Delhi Premier League T20, Match 5 and 6 Review: East Delhi Riders and South Delhi Superstarz bag second straight win of the season

New Delhi, 20 August 2024: East Delhi Riders secured another victory in a rain-shortened match of Delhi Premier League T20 at Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday. Mayank Rawat’s 2/15 with the ball and blistering 55 off 27 balls with the bat led the East Delhi Riders to a five-wicket win over Purani Dilli 6 in the fifth match of the tournament.

Purani Dilli 6 posted 142/8 in their allotted 18 overs, but East Delhi Riders chased down the target in 16 overs. With the match reduced to 18 overs due to a delayed start caused by a wet outfield, Purani Dilli 6 set a target of 143 for East Delhi Riders on what was a tricky batting track.

East Delhi Riders started steadily, but Sujal Singh's (18 off 14) dismissal in the 5th over left them at 38/1 at the end of the powerplay. Despite their flawless chase in the previous match, the East Delhi Riders struggled as they lost two crucial wickets in the sixth over, with Shivam Sharma trapping both Anuj Rawat (18 off 17) and Pranav Pant (1 off 2) LBW. The pressure mounted when skipper Himmat Singh (6 off 9) was dismissed by Yug Gupta in the eighth over, with East Delhi Riders reeling at 47/4.

Mayank Rawat and Hardik Sharma then provided some much-needed stability, helping the team cross the 100-run mark in the 12th over. However, Sharma lost his wicket in the same over after scoring 25 0ff 19 balls, leaving the East Delhi Riders needing 41 runs from the last five overs.

Rawat then took charge as his late onslaught helped East Delhi Riders take home their second straight win of the season with two overs to spare.

Earlier in the day, Purani Dilli 6 had a disastrous start as the East Delhi Riders' bowlers ran riot. By the end of the 5-over powerplay, they were 46/5. Simranjeet Singh drew first blood in the second over, trapping Arpit Rana (10 off 5) LBW, and went on to scalp two more, removing Manjeet (15 off 8) and Keshav Dalal (0 off 1) in the fourth over. Mayank Rawat then began his spell with two wickets, dismissing Sanat Sangwan (13 off 8) and skipper Lalit Yadav (0 off 2) in the fifth over.

Harsh Tyagi struck twice in the ninth over, removing Vansh Bedi (9 off 16) and impact substitute Arnav Bugga (11 off 11), leaving Purani Dilli 6 struggling at 64/7 after nine overs.

Yug Gupta and Mayank Gusain then approached the innings cautiously, steadily taking the team's total to the 100-run mark in the 15th over, during which they amassed 20 runs, including two sixes and a four.

In their vital partnership of 70 runs, Gusain, who fell in the last over, contributed 35 off 33, while Yug Gupta, who remained unbeaten, scored 34 off 22 to guide the team's total to 142/9 in 18 overs.

East Delhi Riders beat Purani Dilli 6 by 5 wickets.

Purani Dilli 6 142/8 in 18 overs (Mayank Gusain 35 off 33, Yug Gupta 34* off 22, Simarjeet Singh 3/28)

East Delhi Riders 145/5 in 16 overs (Mayank Rawat 55* off 27, Hardik Sharma 25 off 19, Shivam Sharma 2/15).

New Delhi, 20 August 2024: Priyansh Arya's scintillating 82 off 51 balls helped South Delhi Superstarz defeat Central Delhi Kings by six wickets in the sixth match of the Delhi Premier League T20 at Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday.

The fifties from Dhruv Kaushik and Yash Dhull guided Central Delhi Kings to a total of 176/7 in 20 overs, but South Delhi Superstarz chased down the target in 19.1 overs, courtesy of a solid partnership between Arya and Ayush Badoni.

After the early loss of Sarthak Ray (0 off 1) in the first over, Ayush Badoni and Priyansh Arya approached the South Delhi Superstarz's run chase of 177 with composed and strategic batting. By the end of the powerplay, they took the score to 45/1 and went on to consistently score more than 10 runs per over. Arya brought up his fifty in 32 balls, while Badoni contributed a vital 42 off 36 balls before being caught at midwicket, thus missing out on his half-century.

By the strategic timeout, the South Delhi Superstarz were firmly in control, thanks to the free-flowing stroke play of Arya and Tejaswi Dahiya. Arya, who scored an impressive 82 off 51 balls with seven sixes and three fours, was dismissed in the 17th over. Tejaswi followed in the next over, contributing 22 off 14. Despite these quick wickets, the South Delhi Superstarz were still in a commanding position, needing just 17 runs from 16 balls.

Vision Panchal and Dhruv Singh then sealed the victory with two sixes and a four in the 19th over, securing the South Delhi Superstarz' second consecutive win of the tournament.  

Earlier in the contest, Hiten Dalal (10 off 9) fell cheaply to Divij Mehra in the third over. However, skipper Yash Dhull led from the front, keeping the scoreboard ticking alongside Dhruv Kaushik as they stitched together a solid 91-run partnership off 65 balls, crossing the 100-run mark in the 13th over. Kaushik was then dismissed in the following over after scoring 56 off 33 balls.

The South Delhi Superstarz capitalized on the momentum, taking five wickets in five consecutive overs. Dhull (52 off 44), Keshav Dabas (3 off 7), Jonty Sidhu (14 off 10), Lakshay Thareja (3 off 4) and Harish Dagar fell in quick succession, but Central Delhi Kings managed to smash 29 runs in the last two overs. A crucial cameo of 23 off 10 balls by Dagar at the end guided Central Delhi Kings to a total of 176/7 in their 20 overs.