Delhi Daredevils finally click as a team to seal six-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad with ease

Delhi Daredevils finally broke the cycle of consecutive losses as a total team effort sealed a six-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad with five balls to spare at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium on Tuesday. Corey Anderson struck a 24-ball 41 as all the Delhi batsmen contributed with useful runs to post a win at home.

After being put in to bat, Sunrisers scored a commanding 185 courtesy a well-crafted Yuvraj Singh knock of 71. The Delhi bowlers were impressive in the middle overs and at one point, a score in excess of 175 looked virtually impossible, but the unbeaten 93-run partnership between Yuvraj and Moises Henriques ensured a big score.

In response, Delhi Daredevils started strong with all four of their top batsmen – Karun Nair (39), Shreyas Iyer (33), Rishabh Pant (34) and Sanju Samson (24) – getting starts and building partnerships. While none of them went on to post a big score, they didn’t let the asking rate get out of hand at any point and steadily kept chipping at the target. In the end, it came to the big-hitting duo of Corey Anderson and Chris Morris to carry the team home and they did it with almost an over to go.

Delhi bowler Mohammed Shami was chosen as the player of the match for his spell of 2 for 36, which included the wickets of David Warner and Kane Williamson.

Here’s a look at the turning points of the match.

Sunrisers pile on Powerplay runs

Jayant Yadav, who was back in the side replacing Shahbaz Nadeem, opened the bowling for Delhi and gave away only four runs. But then came Kagiso Rabada to share the new ball and the usual Sunrisers carnage in the Powerplay began. David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan played all over the park, and aided by some sloppy Delhi fielding, crossed fifty in five overs.

Mohammed Shami got the first breakthrough in the sixth over, dismissing recent centurion Warner (30 off 21) with a perfect cross seam yorker. Just like the last match between the two, the captain’s dismissal didn’t halt the Sunrisers charge and Dhawan and Kane Williamson amassed 66 runs in the Powerplay, setting the foundation for the eventual big score.

Delhi bowlers apply the brakes 

Eventually the very experienced Amit Mishra got Dhawan (28 off 17) in the ninth over with a nice little googly. The innings was then on 75 and the opener’s wicket finally stalled the flight – only 24 runs were scored in the five overs after Powerplay as Delhi bowlers applied the brakes.

Williamson (24 off 24), who had scored a fluent 89 in the last match between the two teams, fell in the 12 over in an attempt to accelerate. Shami got the Kiwi on a bouncer where he attempted to pull and Delhi were in with a good chance to restrict the high-flying Sunrisers.

Man of the match Shami was the pick of Delhi’s bowlers with figures 2 for 36, while Mishra finished with a tidy 1 for 23. But both weren’t enough to stem the tide when Yuvraj Singh decided to step on the gas towards the end. Delhi’s sloppy fielding did not help matters as dropped catches and misfields added a substantial amount to Sunrisers’ score.

Yuvraj steps up in style 

Yuvraj Singh walked in at No 4, he started slow and looked hesitant in the initial few overs. Understandably so, he hadn’t done so well in the past few games and had scored only one fifty so far. When the Sunrisers innings ended, Yuvraj was unbeaten on 70 runs off 41 at a strike rate of over 170 with 11 fours and one stylish six that brought up his half-century – his 25th in T20 cricket.

It wasn’t a vintage Yuvraj knock, but it was a vital one, as he built a well-paced, well-crafted innings, studded with typically entertaining shots. He put up a solid, unbeaten 93-run stand off just 50 deliveries with Moises Henriques (25 off 18) and took Sunrisers to 185 smacking 71 runs off the final five overs. The frugal Amit Mishra was taken for 12 runs, the I8th over bowled by Rabada went for 20, Morris conceded 13 in the penultimate over.

The 35-year-old got over his slow start and made the most of a dropped catch on 29 to give yet another reminder of what a player of his caliber is capable of.

Nair, Pant, Iyer get promising starts

Delhi Daredevils – the team that was dismissed for 67 in their last game – started strong in reply to the big target, with openers Sanju Samson and Karun Nair piling on 40 runs in the first four overs. Purple Cap holder Bhuvneshwar Kumar went for 12 in the next and IPL Auction star Mohammed Siraj was taken for 13. But Siraj bounced back to get the first breakthrough when he dismissed Samson (24 off 19) with a smart, slower ball in the fifth over.

However, the Delhi Daredevils think tank finally took a decisive step and promoted Rishabh Pant at No 3 and the youngster repaid the faith with a hard-hitting 34 at a strike rate of 170. Delhi finished the Powerplay on 62/1, almost on par with Sunrisers. The highlight of their strong start, however, was captain Karun Nair showing glimpses of his potential and notching his highest ever score of this IPL – a 20-ball 39. However, he couldn’t capitalize on the start as he fell in the eight over to a clever knuckleball from Siddarth Kaul that found the fielder.

Pant and Shreyas Iyer continued to chip at the target with a promising 37-run partnership at almost 10 an over. But just as Pant was looking dangerous, Siraj struck again with a gorgeous yorker that went from Pant’s toe to the stumps. Iyer then continued to build the chase with Corey Anderson and put together a stand of 39 at nine and over that looked capable of taking Delhi over the line. But Warner then introduced Bhuvneshwar in the attack and his strike bowler got him the big breakthrough as Iyer (33 off 25) was dismissed with Delhi needing 38 from 24.

Anderson seals the chase

With Corey Anderson and Chris Morris on crease, 38 from the last four overs looked both possible and probable. The top order had not let the required rate get too high, even with the fall of wickets, and with such a foundation, the match looked Delhi’s to lose.

At the cusp of the 19th over, Anderson hit Bhuvneshwar’s last delivery for a huge six that brought the equation down to a run a ball in the last two overs. Kaul got the ball for the penultimate over, and after singles off the first three ball, Morris smacked him for a six that all but won Delhi the match.

The scores were tied with one over to go and Warner threw the ball to Henriques and Anderson smashed the very first ball down the ground to seal the win. The Kiwi batsman finished with 41 off 24 while Morris a 7-ball 15 with a four and a six and the Delhi unit finally got their third win of the season, one that is sure to give them a measure of confidence.