Delhi Daredevils vs Kings XI Punjab, IPL 2015 Match 31 Highlights: Zaheer Khan’s spot-on comeback, 50s for Shreyas Iyer and Mayank Agarwal, and more
Delhi Daredevils vs Kings XI Punjab, IPL 2015 Match 31 Highlights
Delhi Daredevils (DD) handed Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) and nine-wicket thrashing in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2015 Match 31 after an emphatic all-round show. It ended up being one-sided game, with DD being the deserved winners on the day. Pramod Ananth lists the highlights of the match. IPL 2015 Highest run-scorer: List of best batsmen in IPL 8
1. KXIP get off to a horrendous start: KXIP found themselves four down with just 10 runs on the board by the fourth over of the match. Zaheer Khan, JP Duminy and, Nathan Coulter-Nile were the wicket-takers, as DD were on the back foot early in the game. These series of wickets knocked the stuffing out of KXIP, and they could never recover from that. IPL 2015 Highest wicket-taker: List of best bowlers in IPL 8
2. Zaheer Khan’s spot-on comeback: Zaheer made his comeback to competitive cricket after almost a year. His last game had been in IPL 2014 on May 3 of that year. Watching him bowl, though, it seemed like he had come back after a week or two. The fitness was not quite up to the mark, and the speed was definitely lacking, but the control and guile Zak showed turned back the clock. He finished with two for 17 in his four overs. His return will be sure to boost DD. IPL 2015 Points Table & Team Standings
3. Nathan Coulter-Nile’s superb spell: Coulter-Nile added more pressure on the KXIP batsmen after the initial damage from Zaheer. He picked up wickets of Wriddhiman Saha, David Miller, Thisara Perera, and Akshar Patel. He ended up with match-winning figures of four for 20 in his four overs. His spell took the game away from KXIP. IPL 2015 Most 6s and 4s: List of most dangerous batsmen in IPL 8
4. The David Miller-Akshar Patel partnership: Miller and Akshar put on 57 runs for the seventh wicket, which ensured KXIP managed to go past the 100-run mark. Miller scored 42, and Akshar finished with 26 as KXIP were saved the embarrassment of a double-digit total. IPL 2015 schedule: IPL 8 match time table with venue details
5. Half-centuries from Shreyas Iyer and Mayank Agarwal: Shreyas scored his third half-century of IPL 2015, and was out with DD at the cusp of a win. He fell for a 40-ball 54, but the match was virtually over by then. Agarwal too went past his fifty off just 39 deliveries, and the duo stitched a partnership of 106 for the first wicket and helped DD cruise to a comfortable win. KXIP missed out on a few opportunities on the field and as a result made life difficult for themselves. Indian Premier League (IPL) 2015: Complete coverage
(Pramod Ananth is a reporter at CricketCountry. He has represented Karnataka table tennis under-15, and is a hardcore supporter of Liverpool FC. His Twitter handle is @pramz)