The players are out . de Kock and Samson to open tonight. Where's Pant? Sandeep Sharma to banana the ball, like always..one slip
Welcome back! If you're a sixteen year old awaiting your board results, this T20 League has struck off one uncertainty of the many you're tempted to ponder right now. 'Which team will win?'. Well, it's mostly the team batting second but we'll not (again) mock the chasing spell this T20 League is under. I don't want a pink slip, please. This is a good total on this pitch. So, wait, watch, guess and vindicate - like me, who'll be typing it all out for you.
Some useful fireworks in those last five overs has boosted PUN to a decent total. The underrated Saha came to the fore today with a breezy half-century, one which infused some much needed momentum into what was turning out to be a stagnant innings. The hosts got off to a decent start with Vijay hitting his straps. But he has gotten into this really annoying habit, much like Raina, to throw away a good start. Amla played his first game for PUN today, and he always looked to be at loggerheads with Stoinis as far as running between the wickets is concerned. That brought about his downfall. Maxwell, Miller didn't look at home. Morris, without a doubt, was the pick of the bowlers. An innings which never really provided the thrills, and they've got to a par kinda score on a good track. Will it be enough to turn fortunes around?
Axar and Morris seem to have been involved in a banter there. Not sure what spurred Axar but Morris is seen staring as the players trundle off the field. "Didn't go perfectly, but its a good score. It was stopping a little bit early on. The spinners got a bit of purchase but I think 180 is still a good score on this wicket. Get this win and then think about the next one," a confident Stoinis
19.6 -
C Morris to Axar, 1 run, nails this one. Yorker on middle and leg, Axar could only flick it to deep square
19.5 -
C Morris to Axar, 2 runs, another full toss, but Morris gets away with that. Axar isn't happy, pleading the square leg umpire. To be honest, it's a fair call. At the hip, Axar rolls his wrists on the pull but there is protection at deep mid-wicket
19.4 -
C Morris to Axar, SIX, misses the yorker and dishes out a full toss. Axar just swings it through the line, straight down the ground for a maximum
19.3 -
C Morris to D Miller, 1 run, in the blockhole again. From round the wicket and dipping in around middle, Miller could only turn that towards mid-wicket
19.2 -
C Morris to Axar, 1 run, full and aiming the stumps, neatly driven to long-off - This won't bother DEL
19.2 -
C Morris to Axar, wide, full and drifting down leg, might have kissed Axar's pad as he missed the flick. Morris isn't happy with that
19.1 -
C Morris to D Miller, 1 run, full and arrowed at the toes, Miller flicks through mid-wicket
Final 6 balls coming up
18.6 -
Shami to Axar, SIX, how many times Axar Patel does that? First ball six. Did that against KOL in the last game. Short and at a comfy height, he doesn't need any sighters - Swivels and rockets the pull over the deep backward square fence
18.5 -
Shami to D Miller, 1 run, the loopy full ball on middle, Miller squirts the drive in front of mid-off and sets off
Switches to round the wicket this time
18.4 -
Shami to D Miller, 2 runs, full and straight, bludgeoned to long-off
18.3 -
Shami to D Miller, FOUR, bowled full and wide with no sweeper cover. Miller says "Thank you" and clobbers it over cover - Nice extension of the arms
18.2 -
Shami to D Miller, 2 runs, nearly, very nearly! Short at the ribcage, Miller went for the pull - Mistimed and it lands tantalizingly short of an incoming deep square leg. Well tried Carlos!
18.2 -
Shami to D Miller, wide, hurled full and wide of the tramline, Miller crouches low and chases, missed by a long way
Axar Patel, left handed bat, comes to the crease
18.1 -
Shami to W Saha, out Caught by C Morris!! Morris is having a good outing. Clever stuff from Shami - The off-cutter just outside off, Saha wanted to lift it over mid-off. No pace on the delivery and timing won't do for such shots. You need to get some power behind. Tamely chipped in the air towards an onrushing mid-off who accepts it gleefully. W Saha c C Morris b Shami 52(33) [4s-7]
Shami to W Saha, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
Mohammed Shami [2.0-0-18-0] is back into the attack
David Miller, left handed bat, comes to the crease
17.6 -
C Morris to Maxwell, out Bowled!! No heroics from Maxi today. He went too far inside the crease in a bid to slog one through the leg-side. Morris missed the yorker. Ends up serving a indipping full toss on middle - Beats Maxi's batswing and pings the middle stump. Maxwell b C Morris 16(11) [6s-1]
C Morris to Maxwell, THAT'S OUT!! Bowled!!
17.5 -
C Morris to W Saha, 1 run, fuller on middle, Saha drills it wide of long-on
17.4 -
C Morris to W Saha, no run, quick, short and wide, Saha jumps and looks to flay that over the off-side. Loses his balance and tumbles into the ground
17.3 -
C Morris to Maxwell, 1 run, wanted to reverse lap that one, but Morris follows him with a full one, slices it off the toe-end towards short third man
17.2 -
C Morris to W Saha, leg byes, 1 run, backs away and misses the flick, takes the pad and rolls to short third man
17.1 -
C Morris to W Saha, 2 runs, fifty for Saha! It has been a knock of patience and luck. Gets there with a shimmy and a neat drive through extra cover. Fielder in the deep sends a flat throw but Saha was well in
16.6 -
Mishra to Maxwell, no run, slogs and misses. Legspinner outside off, beaten in the flight
16.5 -
Mishra to Maxwell, 2 runs, tucks this flatter one behind square and takes off for a risky second, makes it with ease in the end. QDK was a bit lackadaisical there, didn't whip the bails despite collecting the throw
16.4 -
Mishra to Maxwell, 2 runs, clipped wide of long-on
16.3 -
Mishra to Maxwell, no run, wants to reverse sweep a quicker one and is early into the shot, takes it on the body
16.2 -
Mishra to Maxwell, 2 runs, high in the air and safe! Maxwell goes for another biggie and ends up slicing it in the air. Zaheer and Samson converge from mid-off and extra cover respectively. No one got there in time
16.1 -
Mishra to Maxwell, SIX, if Morris can't get there, no one can! The legbreak outside off, Maxwell thumps it powerfully. Not off the middle, but had enough muscle behind to beat Morris's leap at wide long-off
PUN are all set for a big total. Can DEL pull it back? Last 4 overs coming up and Maxi has just faced 3 balls so far
15.6 -
Zaheer to W Saha, FOUR, make that 16 off the over. Follows Saha as he stepped to leg, Saha goes through with the swat and places it in the gap between long-on and deep mid-wicket
15.5 -
Zaheer to W Saha, FOUR, another dross delivery from Zak. Short and directed down leg, Saha flicks up and over backward square
15.4 -
Zaheer to W Saha, FOUR, the knuckle ball from Zak, but was too short. Saha stays back and swivels to cream the pull square on the leg-side
15.3 -
Zaheer to W Saha, 2 runs, Zak ain't offering any pace. Drops it shortish and wide, Saha jumps out and had to fetch the loft, skews off the toe-end over extra cover
15.2 -
Zaheer to Maxwell, 1 run, 115ks around fourth stump channel, Maxi punches to extra cover
15.1 -
Zaheer to W Saha, 1 run, slower one on leg-stump, picked off the pads backwards of square leg
14.6 -
Mishra to W Saha, 1 run, another easy single to mid-wicket to cap off the over
14.5 -
Mishra to W Saha, FOUR, Nadeem - The culprit this time. Wristed hard and wide of long-on and he makes a meal of it, by making a fumble despite putting in a commendable dive (to his right)
14.4 -
Mishra to Maxwell, 1 run, on middle and leg, Maxwell clips through mid-wicket
14.3 -
Mishra to W Saha, 1 run, this one stopped on Saha, he somehow manages to nudge it to mid-on
14.2 -
Mishra to W Saha, FOUR, a terrible mix-up between Morris and Brathwaite. No one called. It was a real tough one though. Saha targeted the extra cover boundary and went for the loft after stepping down the pitch. Gets it off the toe-end and Morris from long-off covered good ground to get there. He dived full-length to his left but couldn't reach. Brathwaite from sweeper overruns and fails to slide the ball back
14.1 -
Mishra to Maxwell, 1 run, fired full and wide, Maxwell fetches the sweep from there and slots it to deep mid-wicket
14.1 -
Mishra to Maxwell, wide, slower, shortish and slipping down leg, Maxwell doesn't bother
Strategic time-out. Stoinis wicket might have been a blessing in disguise for the home side. The platform is set for Maxi to explode. Can he deliver? A slip and a FSL for MAXI
13.6 -
Zaheer to W Saha, no run, gets this good length delivery to cut across Saha who backed away to force one through the off-side, whistles past the outside edge
Glenn Maxwell, right handed bat, comes to the crease
13.5 -
Zaheer to Stoinis, out Caught by Samson!! And Stoinis's stint comes to an end. How good is Zaheer Khan by the way? Why did he retire? Only he must know. Deceives Stoinis with a slower ball as he preempts the slog. Down the pitch and off the toe-end. Long-on runs forward and takes it around mid-riff. Well-judged grab that! Stoinis c Samson b Zaheer 52(44) [4s-3 6s-2]
Zaheer to Stoinis, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
13.4 -
Zaheer to Stoinis, 2 runs, uses his feet to lift this one inside-out over extra cover, not well timed but good enough to nab a couple of runs
13.3 -
Zaheer to W Saha, 1 run, pushed down to long-off
13.2 -
Zaheer to Stoinis, 1 run, no leg byes given so that means Stoinis gets to his fifty. The off-cutter on leg-stump, Stoinis heaves and misses. Didn't get an inside edge according to me, but the umpire thinks otherwise. Off the pad and rolled to short third man
13.1 -
Zaheer to W Saha, 1 run, steps down the track and is cramped for room, capitalizes on the length to chop it to cover
Zaheer Khan [1.0-0-4-0] is back into the attack
Still 7 overs left. How much can PUN get? What would be a safe total? I reckon 170 would do...
12.6 -
Mishra to W Saha, 1 run, quick outside off, Saha drives through covers and retains strike
12.5 -
Mishra to Stoinis, 1 run, sees the length short and shapes up for a pull, dragged off the splice wide of long-on
12.4 -
Mishra to W Saha, 1 run, is down again to smother the spin, nurdled wide of mid-on, sensible stuff!
12.3 -
Mishra to W Saha, FOUR, Saha looks in good nick. Greyhounds down the pitch and leans nicely into a drive, raced through extra cover. 50-run stand is up too
12.2 -
Mishra to Stoinis, 1 run, quicker googly curling in towards the stumps, Stoinis picked it late but managed to chop it into the off-side
12.1 -
Mishra to Stoinis, no run, the legspinner outside off, Stoinis follows the turn and misses the cut shot by a whisker
11.6 -
Brathwaite to Stoinis, 1 run, clattered to sweeper cover
11.5 -
Brathwaite to Stoinis, no run, full and following the batsman, Stoinis makes room, but nearly yorks himself. Manages to squeeze it into the off-side
11.4 -
Brathwaite to Stoinis, FOUR, that's a one-legged pull. Waltzes down the pitch and still goes through with the pull. It was dug in short, takes the bottom half. The key was placement there, there is a big game between long-on and deep mid-wicket
11.3 -
Brathwaite to W Saha, 1 run, hops inside the crease, dabs meekly in front of cover and is off for a quick single
11.2 -
Brathwaite to Stoinis, 1 run, goodish length outside off, Stoinis cuts to backward point
11.1 -
Brathwaite to Stoinis, SIX, slower half-volley and Stoinis has picked the bones out of it. Waits inside the crease and lifts it high and over the long-on fence. 84 metre six
10.6 -
Mishra to W Saha, no run, Saha too tries to use his feet, but Mishy fires it full around off, jammed back
10.5 -
Mishra to Stoinis, 1 run, gets to the pitch of the delivery this time, driven to long-on
10.4 -
Mishra to Stoinis, no run, advances and is beaten in the flight, wanted to nudge, but could only wear it on his pads
10.3 -
Mishra to Stoinis, 2 runs, fumble by Sanju Samson this time. He overruns and turns a single into two. Shortish outside off, Stoinis chops it towards backward point
10.2 -
Mishra to W Saha, 1 run, allows this quicker delivery to slide in and uses his wrists to work through mid-wicket
10.1 -
Mishra to W Saha, no run, full and straight, Saha comes down the track and drives it back
Amit Mishra, right-arm leg break, comes into the attack
Mishy into the attack
9.6 -
Brathwaite to Stoinis, 2 runs, short at the ribs, Stoinis swivels and pulls along the ground through mid-wicket. Should have been a single, but Karun Nair fumbles and allows another run
9.5 -
Brathwaite to W Saha, 1 run, ups the pace and zooms it in around middle, Saha shimmies down slightly and drops it in front of cover and sets off
9.4 -
Brathwaite to Stoinis, 1 run, full and targeting the base of middle, driven crisply past the non-striker for another single
9.3 -
Brathwaite to W Saha, 1 run, slower short ball wide of off, Saha chops to the right of backward point
9.2 -
Brathwaite to Stoinis, 1 run, full off-cutter outside off, driven to deep cover and jogs for a single
9.1 -
Brathwaite to W Saha, 1 run, starts with a 128ks delivery, on the stumps. Saha drives with a closed bat face in front of mid-on
Carlos Brathwaite, right-arm fast medium, comes into the attack
8.6 -
S Nadeem to W Saha, 1 run, angled into the pads, tucked in the gap through mid-wicket
8.5 -
S Nadeem to W Saha, 2 runs, waits inside the crease and opens the bat face to direct it fine towards third man. Samson runs, dives and keeps it down to two
8.4 -
S Nadeem to W Saha, 2 runs, moves around the crease and is all wrists as he flicks in the vacant region at mid-wicket. Nadeem chases the ball and slides to pick the ball, couldn't prevent the double though
8.3 -
S Nadeem to Stoinis, 1 run, quicker and just outside off, Stoinis is hurried onto his back foot and manages to chop it to backward point
8.2 -
S Nadeem to Stoinis, SIX, Stoinis goes downtown! Charges down, gets to the pitch of the delivery and wallops a 85-metre six straight down the ground
8.1 -
S Nadeem to W Saha, 1 run, floated up just outside off, Saha pushes it in front of backward point and is off for a quick single
7.6 -
Shami to W Saha, 1 run, sits deep inside the crease and dabs it down to third man
7.5 -
Shami to W Saha, FOUR, and Saha is off the mark in style. Gets width and the length he wanted, steered late behind backward point and third man ain't getting there
7.4 -
Shami to Stoinis, 1 run, pats this length delivery to point and runs for a quick single
7.3 -
Shami to Stoinis, 2 runs, full and straight, driven straight down the ground for a couple of runs. Startling stat: DEL have effected the most number of run outs this season - 10
7.2 -
Shami to Stoinis, no run, good length outside off, a swing and a miss!
7.1 -
Shami to Stoinis, no run, bumper just outside off, Stoinis went for the pull and missed, got big on him
Mohammed Shami [1.0-0-10-0] is back into the attack
Wriddhiman Saha, right handed bat, comes to the crease
6.6 -
S Nadeem to Amla, out Amla Run Out!! Did PUN drink "run-outs" during the strategic break. Absolute ruckus! Amla cuts this to backward point and set off for a single. Stoinis says "No mate, I ain't coming" (Guess work). Sent back and Zaheer's throw was spot on - Right above the stumps and QDK completes the formalities. Amla run out (Zaheer/de Kock) 1(5)
S Nadeem to Amla, THAT'S OUT!! Run Out!!
6.5 -
S Nadeem to Stoinis, 1 run, eased down to long-on
6.4 -
S Nadeem to Stoinis, no run, opens the bat face, but dabs it straight to short third man
6.3 -
S Nadeem to Amla, 1 run, clipped away to square leg
6.2 -
S Nadeem to Amla, no run, and Stoinis has sent his spirit into Amla. Amla would have been a real goner but luckily there's no one at mid-wicket. He nudged this into the aforementioned region and rushed to the other end. Stoinis didn't respond - Tit for tat! Nadeem ran across and failed to collect the ball
6.1 -
S Nadeem to Stoinis, 1 run, straighter one on off-stump and Stoinis swipes it to deep square leg. Drama again! Stoinis wants two and Amla doesn't. The throw came in sharp but Nadeem didn't pick the ball. Stoinis wasn't even in the frame
Shahbaz Nadeem [2.0-0-14-0] is back into the attack
Strategic time-out. Nadeem is back for his third over
5.6 -
C Morris to Amla, no run, full and Amla goes hard again, another inside edge onto his pads
5.5 -
C Morris to Amla, no run, could have been two from two had Morris collected the ball. Amla got an inside edge onto the pad as he wanted to drill it through covers. The ball rolls to cover and Stoinis - What are you doing? He is half-way down the pitch for a non-existent single. Amla didn't move. Three fielders converge and none picked the ball. Stoinis makes it in time
Hashim Amla, right handed bat, comes to the crease
5.4 -
C Morris to Vijay, out Caught by Brathwaite!! You cannot keep him out of the game - Carlos Brathwaite. Vijay shapes up for a heave over mid-wicket. Bowled fullish around off, Vijay bat-swings and mistimes - Off the toe I reckon. Carlos at mid-wicket moves to his right, keeps his eyes and snaffles with both hands. Tumbles after... Vijay c Brathwaite b C Morris 25(16) [4s-4]
C Morris to Vijay, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
5.3 -
C Morris to Vijay, FOUR, that's a halwa (Google please!) for Murali Vijay. Full, down leg - Dispatched with utter disdain - Picked and flicked behind square
5.2 -
C Morris to Vijay, no run, full and angled in towards middle, Vijay with his feet stuck in cement, slogs and inside-edges it onto his pads
5.1 -
C Morris to Stoinis, 1 run, hurls a 141ks length delivery outside off, Stoinis camps back and steers it to the right of third man, back for two
Not a bad start for PUN. Wickets in hand always helps...
4.6 -
Zaheer to Vijay, no run, keeps it straight and tight, Vijay punch-drives but couldn't pierce the off-side ring
4.5 -
Zaheer to Stoinis, 1 run, gentle delivery at the hip, tucked away square on the leg-side
4.4 -
Zaheer to Stoinis, no run, the 120ks stuff continues, Stoinis watches the ball all along and taps it on its head towards backward point
4.3 -
Zaheer to Stoinis, 2 runs, he dabbed this towards third man and wanted a second. Third man sends in a good throw and QDK is quick to dislodge the bails, but Stoinis had dived in to save his wicket
Run out check: Stoinis is the man. He looks home, NOT OUT
4.2 -
Zaheer to Vijay, 1 run, 129ks angled into middle, Vijay dances down the pitch and angles his bat (late) to deflect it towards backward point
4.1 -
Zaheer to Vijay, no run, looked like an off-cutter, fullish just outside off, Vijay gets forward slightly and blocks with soft hands
Zaheer Khan, left-arm fast medium, comes into the attack
No slips for Zak
3.6 -
C Morris to Vijay, 1 run, hits the deck hard and gets it to rise at the ribs, Vijay jumps and fends it into the leg-side to steal a single
3.5 -
C Morris to Vijay, 2 runs, another poor delivery from Morris, but he gets away with that. On and around leg-stump, Vijay is content with a single backwards of square leg
3.4 -
C Morris to Stoinis, 1 run, picks this length ball from middle and off, clipped neatly past a diving square leg
3.3 -
C Morris to Stoinis, no run, generates some extra bounce outside off, Stoinis hops and defends
3.2 -
C Morris to Stoinis, FOUR, more tosh from Morris! Down leg again and this time Stoinis gets his timing right. Half-turns and pulls along the ground in the same region
3.1 -
C Morris to Stoinis, leg byes, FOUR, horrid first delivery from Chris Morris, back of a length going down leg. Stoinis fails to get bat on the flick, brushed the pads and raced away to the fine leg fence
Chris Morris, right-arm fast medium, comes into the attack
2.6 -
S Nadeem to Stoinis, 1 run, steps to leg and punches one past backward point to keep strike
2.5 -
S Nadeem to Stoinis, FOUR, dropped it a bit short and Stoinis makes him pay. Makes room slightly and cuts with sublime timing in front of backward point. That's T-I-M-E-D
2.4 -
S Nadeem to Vijay, 1 run, arrowed into the pads, Vijay flicks to short mid-wicket and nabs another quick single
2.3 -
S Nadeem to Vijay, 2 runs, skids on around middle, Vijay nudges it wide of long-on and calls for two
2.2 -
S Nadeem to Vijay, FOUR, arm-ball sits up on off-stump, Vijay clears his front leg and punches with authority wide of mid-off. Class!
2.1 -
S Nadeem to Stoinis, 1 run, push-driven towards mid-off and a quick single taken
1.6 -
Shami to Vijay, FOUR, on the legs and that's nicely put away by Murali Vijay, twirled his wrists and timed the flick wide of mid-wicket
1.5 -
Shami to Vijay, FOUR, Zak isn't 24 and he ain't chasing that either. Full and inviting a drive, Vijay walks across the stumps and goes hard. Shami half-stops in his followthrough but a poor effort from mid-off meant that's a boundary
1.4 -
Shami to Stoinis, 1 run, steps forward and drives one wide of cover, finally off the mark is Marcus Stoinis
1.3 -
Shami to Stoinis, no run, 141ks tilting in towards leg-stump, Stoinis fails to pick and is hit on the pad, would have clearly missed leg and hence Shami's ambitious appeal is turned down
1.2 -
Shami to Vijay, 1 run, had Pant picked that cleanly, Vijay would have been in trouble. Vijay clipped this one towards mid-wicket and called for a quick single, but a fumble made life easy for Vijay
1.1 -
Shami to Vijay, no run, bang on target! 140ks good length on off with a wee bit of inswing, Vijay gets across and punches with a closed bat face towards mid-on
Mohammed Shami, right-arm fast medium, comes into the attack
Shami hustling with a slip in place...
0.6 -
S Nadeem to Stoinis, no run, slows it up on middle and leg, Stoinis looks to go hard on the leg-side, instead inside-edges it onto his toe. Brilliant first over from Nadeem
0.5 -
S Nadeem to Stoinis, no run, not well timed and placed, driven straight towards cover
0.4 -
S Nadeem to Stoinis, no run, another slider and Stoinis is late on the flick, gets rapped on the pad, but that was comfortably drifting down leg
0.3 -
S Nadeem to Stoinis, no run, the arm ball just outside off, Stoinis punches straight to Carlos at backward point
0.2 -
S Nadeem to Stoinis, no run, this one drifts in towards off, Stoinis taps it on its head with soft hands
0.1 -
S Nadeem to Vijay, 1 run, a humble dart around off-stump, Vijay stays put and rolls his wrists to nudge it towards long-on
Vijay and Stoinis are at the crease. Vijay is on strike. S Nadeem will open the attack
This was a choke. The Mohali attendance disappointed on a Saturday, and so did Delhi - a well-set platform but an ill-timed puncture robbed it all. Punjab prevailed but the two points aren't good enough to lift them from that last spot's abyss; Punjab adorn it, still. That's it from tonight. Till tomorrow, it's a good night from Pratyush Sinha on behalf of Raju Peethala and our scorer Sreenivas (Mani nods). Ta-ta!
Marcus Stoinis: "It's good to be involved. You get opportunities to make things happen...and hit it out of the park. You are not always hitting the ball as good as you want to. The art is to grind it out when it's not coming out. We talked to the skipper that when someone goes hard at you, you always have a chance. We have to keep training hard to continue like this."
Marcus Stoinis is the Man of the Match
"We badly wanted this win. Can't ask for more; they (the boys) gave what they had. The wicket was good and 170 was par. We got ten runs extra. Amazing death bowling despite the dew. I told them to back your skills and do what you're capable of doing, and give 100 percent in that. Last four overs, Mohit and Sandy were top-class. The way they controlled the innings was unbelievable. We were inside the dressing room and there was never a doubt in our abilities. We spoke a lot of things about the losses and they weren't due to lack of skills," Murali Vijay blurts out his joy.
Presentations going on...hold on for the quotes
"Good game. I thought we had things under control. 180 was around par and we had the platform but lost a few wickets at the wrong time. Credit to them. The ball was reversing and they stuck to their plans. Good death bowling, have to say. This is a big ground and a few errors were bound to happen. The wicket was playing very well and we had the perfect start. 50 runs off first 6 was perfect. The required rate was around 9 but we couldn't just cross the line. Well, you have to look at how we are approaching the game, the fight, and other parameters to look into the nature of T20 League. As a team, we are able to achieve and we are on an upward curve. We are always in the game with a chance," says Zaheer Khan after his side's loss
Sandeep Sharma and Mohit Sharma followed it up by bowling with discipline to give the finishing touches. Earlier, Stoinis and Saha gave a fine exhibition of batting to drive PUN to a handy total. However, it was PUN's bowlers who held their nerve to keep their hopes of qualifying for playoffs alive.
Marcus Stoinis's sterling all-round effort lifted PUN to a thrilling win, resulting in tumultuous celebrations in the dug-out. With Quinton de Kock essaying an eye-catching fifty, and the trio of Nair, Billings and Brathwaite ensconced in the middle-order, DEL seemed to be in the ascendancy. But Stoinis's penetrative bowling gave PUN the scent of victory.
19.6 -
Sandeep Sharma to Rishabh Pant, FOUR, Rishabh Pant was making room, Sandeep Sharma pounds it short outside off and Pant reaches out to cut it over extra cover. But that's not enough, with 14 runs needed to seal this chase. Punjab win by 9 runs. Delhi looked set to chase this, but then came the slow ball storm, then came the yorker drizzle and Delhi yielded, even on an odd day.. That's how it is
19.5 -
Sandeep Sharma to C Morris, 1 run, 14 runs off 1 ball now. IT'S A DONE DEAL. But sanity should prevail for that. Clipped off the pads to mid-wicket
19.4 -
Sandeep Sharma to C Morris, SIX, Chris Morris has a bazooka! A front foot pull that carries. Don't say. Was walking towards the bowler, Sandeep Sharma tries to chain him with a short bumper but he stands tall and swats it away..
19.3 -
Sandeep Sharma to C Morris, 2 runs, full toss on the pads, read the pace well and nudged it to backward square leg
19.2 -
Sandeep Sharma to C Morris, 2 runs, Sandeep Sharma is round the wicket. Hurls out a full toss that threatens to gravitate down any moment and the drift follows a backed-away Morris too. Drilled back and Sandeep flies to his left to half-stop it. Top effort
19.1 -
Sandeep Sharma to C Morris, no run, inductive effect into play. Sandeep Sharma is bowling it well too. Tails a yorker on off and Morris can only squeeze it out, somehow
18.6 -
Mohit Sharma to Rishabh Pant, no run, figures of 4-0-21-0 won't tell you how good a spell this was - an inch wide and a meter deep. Curls this dipping yorker away from over the wicket, pings Pant's front toe planted down leg and makes him fall over. Wow
18.5 -
Mohit Sharma to Rishabh Pant, no run, Mohit Sharma! Spears this short ball that's absolutely Scrooge in pace. No pace whatsoever. Pant comes out and looks to pull, is early and is hit on the tummy
18.4 -
Mohit Sharma to C Morris, 1 run, skips out with a closed stance - perhaps aiming a thrash over point - but Mohit bowls it very full outside off. Morris chops it into the pitch and Mohit collects the ricochet near short cover. 25 runs in 8 balls. What has happened? Where did Delhi mess this up?
18.3 -
Mohit Sharma to C Morris, no run, you watch cricket for this. All rules against you and the bowlers still manage to stun. Full toss dipping and curling in, Morris is cramped looking to clip and skews it onto his pad
18.2 -
Mohit Sharma to C Morris, no run, lovely from Mohit. Back of the hand into play here, takes the pace off and loops this over Morris's kneel-down brute of a sweep
18.1 -
Mohit Sharma to C Morris, 2 runs, full delivery squeezed out to the sweeper in the deep
Mohit Sharma [3.0-0-18-0] is back into the attack
That wicket has made it tighter. Brathwaite looked to be walking away with it
17.6 -
Sandeep Sharma to C Morris, 1 run, trims it off the pads to to deep mid wicket. 28 runs in 12 balls
Rishabh Pant, left handed bat, comes to the crease
17.5 -
Sandeep Sharma to Brathwaite, out Caught by Gurkeerat Singh!! Ah, he goes. *Le me taking my seat belt off*. Stood tall on his back foot looking to flat bat it down the ground, but Sandeep adjusts with a good short ball. Top-edge as Brathwaite stood still trying to swat the ball off his face and deep mid-wicket collects. Brathwaite c Gurkeerat Singh b Sandeep Sharma 12(6) [4s-1 6s-1]
Sandeep Sharma to Brathwaite, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
17.4 -
Sandeep Sharma to Brathwaite, SIX, Eden Gardens roars! And Mohali too. This is a big one. Gets a full toss to help his cause, swings his bat like a golf club and projectiles it into the deep mid-wicket orbit
17.3 -
Sandeep Sharma to Brathwaite, no run, let me describe this. Gets a shortish ball and Brathwaite kneels down, reverses his bat trying to ramp it over third man. Doesn't connect
17.2 -
Sandeep Sharma to Brathwaite, FOUR, wow. That's a Dhoni shot. Full and following Brathwaite who was backing away, and it still sees the fences. Uses the bottom hand and whips it through wide long-on....and then lets his bat carve out a circle in the air. That much power
He's bowling from round the wicket
17.1 -
Sandeep Sharma to C Morris, 1 run, yorker length on leg-stump, Morris almost falls over in trying to clip this to deep mid-wicket
Sandeep Sharma [2.0-0-9-0] is back into the attack
16.6 -
Stoinis to C Morris, 1 run, clipped off the pads to deep square leg. Just 4 runs off Stoinis's last over. His figures of 4-0-40-3 do him an injustice but three wickets over run drought any day
Chris Morris, right handed bat, comes to the crease
16.5 -
Stoinis to S Billings, out Caught by W Saha!! Oh my. That's as terrible as I have seen. The bamboozling aspect is that he had read the slower short ball, was waiting but upper-cut it with wrists that wouldn't fall a piglet's straw house. Does it softly and a top edge balloons to the keeper. S Billings c W Saha b Stoinis 6(9)
Stoinis to S Billings, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
16.4 -
Stoinis to S Billings, no run, another excellent one. Too full for Billings to mow this over long-off. Squirted near his boots
16.3 -
Stoinis to S Billings, no run, this is excellent from Stoinis. Sees a shimmy and pounds this shorter after rolling his fingers on this. Billings is foxed and the ball loops just over the stumps..
16.2 -
Stoinis to Brathwaite, leg byes, 1 run, is flummoxed by a slow yorker that pings his back pad low. But Brathwaite had it planted way outside leg as he looked to clip
16.1 -
Stoinis to Brathwaite, 2 runs, hunches and whips it round the corner. The throw is at the bowler's end and ricochets off the turf to bounce over a leaping Stoinis
Marcus Stoinis [3.0-0-37-2] is back into the attack
15.6 -
Cariappa to S Billings, 2 runs, skips out two steps and gets too close to the pitch of this delivery. Squeezes it out with a push and Vijay lets the ball through at extra cover to give away an extra run. 44 runs in 24 balls
Loads into his delivery and then pulls out. 46 runs in 25 balls
15.5 -
Cariappa to S Billings, 2 runs, comes down the track, it's a full toss and he crashes it to the sweeper cover
15.4 -
Cariappa to S Billings, no run, drilled this back to Cariappa and looks to run. Cariappa doesn't hold back. Fires back a throw and Billings had it turn around, dive to make it back in. Third Umpire took exactly five seconds to figure that out
A run out check but Billings is in
Carlos Brathwaite, right handed bat, comes to the crease
15.3 -
Cariappa to Nair, out Caught by D Miller!! Well, Miller has a redemption and this Mohali crowd is off the Milk of the Poppy. Flatter, quicker one outside off, Nair slices the loft after a shimmy and then Miller took over. Looked set to mess this catch too - sprinted from long-off, almost overran and arched his back while his body twisted to pouch that in front of his lungs. Throws the ball in air and celebrates.. Nair c D Miller b Cariappa 23(25) [4s-1]
Cariappa to Nair, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
15.2 -
Cariappa to S Billings, leg byes, 1 run, flights one up, Billings is onto the reverse sweep in a flash and misses. The dip being the devil here. Outside the line of off by a mile
15.1 -
Cariappa to Nair, 1 run, hacked across the line to deep mid-wicket
KC Cariappa [3.0-0-32-0] is back into the attack
14.6 -
Mohit Sharma to Nair, 1 run, punches a single to long-off. 50 runs in 30 balls now
14.5 -
Mohit Sharma to Nair, 2 runs, Miller has shelled it! A miscued mow that doesn't have enough legs...Miller runs across from long-on, gestures to Maxwell (deep mid-wicket) that it's his catch but got too close to the ball. Has to turn around whilst catching it and ends up popping it out. Maxwell then recovers the ball and fires it back in. Oh, what will that cost?
14.4 -
Mohit Sharma to Nair, no run, tails in flat at the base of off, Nair gets down in time and pokes it out
14.3 -
Mohit Sharma to Nair, no run, short ball at no pace at all, Nair is already out of his swivel and gloves one short of the keeper - down leg
Another one: you can count the crowd and the floodlights at Mohali tonight
14.2 -
Mohit Sharma to Nair, no run, hops back and blocks this length ball back to Mohit
Mohali is silent like a morgue...well almost. Some free passes, please? Plenty of friends there who have opted not to go
14.1 -
Mohit Sharma to S Billings, 1 run, turns away like a gentle legbreak and Billings waits before a dab to short third man
Mohit Sharma [2.0-0-14-0] is back into the attack
54 runs in 36 balls. Whose side are you on? I am always on the side that chases; helps me sleep feeling better..
13.6 -
Stoinis to Nair, FOUR, makes room, cocks his wrists and slices a cut through backward point
13.5 -
Stoinis to S Billings, 1 run, gets his bat high given the good shoulder on this and bunts it with an open bat
Vijay has a chat with Stoinis
13.5 -
Stoinis to Nair, 2 wides, biffed on a short of length down leg, he misses the tickle-pull by a mile and a keeper fumble (and urgency) allows a run too
Sam Billings, right handed bat, comes to the crease
Time-out again. 61 runs in 38 balls needed. What do you think?
13.4 -
Stoinis to Samson, out Caught by Maxwell!! Gets greedy to get a hat-trick of boundaries but has to walk back. One short of his half-century, can you believe? What a shame. Looks to loft one downtown, doesn't account for the fact that Stoinis had taken the pace off the ball and ends up miscuing it altogether. The ball doesn't get up much and Samson slices it off the toe-end to long-on - went high and the Mohali floodlights didn't blind Maxwell. Must have gotten used to it all. Samson c Maxwell b Stoinis 49(35) [4s-4 6s-1]
Stoinis to Samson, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
13.3 -
Stoinis to Samson, FOUR, 50-run stand. Exposes his stumps perilously, connects the loft and chips it through a vacant extra cover
13.2 -
Stoinis to Samson, FOUR, that's sheer wattage. Length ball, takes it on the up and clobbers it across the line. Dips inside the deep mid-wicket ropes to rob a six
13.1 -
Stoinis to Samson, 2 runs, lets this off-speed delivery come in and then hops late to tuck it through mid-on
Marcus Stoinis [2.0-0-20-1] is back into the attack
71 off 42
12.6 -
Axar to Nair, no run, drilled back down the pitch. Axar fielded in his followthrough, tries to turn back to have a shy and gets into a tangle with the non-striker
12.5 -
Axar to Samson, 1 run, tucked to deep mid-wicket. A Nelson (I am standing on one leg)
12.4 -
Axar to Nair, leg byes, 1 run, looks to reverse paddle it, couldn't connect and a ping on the pads invites an appeal. That's out if Santa's real. Struck outside off and all
12.3 -
Axar to Samson, 1 run, drags it down trying to bowl quick, Samson dabs it but short third man (Sandeep Sharma) dives to stop that. Stretched as forward as he could and invited a few claps from Axar
12.2 -
Axar to Samson, 2 runs, dumps the loft out by dragging the length back and Samson adjusts with a punch to long-on
12.1 -
Axar to Nair, 1 run, might have wanted to go straight with this loft but a closed bat denied that. Long-on fields
11.6 -
Sandeep Sharma to Samson, 2 runs, that's too good from Maxwell at long-on. Runs across, sees this flick from Samson evading him and flings himself forward to grab it. And then flicks it back - whilst in air, I think - to an onrushing deep mid-wicket who spears the ball back
11.5 -
Sandeep Sharma to Nair, 1 run, offers a straight bat to this straight delivery (tit for tat) and stabs a single to long-on
11.4 -
Sandeep Sharma to Samson, 1 run, uses the wrists and whips this middle-leg stump delivery to deep mid-wicket
11.3 -
Sandeep Sharma to Samson, 2 runs, pre-empts that Sandeep will follow him with a full one and drives it to long-off. The fielder spears the throw back, but it's high and the keeper tries to back-flick it onto the stumps. Fails and by then Samson was back in
11.2 -
Sandeep Sharma to Nair, leg byes, 1 run, arrowing across the pads and frisks it on the leg-side to allow a leg bye
11.1 -
Sandeep Sharma to Samson, 1 run, that full delivery was drilled on the up. To the left of Sandeep who pokes his hands at it, but ends up tipping it? Not sure. To long-off to allow a single
Sandeep Sharma [1.0-0-2-0] is back into the attack
Delhi need 85 runs in 54 balls
10.6 -
Axar to Nair, no run, was looking to play this drag down through mid-on, was late and ends up slicing it off the face to mid-off
10.5 -
Axar to Samson, 1 run, speared full outside off, hugging the pitch to deny the bounce and Samson had to crouch to dab this to short third
10.4 -
Axar to Samson, no run, loops it but fires it shorter too, Samson opens bat and punches
10.3 -
Axar to Nair, 1 run, pushes this off the front foot to long-off
10.2 -
Axar to Nair, 2 runs, darted outside off, Nair chips it over extra cover. Two fielders in the deep coalesce again but it dropped between them
10.1 -
Axar to Nair, 2 runs, easily tucked through mid-wicket for a brace
9.6 -
Cariappa to Samson, FOUR, that's two runs to the outfield. A mere clip off the pad, deep mid-wicket runs across and slides to stop. But the ball gets into a higher gear and zooms into the deep mid-wicket fence
9.5 -
Cariappa to Nair, 1 run, crashes it through cover for a single
9.4 -
Cariappa to Samson, 1 run, clipped to cow corner
9.3 -
Cariappa to Samson, SIX, one step...two step...boom! Comes out and mauls it with a loft over long-off. The followthrough pokes the sky and the ball is deep into the crowd
9.2 -
Cariappa to Nair, 1 run, fetches this delivery too full to sweep and there's a top-edge. The keeper, the bowler and the short fine fielder almost join hands to catch that at mid-wicket but it evaded all of them
9.1 -
Cariappa to Nair, 2 runs, drifting on the pads, Nair gets low and crosses his bat for a clip to long-on
KC Cariappa [2.0-0-17-0] is back into the attack
I just had to explain to Bharath Ramaraj a slice of my commentary (that's an honour, you know)
There's the time-out. Do you have any strategies to work on, too? In case you tend to slip into naps, wake up. Here's the equation: Delhi need 106 runs in 66 balls
8.6 -
Axar to Nair, 1 run, tossed up outside off, allows Nair a lean in and a checked push to long-on
8.5 -
Axar to Samson, 1 run, sliding on the leg-stump, Samson gets low and flicks uppishly through square leg
8.4 -
Axar to Nair, 1 run, presses forward and drives this flatter one to long-off
8.3 -
Axar to Samson, 1 run, good bounce again and the quicker pace did help. Got his bottom hand into play and chipped it over mid-on
8.2 -
Axar to Nair, 1 run, rocks back to cover the bounce on this and turns it round the corner. Used the depth off the crease to perfection
8.1 -
Axar to Nair, no run, just a little hold up in the pitch and Nair's drive is a tad uppish to extra cover
Axar Patel [1.0-0-16-0] is back into the attack
7.6 -
Stoinis to Nair, 1 run, got into an awakward tangle given the glued feet and the trim back in off the pitch. Squirted off a high bat to backward square -- as Nair looked to defend
Karun Nair, right handed bat, comes to the crease
7.5 -
Stoinis to de Kock, out Caught by Axar!! And he departs, after a half-century that could rob you off sleep. Slower delivery hurled wide, de Kock was in a shape to cut but played it early (wouldn't be wrong to assume that he didn't read the finger-roll) and off the splice. An easy pop-up to backward point. de Kock c Axar b Stoinis 52(30) [4s-6 6s-2]
Stoinis to de Kock, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
7.4 -
Stoinis to Samson, 1 run, gets one-legged to power this and then whacks this wristily through mid-wicket
de Kock celebrations: Just raised his bat. Nothing more
7.3 -
Stoinis to de Kock, 1 run, clubs a fuller length delivery to long-on and runs
7.2 -
Stoinis to de Kock, no run, looks to late cut a slower delivery, ekes out a top edge that drops in front of the keeper
7.1 -
Stoinis to de Kock, SIX, that's been bullied. And here comes his half-century! Gets a length ball as an offering, de Kock swings his bat and obliterates it over deep square leg. Next time someone asks you what the SI unit of brutality is, name this shot
Marcus Stoinis [1.0-0-11-0] is back into the attack
6.6 -
Cariappa to de Kock, 3 runs, a good diving stop at deep backward point to stop a certain four. Mohit Sharma it was. Half-stopped at cover-point to make things slightly easier. This ball was welded with width again, de Kock straightened elbows and bruted a cut
6.6 -
Cariappa to de Kock, wide, hurled wide outside off and de Kock doesn't have a golb club or a hockey stick to meet that
6.5 -
Cariappa to de Kock, FOUR, watch out for him. Pipes a sweep through square leg and runs for formality's sake. On the front foot early, Cariappa helped with the length and there she went
6.4 -
Cariappa to de Kock, no run, perhaps pitched outside leg. Yes, by a mile. Skids on quick, de Kock is late on the sweep-pull and is rapped on the pads
6.3 -
Cariappa to Samson, 1 run, skips down, the length's isn't manipulated and Samson easily tucks this behind square
6.2 -
Cariappa to de Kock, 1 run, looped up, de Kock was on front foot early and then opens his bat as a stopgap arrangement to bunt it to cover-point
6.1 -
Cariappa to Samson, 1 run, flatter on the pads, an easy clip through mid-on
KC Cariappa [1.0-0-6-0] is back into the attack
5.6 -
Axar to Samson, 1 run, javelins this quick on the pad and the angle in helps Samson shave it off his pads to mid-wicket. That's the powerplay done. 51 runs for no wicket
5.5 -
Axar to de Kock, 1 run, 50 up. Uses the bounce to tuck a single to long-on
5.4 -
Axar to de Kock, FOUR, pre-empts the width this time, stood his ground and flashes a cut in front of square. Through cover. That much time
5.3 -
Axar to de Kock, SIX, that's obliterated. Okay, not that big, but it was good. Length ball sitting up, leg-stumpish line allowed de Kock to turn around and pick it up with a sweep over backward square
5.2 -
Axar to de Kock, 2 runs, shovels this to long-on. Used the full length to good effect and then uses his legs to steal a couple of runs. A hit at the bowler's end would be interesting
5.1 -
Axar to de Kock, 2 runs, slide of the millenium from Miller. Runs to his left from deep mid-wicket and stops this sweep from de Kock. Top effort. That Punjab captaincy crown is heavy, no?
Axar Patel, left-arm orthodox, comes into the attack
One more over to go in the powerplay. An ambitious one wouldn't be happy with this
4.6 -
Stoinis to de Kock, leg byes, 1 run, was early into the swivel looking to pick it up over fine leg. Gets pinged on the pad and the ball frisks away to allow a leg bye
4.5 -
Stoinis to Samson, 1 run, clubs this fullish delivery to long-on
4.4 -
Stoinis to de Kock, 1 run, dart off the pitch gives him the room and de Kock twists with flat feet to dab a single to short third man
4.3 -
Stoinis to de Kock, FOUR, back-to-back! Even better this time. Reads the off-pace delivery, meets this full ball on the front foot and vacuums it through extra cover
4.2 -
Stoinis to de Kock, FOUR, not too wide but goes deep and lets out a cramped cut behind backward point. Top shot. Fabricated it on his own
Mohali looks like a couple of T20 League fan parks put together - paltry crowd gravitating in pockets
4.1 -
Stoinis to Samson, 1 run, leisurely bounce off the turf and Samson meets it with a whipped single to a deepish mid-on
Marcus Stoinis, right-arm medium, comes into the attack
3.6 -
Mohit Sharma to de Kock, no run, had his weight forward while backing away, not the balance and ends up chopping this open-batted towards point. Wanted to cut but mistimed it altogether, given the front foot limitation
3.5 -
Mohit Sharma to Samson, 1 run, 'onederful' shot that. Stabs this length ball beside the stumps, but too soft to earn a boundary. Cut off by long-on who runs across in an arc to keep it to just one run
3.4 -
Mohit Sharma to de Kock, 1 run, backs away, gets a ball following him and employs wrists for a single to mid-on
3.3 -
Mohit Sharma to de Kock, FOUR, ever so close! Was looking to back away and Mohit bowls it wide. de Kock reaches out, frees arms and lofts it...but could only do it just over a leaping Maxwell at extra cover!
3.2 -
Mohit Sharma to de Kock, no run, that looked like a tee shot in golf. Brought his bat down and swung it along the ground. To Amla at mid-wicket, sadly
3.1 -
Mohit Sharma to Samson, 1 run, bends his back and gets this back of a length delivery to climb a touch, but the rise isn't enough to beat Samson's tuck through the deepish mid-on
2.6 -
Cariappa to de Kock, no run, drifts this full and wide, de Kock had the width but could only pulp it out into the off-side
2.5 -
Cariappa to de Kock, FOUR, tossed up on that sweeping length and de Kock gets forward to delicately axe this mid-wicket. Over backward square leg actually, points Akshay
2.4 -
Cariappa to Samson, 1 run, pitched up and slowed down, Samson clips it off the front foot to long-on
2.3 -
Cariappa to Samson, no run, gets this legbreak to rip away, Samson was on the charge and arrests it seeing that he has eked out a leading edge
2.2 -
Cariappa to de Kock, 1 run, on the pads and it allows a tickle to long-on. Easiest of single
2.1 -
Cariappa to de Kock, no run, perhaps was blinded by how bad that delivery was. High full toss...and de Kock punches it to extra cover
KC Cariappa, right-arm off break, comes into the attack
Okay start, will have to say. Nothing to put butterflies in my stomach..
1.6 -
Mohit Sharma to Samson, no run, hops into a punch and takes it on the up. Pretty sight but he needs some luck through the off-side. This time extra cover intervenes with a devilish stay-your-ground stop
1.5 -
Mohit Sharma to Samson, 2 runs, the wrists again - this time to whip a length ball behind square on the leg-side. Cleaned up by deep square leg, as backward square leg's chaperoning isn't quite good
1.4 -
Mohit Sharma to Samson, FOUR, that's hit with disdain. Fullish delivery, Samson brings his bat down from a high backlift - to resemble a golf club - and shovels it under a diving mid-on
1.3 -
Mohit Sharma to Samson, no run, gets the room on this length ball to get his bat down in an arc, and punches it. To cover again. The placement stands frozen, right now. Someone thaw it for Samson
1.2 -
Mohit Sharma to Samson, no run, greeted off the front foot but couldn't pierce the field. Punched alright but straight to cover
1.1 -
Mohit Sharma to de Kock, 1 run, de Kock is awake. Stabs a length ball back, Sharma holds his hand up to stop the ricochet off the turf but ends up tipping it away towards mid-off. de Kock spots and runs. Samson responds in the same
Mohit Sharma, right-arm medium, comes into the attack
Mohit has a slip-less field
0.6 -
Sandeep Sharma to de Kock, 1 run, pings this on a back of a length and on leg-stump, de Kock spindles and short-arm pulls it through mid-wicket
0.5 -
Sandeep Sharma to Samson, leg byes, 1 run, hurled on the pad and it keeps skidding on, Samson is late to flick and takes it on the pad. No real appeal, given the angle that would have flushed it down leg
0.4 -
Sandeep Sharma to Samson, no run, good length outside off, Samson gets his bat high and slices a defence to cover-point
Slip for Samson too
0.3 -
Sandeep Sharma to de Kock, 1 run, gets his hands into a tangle trying to wrist the ball to mid-off. Puts on the wheels and gets off the mark
0.2 -
Sandeep Sharma to de Kock, no run, backspins off the turf at good bounce, de Kock was looking to turn it round the corner, is late and then loses sight of the ball. The ball lay dead there, near the feet, denying the single
0.1 -
Sandeep Sharma to de Kock, no run, fullish but soldered with width, de Kock flashes but finds cover
de Kock and Samson are at the crease. de Kock is on strike. Sandeep Sharma will open the attack