Sehwag blitz sees Delhi stay top
The Delhi Daredevils strengthened their position at the top of the 2012 Indian Premier League standings thanks to a comfortable triumph over the Pune Warriors at the Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium on Tuesday.
The Delhi Daredevils strengthened their position at the top of the 2012 Indian Premier League standings thanks to a comfortable triumph over the Pune Warriors at the Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium on Tuesday.
Beaten by the same opposition earlier in the tournament, Delhi welcomed sweet revenge on the back of Morne Morkel and Irfan Pathan's telling blows at the start of the piece before a characteristic blitz from Virender Sehwag sealed an eight-wicket victory with all of four overs to spare.
Pune's decision to bat first after winning the toss amounted to a shaky 146 for two. Their total would have read considerably worse were it not for half-centuries from Manish Pandey and Robin Uthappa, who weighed in with 80 not out and 60 not out respectively.
The duo cherished an unbroken 145-run alliance across 18.4 overs, racking up 13 boundaries and a trio of sixes between them. Their stand was particularly pivotal after Jesse Ryder and Sourav Ganguly, instrumental in Pune's success over Delhi last week, fell cheaply to Pathan and Morkel respectively.
The Daredevils' pursuit didn't enjoy a fluid start, with Mahela Jayawardene run out for 18. Captain Sehwag and Kevin Pietersen, though, soon had the chase back on track.
The Indian and English big-hitters collectively blazed through 89 runs inside nine overs. Luke Wright, picked ahead of Angelo Mathews, and Ashish Nehra proved the most expensive of the lot as the Pune attack fetched to all corners.
While Pietersen had to settle on 27 after holing out in the deep, Sehwag made no mistake in moving to 87 not out from just 48 deliveries. The home pack had no answer to his 10 boundaries and three sixes, which brought the talented right-hander the Man of the Match award.
Tuesday's result saw the Delhi franchise, now on 10 points, emerge outright leaders of the nine-team standings. The Warriors unit, meanwhile, were left to rue a fall from third to fourth.
Latest
-
NewsOn This Day in 1988 – Worcestershire’s Graeme Hick scores 405 in single innings
Hick set a 20th-century County Championship record six years before Brian Lara broke it with his 501 not out for Warwickshire.
-
NewsJofra Archer shows flashes of top form on return from injury
Archer continued his return to action in a Second XI County Championship match at Hove.
-
NewsChris Jordan says suspending IPL ‘the right call’ as he awaits return to England
There has already been plenty of debate over whether the tournament should have continued as long as it did during a public health emergency.
-
NewsOn this day in 2011: Alastair Cook was named as England’s new ODI captain
Cook replaced Andrew Strauss, who retired from one-day cricket, while Broad took over from Paul Collingwood.
-
NewsFormer Australian Test cricketer victim of targeted kidnapping, police say
MacGill played 44 Tests for Australia and took 208 wickets.
-
NewsEngland contigent start to return home after IPL postponed due to coronavirus
The majority of England’s players at the tournament are expected to fly home imminently.
-
NewsEnglish contingent aiming to secure flights home with IPL postponed due to Covid
Positive cases in three of the eight franchises effectively proved that the players’ bio-secure bubbles were no longer able to stave off the threat.
-
NewsQ&A: What’s happened to this year’s IPL and what does it all mean?
There are 11 English representatives still involved.
-
NewsIPL postponed with immediate effect amid rising coronavirus cases in India
The BCCI does “not want to compromise on the safety of the players, support staff and the other participants involved” in organising the tournament.
-
NewsEngland replaced at the top of ODI rankings but keep Twenty20 crown
New Zealand now top the one-day international table, with England down in fourth.