Dhawan 92 trumps Agarwal, Rahul fifties as Delhi Capitals cruise past big target
Punjab Kings suffered a six-wicket defeat in Mumbai, their 196 target proving insufficient
Punjab Kings suffered a six-wicket defeat in Mumbai, their 196 target proving insufficient
Scorer: Chandan Duorah | Commentator: Varun Shetty
11.35pm And that is all from double-header day! We'll see you tomorrow for Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals. Good night!
Shikhar Dhawan: It was a conscious effort from my side (to increase SR) and I started taking more risks. I'm not afraid of changes. I'm always open towards changes and I make sure I give it a good try in the nets and then in the games. I'm not scared of getting out as well. I've worked on the leg-side shots, coming in the crease, using the pace of the bowler. Depends who's bowling and what plans I make for them. My slog shot has improved. It was there before as well, but now it's [more frequent]. I'm very relaxed these days. If I'm not relaxed at this time, then when?! I'm relaxed but also attentive. Love batting with Shaw, we made a huge impact and that was great for our team.
Shikhar Dhawan is the Player of the Match.
Rishabh Pant: I've already started enjoying the captaincy but we were under pressure at the start because the wicket was not doing much and they had a good start. Good job by our bowlers to keep them to 190. There are many things you can talk to with Shikhar but end of the day what he's given to the team is commendable. I like to keep the environment light so that people enjoy their cricket and make the most of their opportunities.
Marcus Stoinis: (jokes) At the 10-over mark we were trying to keep them under 250. [It's about] the cliches of cricket, the good partnerships to leave it for the finishers at the end. Shikhar's brilliant, he's carried on his form from last year. He's always hungry and he's backed it up from last season. It's important as an indiivudal to get into the tournament early. The start of the tournament is when you can try a few things. As of eight games in, every game feels like it's a final. So we think by 5-6-7 games we need to have everyting sorted. [With his bowling] wasn't required tonight but it is a work in progress and we'll all be required.
KL Rahul: Victory would've been sweet on my birthday. Slightly disappointing but we've still got a lot of games left. In the end when you look at it, it does looke 10-15 short. But I felt batting in the middle 196 was really good. The first half Mayank and I were saying the same, that we'd be good if we got 180-190. But obviously at Wankhede there's dew and credit to Dhawan. Dew did sway things, bowling second's always a challenge at Wankhede. We always try to prepare for such conditions but it does get difficult in the situations. I think it would be fair [the ball changes every two overs, Doull's suggestions] and I'm not just saying that because I'm on the losing side. I did ask the umpires to change the ball a couple of times but that's not in the rules.
Naresh Kumar Yo: "Is there a smart stats for rahul today? I expect it to be -15 runs." --- KL Rahul's 61 runs today were only worth 44 Smart Runs. Mayank Agarwal's impact with the bat was worth 98 points, while Rahul's was worth only 28
Manu: "The extras, free hits also gave a lot of momentum to Delhi !"
Amit: "There should be something called bowling collapse as well, similar to batting collapse. Today's PBKS bowling is example of that. No balls, high full tosses, wides...no plan really. "
Rohit: "KL Rahul has a lot to ponder over this IPL as well, he needs to shed his overly conservative batting approach, push in Pooran at 4 "
Kartik: "Jatin commented earlier: "Either Delhi wins this by 6 wickets with a over to spare or loses by 70-80 runs. There's no in between.".. amazing!!"
Mustafa Moudi : "Kudos to Dhawan, Not only is the Orange Cap now, but also the 3rd Highest Run Scorer in the All Time Most IPL Runs list. Warner and Rohit are now left behind !!"
Shabbir Husain : "Makes bumrah and Mali even more valuable. How these guys used to operate here in these conditions and still win it for MI. Hats off "
11.13pm Delhi Capitals have won with nine balls to spare. They did brilliantly to slow Punjab Kings down at the end of their innings - and safe to say about nine balls worth of runs were pulled back after they'd been expensive in the first half. They were set along their way in chase with a Shaw cameo and Dhawan counterpunching strategically in an opening stand of 59 that came before the powerplay ended. After that, it was all Dhawan. Looks in the form of his life right now and Punjab had no answers as he outmaneuvered them, falling short of a century by eight runs. But by then, it was set up so well that it was Delhi's to lose. A neat little innings from Stoinis took them through on a night that the Kings' bowlers looked out of ideas.
Prady: "At 18.1 you can literally see a spray of dew when he releases the ball. it's very wet out there"
Free hit
Ashish: "Nothing going right for Shami today. Nothinggggggggggg!"
Malli: "This catch is opposite of memes of Boult's fielding yesterday. Morale is try and try until you succeed."
During his 49-ball 92 against Punjab Kings, Dhawan repeatedly walked towards the off side to work the ball behind square leg
The Punjab Kings captain says the team bowling second shouldn't have such a "huge disadvantage" because of dew
And what has led to the transformation in Dhawan's strike rate over the years?
Punjab Kings suffered a six-wicket defeat in Mumbai, their 196 target proving insufficient
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