.1 -
Zaheer to Mohit Sharma, out Caught by C Morris!! Zaheer befuddles Mohit with a slower delivery. Mohit makes room and tries to loft a ball bowled at just 85 ks. He gets it off the outside part of the bat and Morris at backward point runs backwards to snaffle the catch. Mohit Sharma c C Morris b Zaheer 15(8) [4s-1 6s-1]
Zaheer to Mohit Sharma, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
Zaheer Khan [3.0-1-8-0] is back into the attack
16.6 -
C Morris to Johnson, no run, shortish delivery and on the stumps, Johnson tucks it into the on-side
16.5 -
C Morris to Johnson, no run, the toe-crusher from Morris, Johnson squeezes it out. It was bowled at good pace, too
16.4 -
C Morris to Mohit Sharma, 3 runs, DEL are up for it today. The big man, Brathwaite puts in a brilliant effort to save a run for his team. Mohit awkwardly eases a back of a length delivery that was bowled from wide of the crease towards deep backward point where Brathwaite runs around the circumference and dives to his right to stop the boundary. The third umpire confirms he was fine there
16.3 -
C Morris to Johnson, leg byes, 1 run, Johnson makes room, but Morris follows him with a good length delivery. Johnson does not connect with his clip and sneaks in a leg-bye
16.2 -
C Morris to Johnson, no run, the off-cutter from Morris, defended from the crease
16.1 -
C Morris to Mohit Sharma, 1 run, full toss from Morris, Mohit pushes it hard towards Zaheer, who fumbles a touch, but recovers to keep the duo to a single
Chris Morris [2.0-0-12-0] is back into the attack
15.6 -
Jayant Yadav to Mohit Sharma, 1 run, splayed down leg from round the wicket, Mohit tucks it behind square on the on-side
15.5 -
Jayant Yadav to Mohit Sharma, no run, more confusion in the middle, but Mohit makes his ground in the end. Mohit pushes it off the outside part of the bat towards cover and looks for a quick single, but rightly sent back by his partner
15.4 -
Jayant Yadav to Mohit Sharma, FOUR, another powerful blow by Mohit. Mohit slaps this flatter delivery to the extra cover boundary. It crashed into the ad-cushions there
15.4 -
Jayant Yadav to Mohit Sharma, wide, sliding down leg, Mohit misses out with his tuck, signalled as a wide
15.3 -
Jayant Yadav to Mohit Sharma, SIX, lusty blow by Mohit. Pushed through and on the stumps, Mohit sinks on one knee and slog-sweeps it to over the deep mid-wicket fence
15.2 -
Jayant Yadav to Mohit Sharma, no run, Mohit prods forward and gets an inside edge to this flatter delivery
Mohit Sharma, right handed bat, comes to the crease
15.1 -
Jayant Yadav to Axar, out Caught by Negi!! The precession continues as Patel, too, loses his wicket. Shorter in length and Yadav offers width, Patel rocks back by using the depth of the crease. He cuts it towards Negi, the Pocket Rocket, at backward point, who dives forward and pouches the catch with both hands, just inches above the ground. The ball was dipping on him as well, there. Axar c Negi b Jayant Yadav 11(22) [4s-1]
Jayant Yadav to Axar, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
14.6 -
Brathwaite to Axar, 1 run, yorker and on the stumps, Patel digs it out to long-on
14.5 -
Brathwaite to Axar, no run, if Duminy from backward point had effected a direct-hit, Patel would have found himself back in the hutch. Great piece of fielding that almost resulted in Delhi picking up another scalp. A touch of width on offer, Patel uses the cut, but Duminy dives to his right and straightaway flings in a throw at the batsman's end. Patel tried to make his ground with a desperate dive, but if Duminy had hit the stumps, it would have been all over for Patel
14.4 -
Brathwaite to Axar, no run, a tad fuller and zooming in on the stumps, punched back towards the bowler
14.3 -
Brathwaite to Axar, FOUR, crackerjack shot by Patel. PUN need more of it. Banged in short from Brathwaite, Patel rocks back a wee bit and then pulls it towards fine leg to collect a boundary
14.2 -
Brathwaite to Axar, no run, this time, from round the wicket, Brathwaite pounds it on a short of length and it straightens a touch to beat Patel's tame poke
14.1 -
Brathwaite to Axar, no run, back of a length delivery and on the stumps, Patel camps back and defends it towards point
Strategic Time-Out in place now
13.6 -
Jayant Yadav to Johnson, no run, Johnson looks to paddle a delivery that was sliding down leg and misses. Maybe the umpire thought it hit something on its way and as a result, doesn't give it as a wide. De Kock does well to collect it cleanly
13.5 -
Jayant Yadav to Johnson, no run, another one that is quicker through the air, Johnson meets it out with a forward defence
13.4 -
Jayant Yadav to Johnson, no run, flatter delivery and on the stumps, defended
13.3 -
Jayant Yadav to Johnson, 2 runs, this time, Yadav gets a hint of turn on this flighted ball, Johnson gets half forward and ekes out an outside edge towards third man for a couple of runs
13.2 -
Jayant Yadav to Johnson, no run, tossed up delivery and just outside off, defended
13.1 -
Jayant Yadav to Axar, 1 run, too straight from Yadav, clipped to mid-on
Mitchell Johnson, left handed bat, comes to the crease
12.6 -
Brathwaite to W Saha, out W Saha Run Out!! It feels like PUN are hurtling down towards another defeat. Saha just dabbed a back of a length delivery towards Duminy at backward point and set off for a quick single. However, Duminy swooped down on the ball quickly after putting in a dive and then underarmed it onto the stumps. Despite looking to get back to the crease, Saha found himself short. W Saha run out (Duminy) 3(7)
Brathwaite to W Saha, THAT'S OUT!! Run Out!!
The TV umpire has been called into play for a run-out. The batsman in question is Saha at the striker's end. I can see that Saha is short of the crease and he has to take the walk back to the pavilion
12.5 -
Brathwaite to Axar, 1 run, Patel stays on the back foot and steers it to backward point
12.4 -
Brathwaite to Axar, no run, Brathwaite, this time, uses the cross-seam short delivery, Patel looks to pull, but mistimes it
12.3 -
Brathwaite to Axar, no run, another slower delivery from Brathwaite, Patel mistimes the drive and the ball rolls across towards mid-wicket
12.2 -
Brathwaite to Axar, no run, Brathwaite dishes out an appeal for LBW, but it was going down leg and Patel eked out an inside edge. The slower one from round the wicket, Patel tries to defend and gets an inside edge onto his pads and the ball rolls into the off-side
12.1 -
Brathwaite to W Saha, 1 run, good length delivery, but drifting down leg, Saha, with a crisp downward angling of the willow, clips it to deep square leg
Carlos Brathwaite [1.0-0-14-0] is back into the attack
11.6 -
Jayant Yadav to Axar, no run, stump-to-stump line, Patel punches it to covers
11.5 -
Jayant Yadav to W Saha, 1 run, Saha takes a step or two out of the crease, and neatly tucks it to long-on
11.4 -
Jayant Yadav to W Saha, no run, slightly shorter in length and on the stumps, worked to mid-wicket, but can't breach the gap
11.3 -
Jayant Yadav to Axar, 1 run, from round the wicket, Yadav bowls it flatter and just outside off, Patel camps back and cuts it square on the off-side
11.2 -
Jayant Yadav to W Saha, 1 run, flatter delivery and on the stumps, Saha pushes it to long-on
11.1 -
Jayant Yadav to Axar, 1 run, slower through the air from Yadav, Patel push-drives it to long-on
10.6 -
Mishra to W Saha, no run, tossed up delivery and just outside off, guided to point
10.5 -
Mishra to W Saha, no run, the leg-spinner from Mishra, defended off the front foot
Wriddhiman Saha, right handed bat, comes to the crease
10.4 -
Mishra to Vohra, out Bowled!! Another incision has been made. The googly has done the trick for Mishra, Vohra doesn't read it and tries to pick it off the pitch. In the end, looks to cut and connects with thin air. His leg-stump takes a beating. Vohra b Mishra 32(24) [4s-5]
Mishra to Vohra, THAT'S OUT!! Bowled!!
10.3 -
Mishra to Axar, 1 run, this time, Patel punches it to long-on for an easy single
10.2 -
Mishra to Axar, no run, the straighter-one from Mishra, Patel gets it off the inside part of the bat back down the pitch
10.1 -
Mishra to Axar, no run, oh! There is again confusion in terms of running between the wickets, but in the end, no damage done. Patel works it towards mid-on and sets off for a single. But sent back. Mishra could not stop it as he went after it. But the fielder at mid-on was quick to gather it and then fired in a throw. However, the throw was not good enough and Patel had made his ground by then
9.6 -
Jayant Yadav to Axar, 1 run, this one gives Axar enough time on the back foot and he punches a single to long-on
9.5 -
Jayant Yadav to Axar, no run, softly punched with the turn to extra-cover
9.4 -
Jayant Yadav to Axar, no run, darts it in flatter and on the shorter side, defended from the crease
Switches to round the wicket for the leftie...
9.3 -
Jayant Yadav to Vohra, 1 run, goes deep in the crease preferring to play off the back foot, and tucks it through mid-wicket
9.2 -
Jayant Yadav to Vohra, 2 runs, there is enough there for the tweakers by the looks off it. This off-break GOES a long way before being clipped through mid-wicket, between two fielders and Vohra is back for two
9.1 -
Jayant Yadav to Vohra, no run, nudged with the turn to the right of the bowler
Jayant Yadav, right-arm off break, comes into the attack
8.6 -
Mishra to Axar, no run, looked like a googly, Axar reads it and knocks it softly into the off-side
8.5 -
Mishra to Vohra, 1 run, driven with the turn through the covers
8.5 -
Mishra to Vohra, wide, drifts the leg-break way too down leg, perhaps looking for the dream ball. All he does, is concede a wide
Axar Patel, left handed bat, comes to the crease
8.4 -
Mishra to Maxwell, out Caught by Brathwaite!! This is ridiculous batting. An absolutely nothing shot, and at a stage where the need of the hour is to spend some time. On a scale of 1 to 10 of pathetic, this is 50. I don't even know what his intentions were. Well flighted leg-break on off, Maxwell chips it in the air and straight to long-off where Brathwaite runs forward and plunges low to take. Speechless... Maxwell c Brathwaite b Mishra 0(3)
Mishra to Maxwell, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
8.3 -
Mishra to Maxwell, no run, another wrong 'un, Maxwell doesn't pick it and is struck on the pad. Going down leg though, by a mile
8.2 -
Mishra to Maxwell, no run, and Mishra slips in the googly to welcome Maxwell but he errs down leg
Glenn Maxwell, right handed bat, comes to the crease
8.1 -
Mishra to D Miller, out Lbw!! Now Miller is gone. They've got to stop doing this, have Punjab. Losing wickets consistently is hurting them and that charge keeps getting delayed. Slowish ball which skids on and strikes Miller low down on the front pad as he misses the sweep, and the umpire raises his finger in a flash. Oh wait, the replays show it's pitching marginally outside leg. Or marginally inside. It's too close to call. Fair enough by the umpire actually, looked good in real time. A strategic time-out has been taken. D Miller lbw b Mishra 9(9) [4s-1]
Mishra to D Miller, THAT'S OUT!! Lbw!!
7.6 -
C Morris to Vohra, FOUR, that's flown off the top edge, or glove or something. Soars past the diving de Kock who isn't getting close to it. A searing short ball heading towards Vohra's temples, he takes it on but the ball gets too big in the end and he skews it off what looked like a faint top edge
7.5 -
C Morris to D Miller, 1 run, Miller is late on the pull as Morris rushes him with a short ball, mistimes it behind square all along the carpet
7.4 -
C Morris to D Miller, no run, full and slanted across off, driven to mid-off
7.4 -
C Morris to D Miller, wide, that's a seriously good take by de Kock. Or maybe it should have been a regulation one but de Kock made it look good, by moving late. But Morris is breathing fire here. Real quick stuff. Misses his line this time and hurls it down leg-side
7.3 -
C Morris to D Miller, no run, doesn't give him the room he's looking for and keeps him tied to a nudge into the on-side
7.2 -
C Morris to Vohra, 1 run, a reasonably high full toss on off, might have been looking for the yorker which went wrong, and Vohra flicks it behind square towards third man
7.1 -
C Morris to Vohra, no run, that's a sizzling delivery. Pounds the pitch on a back of a length, pace like fire, and it straightens off the deck to beat the outside edge of Vohra in defence
Chris Morris [1.0-0-5-0] is back into the attack
6.6 -
Mishra to D Miller, 2 runs, now he punches one wide of long off this time for a brace. He is looking busy already, for what it's worth
6.5 -
Mishra to D Miller, 2 runs, uses his feet to good effect and flicks it through the mid-wicket region. He's placed it in the gap over there and a couple is available
6.4 -
Mishra to D Miller, no run, shortish and sliding away outside off, Miller leans back to cut but loses balance as his upper body nearly collapses backwards. Fails to connect
6.3 -
Mishra to D Miller, FOUR, wrong line. Down leg and it's too easy for Miller despite being new at the crease. Sinks low on one knee and sweeps it fine
6.2 -
Mishra to D Miller, no run, now this one is the skidder, flat in trajectory and dissuades Miller from coming forward. He's stuck in the crease and pokes at it but the ball slides on and beats the edge
David Miller, left handed bat, comes to the crease
6.1 -
Mishra to S Marsh, out Stumped!! Marsh gives Mishra the charge first ball and summons his own doom. He's not even given himself the chance to take a look at the leggie. Comes galloping down the track looking to slog it hard over mid-wicket, but it spins profusely and goes through bat and pad. de Kock makes the stumping look so easy. So, after a good last over, Punjab have been dented again. S Marsh st de Kock b Mishra 13(16) [4s-2]
Mishra to S Marsh, THAT'S OUT!! Stumped!!
Amit Mishra, right-arm leg break, comes into the attack
5.6 -
Brathwaite to Vohra, no run, nudged back to Brathwaite, who is ticking after the poor over he's bowled, and he feigns a throw back but thankfully doesn't let go off the ball
5.5 -
Brathwaite to Vohra, FOUR, he's coming into his own and this is just the kind of over which can swing momentum big time. Short of length ball outside off, Vohra arches a little and uses his bat as a trampoline to ramp it over the vacant slip cordon into the third man fence
5.4 -
Brathwaite to Vohra, FOUR, rammed over the covers! Full ball just outside off, and Vohra has skinned it. Goes hard and carves it to the fence
5.3 -
Brathwaite to S Marsh, 1 run, presses across owing to the inviting fullish length and drives it past a diving backward point to third man
5.2 -
Brathwaite to Vohra, 1 run, opens the bat-face and pats a back of a length delivery in front of backward point for a quick single
5.1 -
Brathwaite to Vohra, FOUR, the timing on that is heavenly. Length ball on the pads, and Vohra whips the flamingo flick behind square with all the grace in the world
Carlos Brathwaite, right-arm fast medium, comes into the attack
4.6 -
Zaheer to S Marsh, no run, hits the back of a length once more, might have been a cutter, patted away to off
4.5 -
Zaheer to S Marsh, no run, defensively works a length ball from off into the leg-side
4.4 -
Zaheer to S Marsh, FOUR, oh sweet! That's all class from Marsh. Only slightly short outside off, he waits on it and cuts it late behind backward point. Skimmed off the open bat-face and third man had no chance
4.3 -
Zaheer to S Marsh, no run, steered to point. Stays on the back foot and opens the bat-face on it
4.2 -
Zaheer to S Marsh, no run, rolls his wrists on a full ball and flicks it wide of mid-wicket who dives to stop
4.1 -
Zaheer to S Marsh, 2 runs, nearly in the blockhole on middle and leg, and Marsh has squeezed a flick past square leg for a brace
3.6 -
C Morris to S Marsh, 1 run, waits on a back of a length delivery and glides it wide of backward point
3.5 -
C Morris to S Marsh, no run, my word, it's a ripping inswinging yorker which hits Marsh on the boot. Huge appeal. The question is if the impact was in line with leg-stump. Marginal call, but a good decision in the end
3.4 -
C Morris to S Marsh, no run, Marsh is hurried on the pull. Impressive pace from Morris. Zooms from a short of length, and Marsh gets it high on the bat while swiveling a full 360 degrees. The ball is wandering towards point
3.3 -
C Morris to Vohra, 3 runs, sees the fullish length and goes hard at it to slice it over backward point. No control at all but he's gone hard enough to get it over the infield. Negi gives chase, dives head-first and flicks it back in and nearly creates a run-out opportunity at bowler's end as the follow up through is fired in by Jayant
3.2 -
C Morris to S Marsh, 1 run, stays rooted and knocks a back of a length delivery in front of cover
3.1 -
C Morris to S Marsh, no run, Morris hurtles in and goes right through Marsh with a burst of extra pace. Half-volley actually which curls back in slightly from outside off, Marsh is late on the drive and is also beaten by the movement. Blazes past the inside edge to the keeper
Chris Morris, right-arm fast medium, comes into the attack
2.6 -
Zaheer to Vohra, no run, oh, rolling back the years! Away, away and away. Vohra knows what's coming but he still can't connect while looking to glide it to third man. Maiden over, how's that!
2.5 -
Zaheer to Vohra, no run, stays back and jabs a back of a length delivery to mid-off
2.4 -
Zaheer to Vohra, no run, now he gets a bigger stride across and steers it towards backward point, takes a couple of steps down looking for a run but is sent back
2.3 -
Zaheer to Vohra, no run, this is brilliant bowling from the veteran, still got it eh? Thrice in a row now that Vohra has tried meddling with a ball angling away from him and he hasn't put bat on ball even once
2.2 -
Zaheer to Vohra, no run, another goodie! Kisses the pitch on a back of a length, slants it away and skirts past the half-hearted poke
2.1 -
Zaheer to Vohra, no run, Vohra is caught on the crease and dangles at one angled away from him, beaten
1.6 -
Negi to S Marsh, no run, skids on from a length outside off, tapped into the off-side
1.5 -
Negi to S Marsh, FOUR, slides this across off but it's very short, Marsh waits on it and cuts it late to send it past backward point
1.4 -
Negi to S Marsh, no run, fullish and slanting across off from round the wicket, driven to cover
Shaun Marsh, left handed bat, comes to the crease
1.3 -
Negi to Vohra, out Vijay Run Out!! 2 runs completed! Zaheer has dropped a dolly running back from cover, but have the batsmen saved his blushes? They might well have, and Vijay is the victim of some awful running. Sliced behind cover as Vohra tries an encore of the previous ball, Zaheer puts it down and chases after it before relaying it to Karun who was backing up. He fires a rocket throw to de Kock and Vijay is yards short. Vijay run out (Nair/de Kock) 1(5)
Negi to Vohra, THAT'S OUT!! Run Out!!
1.2 -
Negi to Vohra, FOUR, this time he doesn't miss out. Not a full toss, but a very full ball drifting in towards off, Vohra clears his front leg to allow the bat to come through and lofts it gloriously inside out over extra-cover
1.1 -
Negi to Vohra, no run, loopy full toss outside off, Vohra can hit it wherever he wants but he takes a liking to the cover fielder. Drives it straight to him
Pawan Negi, left-arm orthodox, comes into the attack
0.6 -
Zaheer to Vijay, no run, patted to cover-point, and that ends a tidy first over from the DEL skipper. A complete contrast from his first over in Kolkata where he fed filth on Gambhir's pads and was taken to the cleaners. But you don't expect lightning to strike twice with Zaheer's experience
0.5 -
Zaheer to Vohra, 1 run, gets it to swing back in again, that's when he has been dangerous throughout his career when he's got it to move back in. This time though it's on the hips and gently clipped away behind square down towards fine leg
0.4 -
Zaheer to Vijay, 1 run, back of a length delivery on off, Vijay stays flat-footed and angles it down to third man
0.3 -
Zaheer to Vijay, no run, canny bowling. After a couple of deliveries shaping in, he slants this wide of off on a good length and an unsuspecting Vijay goes poking at it only to be beaten on the edge
0.2 -
Zaheer to Vijay, no run, wobbles it up there on middle and curls back in just a little, defended to short mid-wicket
0.1 -
Zaheer to Vijay, no run, short of length and seams back in sharply to rap Vijay on the thigh, beating his attempted tuck
Vijay and Vohra are at the crease. Vijay is on strike. Zaheer will open the attack
So this is it from us today. Was another one-sided affair which we have become used to seeing in this edition of the T20 League. Like Zaheer said they needed this one, especially at home. This will get them going. Punjab, on the other hand, will do well to iron out the kinks. Tomorrow it is a double header. Hopefully, we will get to see even contests. Goodnight, take care!
Amit Mishra (Man of the Match): "I am just trying to take wickets, really happy today. It was a bit on the slower side, you have to give your best to turn it here. I wanted to bowl the fourth over but supported my captain's decision. We work very hard. Have done hard work in batting, bowling and fielding also. It came good in today's game."
Zaheer Khan: "The win was required for us. Happy with the way we put the efforts on the field. It was a good toss to win and we put the pressure on Punjab. The energy out there was fantastic. That is how we are approaching this season. It is a young side so you want to see the energy out there. Mishra was fantastic, this is what good teams do in big tournaments like this. That is the exciting part (Talking about aggressive batting). We want to build momentum at the right time. Let everyone express themselves out there. We are playing BLR in a couple of days.This win will definitely help."
David Miller: "Obviously, not enough runs, we have to look at the positives. Guys put their body on line. When you try to post a big score, a couple of wickets and the momentum is broken. We will have to turnaround, it is a long tournament."
Punjab have a few issues to sort out, their batting looks threatening on paper but innocuous in the middle. And yeah before we head for the final comment from the winning captain and Man of the Match, let's praise Amit Mishra. Bowled with a lot of heart, not an easy thing to do in T20s, and was rewarded for it. If Delhi got a pie to devour, it was earned by the leggie.
Like my colleague Raju said this turned out to be a stroll in the park for Delhi. They bowled brilliantly and restricted Punjab to a paltry one, fumbled a bit in the beginning of the chase but a drop catch by Murali Vijay swung the momentum in favour of de Kock and Delhi. Youngster Samson looked fidgety in the beginning but once he realised that the target was well within the reach, unleashed and finished it earlier than expected. After the end of powerplay, it appeared to be heading for a close finish but that was not the case to be.
13.3 -
Pardeep Sahu to Negi, SIX, so this is the famed swing of Negi they keep talking about. Sinks down on one knee and dispatches it over the deep mid-wicket fence to get Delhi on the points table
13.2 -
Pardeep Sahu to de Kock, 1 run, fraction short and de Kock swipes it to deep square leg to get Delhi closer to the target
13.1 -
Pardeep Sahu to de Kock, FOUR, is he a darter or what? Places them perfectly, tossed up delivery and de Kock makes a bit of room, goes inside out over cover and all sweeper can do was give an unfruitful chase
Pardeep Sahu [2.0-0-16-0] is back into the attack
12.6 -
Axar to Negi, 2 runs, on the legs of Negi, he tickles it to fine leg for a couple
Pawan Negi, left handed bat, comes to the crease
12.5 -
Axar to Samson, out Bowled!! So this is what Samson did, 12 is needed off 44 balls. He comes down trying to finish it too early as if he had a flight to catch. I understand the airport is far away from the stadium but it was not needed. So he comes down the track to a flatter delivery and swings, does not get anything on it and the ball crashes onto the middle stump. Even this wicket cannot produce the ray of hope Punjab are looking for. Samson b Axar 33(32) [4s-3 6s-1]
Axar to Samson, THAT'S OUT!! Bowled!!
12.4 -
Axar to de Kock, 1 run, shortish from Axar, de Kock chops it towards sweeper cover
12.3 -
Axar to Samson, 1 run, floater from Patel, Samson eases it down to long-off
12.2 -
Axar to de Kock, 1 run, depth touch from de Kock, dabs it to short third man for a single, nice diving effort there keeps it down to a single
12.1 -
Axar to Samson, 1 run, Samson uses his feet to get to the pitch of the delivery, nudges it to long-on
Slip in place
Axar Patel [2.0-0-19-0] is back into the attack
11.6 -
Johnson to de Kock, SIX, third fifty for de Kock in the T20 League. Johnson went for bodyline, came round the wicket and hurled a short delivery, de Kock moved inside the line and flumbed it into the stands over fine leg. That is a mammoth hit from the South African
11.5 -
Johnson to Samson, 1 run, there is a widish slip in place. Samson dabs this length delivery towards third man for a single
11.4 -
Johnson to de Kock, 1 run, shortish and de Kock whips it to backward square leg for another single
11.3 -
Johnson to de Kock, FOUR, this is agricultural, de Kock is showing he has eveything in his quiver. Short delivery and de Kock pulls it past deep mid-wicket for a boundary
11.2 -
Johnson to de Kock, FOUR, that will be two runs short of what de Kock intended but it was as pristine as anything. Lofted this fuller delivery over the bowler's head, one bounce over the ropes at long-on
11.1 -
Johnson to Samson, 1 run, Samson reaches out on this one outside off and drives towards sweeper cover
Mitchell Johnson [2.0-0-11-0] is back into the attack
Will Murali Vijay be able to sleep tonight? That drop catch will haunt him for sure. One little typo and I die a little. Vijay was the one who dropped the big fish
10.6 -
Maxwell to de Kock, no run, Maxwell fires it into de Kock, he gets the defence off the inside edge that rolls towards square leg. There was a slip in place for this delivery
10.5 -
Maxwell to Samson, 1 run, a little dance down the track, drilled to long-off for a single
10.4 -
Maxwell to Samson, no run, nothing great about the delivery, Samson pushes it towards cover
10.3 -
Maxwell to Samson, no run, flatter from Maxwell, patted towards extra cover
10.2 -
Maxwell to Samson, FOUR, this is even better, timed this one as if it's the shot he had put his money on. Once again played it late and opened the blade on the punch and beat the fielder at point
10.1 -
Maxwell to Samson, FOUR, delicate from Samson, waits on this one outside off, opens the face of the bat at the last moment. No chance for the fielder at short third man
10.1 -
Maxwell to de Kock, 2 wides, slips this one down the leg-side, de Kock misses the glance. However, they steal one extra run as well
Glenn Maxwell, right-arm off break, comes into the attack
9.6 -
Mohit Sharma to Samson, no run, defended with soft hands towards cover
9.5 -
Mohit Sharma to de Kock, leg byes, 1 run, direct hit and QDK would have been racing on his bike back to the pavilion. Pitched outside leg and kept low this length delivery, de Kock failed to work it off his pads. A muted appeal followed by some confusion between the wickets. de Kock responds for a belated leg bye and lucky that Maxi's throw didn't ping the bails
9.4 -
Mohit Sharma to de Kock, no run, another sweetly timed punch but this time from the willow of QDK, Maxwell at backward point ain't letting that go past him
9.3 -
Mohit Sharma to Samson, 1 run, 135ks length delivery around fifth stump channel, Tendulkar-esque from Sanju Samson as he punches one off the back foot with an open blade, to the right of third man
9.2 -
Mohit Sharma to Samson, FOUR, take that! Stand and deliver stuff from the Kerala lad. Watches the length ball and bludgeons it over the bowler's head, a couple of bounces and into the fence
9.2 -
Mohit Sharma to Samson, wide, wayward bouncer, too high and wide for Samson who jumps and lets the ball sail through
9.1 -
Mohit Sharma to de Kock, 1 run, smidge fuller outside off, driven past a diving short cover for a quick single
Mohit Sharma [1.0-0-3-0] is back into the attack
So, the strategic time-out has been enforced. Do PUN really need that? Or even DEL for that matter...
8.6 -
Pardeep Sahu to Samson, SIX, whaaaday shot! Saunters down the pitch, takes it on the full and smokes a well tossed up delivery over the long-on fence
8.5 -
Pardeep Sahu to de Kock, 1 run, crouches low and deflects the ball to fine leg with a sweep
8.4 -
Pardeep Sahu to Samson, 1 run, uses his feet and nails the drive wide of long-off
8.3 -
Pardeep Sahu to Samson, no run, push-driven towards mid-off
8.2 -
Pardeep Sahu to Samson, 2 runs, rocks back and cuts square of the wicket, seeks a double and makes it with ease. The throw was sharp but Samson had made it in comfortably
8.1 -
Pardeep Sahu to Samson, no run, fullish outside off, driven to short extra cover
7.6 -
Axar to de Kock, FOUR, clever from QDK! Watches the ball all along and lap-sweeps to the right of the keeper, fine leg throws himself in the deep but to no avail
7.5 -
Axar to de Kock, no run, driven off the front foot to the right of short extra cover who dives and fields
7.4 -
Axar to de Kock, no run, uses his wrists to turn this in front of mid-wicket
7.3 -
Axar to de Kock, FOUR, sweetly timed! Camped on the back foot and timed the pants off it. Punched through extra cover
7.2 -
Axar to de Kock, no run, fancies a lap sccop this time, but the length ain't there, missed it by a comfortable margin
7.1 -
Axar to de Kock, FOUR, reverse sweep! Crunched! QDK premeditates and gets the timing right on this full flighted delivery on off, raced away!
Axar Patel [1.0-0-7-0] is back into the attack
6.6 -
Pardeep Sahu to de Kock, 1 run, wristed through mid-wicket
6.5 -
Pardeep Sahu to de Kock, byes, FOUR, stumping chance missed! Cannot afford those in these low-scoring affairs. This quicker delivery skids through and beats QDK on the bottom edge and races past Saha to his left. The batsman was clearly outside the crease and Saha was a bit lackadaisical in his effort
6.5 -
Pardeep Sahu to de Kock, wide, the legspinner that goes awry to the left-hander, de Kock tries to bash that with a swat-esque flick but fails to make any contact, wided by the ump.
6.4 -
Pardeep Sahu to de Kock, no run, another googly just outside off, de Kock decides to stay back and block that to the off-side
6.3 -
Pardeep Sahu to de Kock, 2 runs, the googly outside off, de Kock opens the bat face late and steers it wide of lone slip
6.2 -
Pardeep Sahu to Samson, 1 run, 79ks legbreak outside off, punched off the meat through covers
6.1 -
Pardeep Sahu to de Kock, 1 run, starts off with a shortish ball on leg-stump, de Kock rocks back and drags the pull through mid-wicket
Pardeep Sahu, right-arm leg break, comes into the attack
5.6 -
Johnson to de Kock, 1 run, hops inside the crease and late-cuts a back of a length delivery wide of short third man
5.5 -
Johnson to de Kock, no run, knocked off the inside-half towards short mid-wicket
5.4 -
Johnson to de Kock, FOUR, errant stuff from Mitch - The monster. Offers a lollypop down leg and QDK says "Thank you" as he flicks it off his pads, fine leg up in the ring and he ain't stopping that
5.3 -
Johnson to Samson, 1 run, angled away outside off, Samson prefers to stay back and run it down to third man
5.2 -
Johnson to de Kock, 1 run, full and on leg-stump, superbly-timed flick shot to deep square leg
5.1 -
Johnson to Samson, 1 run, crashed towards mid-on and hustles for a quick single
Mitchell Johnson [1.0-0-3-0] is back into the attack
4.6 -
Axar to de Kock, FOUR, wider of off, de Kock throws the kitchen sink and flays it over backward point. No-one's stopping that!
4.5 -
Axar to de Kock, no run, pushed with soft hands towards cover
4.4 -
Axar to de Kock, 2 runs, "That's in the air....Deep mid-wicket takes it and drops it" goes Ravi Shaz on air. Certainly plenty of excitement in the comm. box. de Kock went for the agricultural swipe against this full delivery and would have had his heart in his mouth. Murali Vijay sprints forward, bends low but fails to cling onto the ball. DROPPED
4.3 -
Axar to Samson, 1 run, eased down to long-off
4.2 -
Axar to de Kock, leg byes, 1 run, an ambitious appeal for lbw! But he was struck outside off and hence can't be given out. QDK knelt down to sweep and failed to lay bat on ball, might have got some inside edge...
4.1 -
Axar to de Kock, no run, slides this flatter delivery just outside off, de Kock tries to cut, chops it off the inside edge to the off-side
Axar Patel, left-arm orthodox, comes into the attack
Time for some spin. Axar Patel, no slips
3.6 -
Mohit Sharma to Samson, no run, stump-to-stump line from Mohit Sharma, played down the ground with soft hands
3.5 -
Mohit Sharma to Samson, 2 runs, brilliant stroke! Stays outside the crease and just flicks his wrists, made that look so easy. The ball swirled over mid-wicket and went on the bounce to Axar in the deep
3.4 -
Mohit Sharma to Samson, no run, bouncer sprayed down the wrong line, should have been a wide but S Ravi at square leg signals - "One for the over boys"
3.3 -
Mohit Sharma to Samson, no run, tad short on fifth stump channel, Samson knocks it down to mid-on
3.2 -
Mohit Sharma to Samson, no run, that's picture-perfect! Got a nice stride forward and blocked a good length ball towards mid-off
3.1 -
Mohit Sharma to de Kock, 1 run, this fullish length delivery kept low just outside off, QDK goes for a full-blooded pull and drags it off the bottom half through mid-wicket
Mohit Sharma, right-arm medium, comes into the attack
2.6 -
Sandeep Sharma to Samson, no run, short of length outside off, cut sweetly, straight to the man at short cover
2.5 -
Sandeep Sharma to Samson, no run, back of a length outside off, Samson gets forward and taps this with soft hands towards extra cover
2.4 -
Sandeep Sharma to Samson, no run, punched towards extra cover
2.3 -
Sandeep Sharma to Samson, no run, bouncer on the stumps, Samson tries to pull and is beaten by the pace
2.2 -
Sandeep Sharma to Samson, no run, good length delivery on the stumps, pushed down the track
Sanju Samson, right handed bat, comes to the crease
2.1 -
Sandeep Sharma to Shreyas Iyer, out Caught by W Saha!! Oh my! S Ravi took an eternity to adjudge that OUT. Strangled down leg is Shreyas Iyer and the appeal was quite strong, very vocal indeed. Dross stuff from Sandeep Sharma - Hurls one down leg and Iyer might have got some tickle off the bat on the leg-glance. Saha dives full-length and has his arms aloft straightaway. "The faintest of edges" as Anjum Chopra chirps on air. Oh hang on! There's nothing on the Snicko. Go figure... Shreyas Iyer c W Saha b Sandeep Sharma 3(5)
Sandeep Sharma to Shreyas Iyer, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
No risks taken so far...
1.6 -
Johnson to Shreyas Iyer, 1 run, the hip-tickler, tucked modestly to fine leg
1.5 -
Johnson to de Kock, 1 run, goodish length and curling down leg, glanced off the pads to fine leg
1.4 -
Johnson to de Kock, no run, back of a length outside off, punched straight to backward point
1.3 -
Johnson to de Kock, no run, length on middle, defended down the pitch
1.2 -
Johnson to Shreyas Iyer, 1 run, gets a bit too straight this time, Iyer negates the movement by moving across and wristing one to the right of short mid-wicket
1.1 -
Johnson to Shreyas Iyer, no run, swing straightaway! Pitched on a good length and took it away from the right-hander, in the outside off channel, Iyer plays inside the line and is lucky not to have nicked that
Mitchell Johnson, comes into the attack
Here's the villainy Mitch...
0.6 -
Sandeep Sharma to de Kock, no run, fullish outside off, a soft dink in front of short cover
0.5 -
Sandeep Sharma to de Kock, FOUR, pitched up and de Kock throws his bat on the uppish drive, needed to clear the off-side ring and does so comfortably
0.4 -
Sandeep Sharma to Shreyas Iyer, 1 run, swinging in slightly on middle, Shreyas Iyer winds up for an on-drive, gets it off the inside half towards mid-wicket
0.3 -
Sandeep Sharma to de Kock, 1 run, length on middle, QDK is off the mark with a flick down to fine leg
0.2 -
Sandeep Sharma to de Kock, no run, this one held a bit low, came later than QDK expected, tried to cut but ended up chopping it towards short cover
0.1 -
Sandeep Sharma to de Kock, no run, full and a hint of movement away around off, driven crisply straight to mid-off
de Kock and Shreyas Iyer are at the crease. de Kock is on strike. Sandeep Sharma will open the attack