Dilshan powers Daredevils to sweet victory
Tillekeratne Dilshan powered Delhi Daredevils to a six-wicket victory, first by playing watchfully and then by launching an all-out attack against Deccan Chargers bowlers in a keenly-fought DLF Indian Premier League match here on Thursday.
Dilshan made an unbeaten 52 (46 balls, four fours, three sixes), slamming off-spinner Y Venugopala Rao and paceman Fidel Edwards at will. The two bowlers conceded 35 runs in overs number 17 and 19, with Dilshan scoring the most to put paid to the Deccan Chargers' aspirations of securing a fifth straight win Dilshan was helped in a critical 79-run stand fourth wicket stand with Dinesh Karthik (41) as he steered Delhi Daredevils home with eight balls to spare after the team was set a 149-run target for victory by Deccan Chargers. Left-arm paceman Dirk Nannes, who prised out both Adam Gilchrist and Herschelle Gibbs cheaply, was the man of the match.
Delhi Daredevils' chase followed the pattern set by Deccan Chargers innings – the openers fell early and there was a repair job by the middle-order batsmen, Dwayne Smith for Deccan Chargers and Dilshan for Delhi Daredevils. But the key differences lay in the fact that Dilshan found lasting support from Karthik and stayed back himself to complete the task.
In what turned out to be the final over of the contest, Dilshan was struck on the helmet by an Edwards bouncer but he sprang back like a man possessed and hooked the pacebowler out of the park to complete his half-century and his team's victory, welcome after the loss to Rajasthan Royals the other night.
The win enabled Delhi Daredevils to return to the second place in the league table with eight points, the same as Deccan Chargers after five games each. Deccan Chargers, who lost their first game in the IPL 2009 season, topped the table with a superior net run rate to Delhi Daredevils.
Tillekeratne Dilshan powered Delhi Daredevils to a six-wicket victory, first by playing watchfully and then by launching an all-out attack against Deccan Chargers bowlers in a keenly-fought DLF Indian Premier League match here on Thursday.
Dilshan made an unbeaten 52 (46 balls, four fours, three sixes), slamming off-spinner Y Venugopala Rao and paceman Fidel Edwards at will. The two bowlers conceded 35 runs in overs number 17 and 19, with Dilshan scoring the most to put paid to the Deccan Chargers' aspirations of securing a fifth straight win Dilshan was helped in a critical 79-run stand fourth wicket stand with Dinesh Karthik (41) as he steered Delhi Daredevils home with eight balls to spare after the team was set a 149-run target for victory by Deccan Chargers. Left-arm paceman Dirk Nannes, who prised out both Adam Gilchrist and Herschelle Gibbs cheaply, was the man of the match.
Delhi Daredevils' chase followed the pattern set by Deccan Chargers innings – the openers fell early and there was a repair job by the middle-order batsmen, Dwayne Smith for Deccan Chargers and Dilshan for Delhi Daredevils. But the key differences lay in the fact that Dilshan found lasting support from Karthik and stayed back himself to complete the task.
In what turned out to be the final over of the contest, Dilshan was struck on the helmet by an Edwards bouncer but he sprang back like a man possessed and hooked the pacebowler out of the park to complete his half-century and his team's victory, welcome after the loss to Rajasthan Royals the other night.
The win enabled Delhi Daredevils to return to the second place in the league table with eight points, the same as Deccan Chargers after five games each. Deccan Chargers, who lost their first game in the IPL 2009 season, topped the table with a superior net run rate to Delhi Daredevils.
