Delhi Capitals 208 for 4 (Porel 58, Stubbs 57, Naveen-ul-Haq 2-51) beat Lucknow Super Giants 189 for 9 (Pooran 61, Arshad 58*, Ishant 3-34) by 19 runs
Delhi Capitals signed off the group stage with a 19-run win against Lucknow Super Giants in Delhi, and kept themselves in contention for a top-four finish, even if it is just mathematically. LSG, with one more game left against Mumbai Indians, aren’t knocked out either quite yet, but both teams will have to depend on other results to go their way if they are to make the top four.
Hope and Porel’s powerplay
DC lost their aggressive opener Jake Fraser-McGurk in the first over when he swung his bat a bit against the left-arm quick Arshad, only to be caught at long-on. But Porel and Shai Hope didn’t let that wicket slow down the hosts. After smashing six off Mohsin Khan, Porel pummeled three fours and a six in Arshad’s second over. In the following over, Hope targeted Yudhvir Singh and hit 4,4, and 6. By the end of four overs, DC had raced to fifty. The duo didn’t spare Naveen-ul-Haq either as he ended up conceding 17 runs off his first over. DC ended the powerplay on 73 for 1, with Porel unbeaten on 43.
The middle-overs slowdown
Porel raced to his fifty in 21 balls but hit only eight runs off the next 12 balls, thanks to LSG’s spinners who exerted pressure in the middle overs. Rahul brought in Ravi Bishnoi immediately after the powerplay and then made Krunal Pandya and Deepak Hooda contain from the other end. Bishnoi broke the 92-run second wicket stand between Porel and Hope in the ninth over, when Hope thrashed a full-length wide delivery straight to covers, where Rahul took a stunning low catch to dismiss him for a 27-ball 38. After a few quiet overs, Porel eventually fell for Naveen’s slow ball, trying to go big. Bishnoi was excellent in his spell, returning 26 for 1. Meanwhile, DC accumulated just 42 runs from overs 7 to 12.
Stubbs blitz lifts DC
At the end of 15 overs, DC were 136 for 3 and the 200-mark looked a bit far away. But in came Stubbs. After scoring seven off his first nine deliveries, he took off – first, smashing Arshad for two fours and a six and then Naveen for two sixes and a four to get to his fifty in 22 balls. His unbeaten 57 off 25, and a quickfire 33 from Rishabh Pant, steered DC to 208 for 4, with 72 runs coming off the final five overs.
Ishant rips through LSG
Ishant, the Impact Player, had an impact straightaway with the ball. In his first three overs, he removed LSG’s big guns – Quinton de Kock, KL Rahul and Deepak Hooda. Axar Patel’s dismissal of Marcus Stoinis – a stumping off Pant – meant LSG were reeling at 44 for 4 in no time.
Pooran’s counter-attacking fifty
Despite early blows, LSG were still in the game thanks to Pooran’s big hitting. He hit Axar for 4, 6, 4, 6 just after the left-arm spinner had removed Stoinis off his first ball. He went on to smash four more fours and two more sixes after that over – this included a reverse sweep over extra cover for a six off Kuldeep Yadav’s bowling. At the halfway stage, LSG were 97 for 5. However, Pooran fell for Mukesh Kumar’s short slower ball, angled away, slicing it to Axar at extra cover for a 27-ball 61. At 101 for 6, it seemed like LSG had lost control of the chase.
Arshad goes bang, bang
There was more entertainment in Delhi when Arshad came out all guns blazing. Striking at 175.5, the left-handed batter muscled away five sixes and three fours to keep LSG in the game till the very end. His unbeaten knock brought down the equation to 29 off the last 12. But Mukesh and Rasikh’s excellent two overs at the death denied him any boundary, as LSG fell 19 short.
Srinidhi Ramanujam is a sub-editor with ESPNcricinfo
Source: ESPN Crickinfo