IPL 2013: Delhi Daredevils post 152/5 against Royal Challengers Bangalore

Delhi Daredevils posted a decent total of 152 for five against Royal Challengers Bangalore in their Indian Premier League (IPL) game at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Mahela Jayawardene scored 28 runs for Delhi Daredevils © IANS

Bangalore: Apr 16, 2013

Delhi Daredevils posted a decent total of 152 for five against Royal Challengers Bangalore in their Indian Premier League (IPL) game at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

In the previous four games that they played — and lost — Delhi Daredevils’ opening partnerships read 0, 39, 0 and 0. The pressure was on their batsmen, especially the openers. While David Warner had had good games against Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals, scoring 61 and 77 respectively, Virender Sehwag could get just 12 runs to his name in his only outing against the Sunrisers Hyderabad.
 
Ravi Rampaul heaped more pressure on the duo as his first over went for a maiden — almost a crime in this format. Sehwag then got things started in the second over of the innings bowled by the villain of RCB’s last game, RP Singh. Sehwag played one of his trademark flick off the legs to the fine leg fence as RP drifted down the leg.
 
Warner then took over, first punishing the bowler’s width through the covers for four. RP doesn’t learn and wants to be spanked more; the left-armer offers more width and this time, Warner spanks it with much power between cover and point for another boundary.
 
Sehwag got a couple more glorious boundaries through, including a deft slice past first slip to the third man boundary. Delhi raced along to 42 for no loss in five overs and were looking set for a big total.

It took R Vinay Kumar’s Velcro hands to break the opening partnership as Warner powerfully smacked the bowler’s delivery right back towards him. On any other day, the ball would have gone whizzing past the bowler’s hands, but it was to be Warner’s unlucky day as the ball stuck into Kumar’s outstretched hands.

Delhi were to be rocked once more in quick succession as Sehwag played a loose flick straight to Virat Kohli at mid-wicket. And just like that, the opening pair were gone for 43 runs.

Manpreet Juneja added 30 runs with skipper Mahela Jayawardene before holing out to Vinay Kumar, whose hands were probably fitted with a magnet, at long on. Ben Rohrer scored a run-a-ball 14 before giving Jaydev Unadkat his second wicket. Jayawardene, meanwhile, was playing a watchful innings, clearly wanting to preserve his wicket.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Kedar Jadhav, who was Delhi’s only shining light in their loss to Hyderabad, then walked out and played his usual aggressive innings. The duo strolled along until the 18th over keeping the run-rate around seven, before something really unusual happened.

On the last ball of the 18th over, Jayawardene fell in probably the most bizarre fashion ever witnessed on a cricket field. Jadhav played a straight drive that hit bowler Vinay Kumar’s boots in his follow through and deflected onto the stumps at the non-striker’s end, with the Daredevils captain backing up too far. Delhi were now 122 for four.

Irfan Pathan joined Jadhav for the last two overs and the duo added 30 runs to Delhi’s total and give their bowlers a defendable total. However, the pitch looks like a batting paradise and with the batting firepower possessed by Bangalore, the Daredevils would have to bowl really well to win their first game of the tournament.

Brief Scores: Delhi Daredevils 152 for 5 in 20 overs (Kedar Jadhav 29*, Mahela Jayawardene 28; Jaydev Unadkat 2 for 24) vs Royal Challengers Bangalore.

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