IPL 10, Match 52, DD v RPS Review: Daredevils stun Rising Pune Supergiant at Kotla

The stage was set for the all-important clash for the Rising Pune Supergiant. They needed a win to ensure that they qualify for the finals. However, they had two shots at this attempt. With the playoffs in mind, the RPS camp took on the Delhi Daredevils at the Feroze Shah Kotla. The last time these two teams had met in the season, it was the DD bowling attack that had humiliated RPS by bowling them out on 108.

Certainly, RPS wanted to give the same pain back when they clashed at Delhi. The Daredevils had nothing to lose in the game as their chances of making it to the playoffs had already taken a heavy toll. As the things turned out to be on the day, it was the Delhi Daredevils who pipped the Rising Pune Supergiant and played the spoilsport in their campaign.

Earlier in the match, it was Zaheer Khan who won the toss for Delhi Daredevils and opted to field first. RPS had a forced change in their lineup with Adam Zampa replacing Imran Tahir, who had left for South African duties. In walked Sanju Samson and Karun Nair to open the innings for the Daredevils. A horrid start beckoned them as Samson was run out due to a superlative fielding effort from Ben Stokes. Shreyas Iyer, the hero of the previous game, had a poor game too. Jaydev Unadkar sent him packing on 3 to bring Rishabh Pant to the crease in the third over.

Pant and Karun then took the counter attack to the opposition. They added a brisk 74 off just 40 balls to put DD in firm command. The partnership was broken when Zampa managed to dismiss Pant on 36 that came off 22 deliveries with 4 fours and 2 sixes.

Marlon Samuels joined Karun at the crease and the two seemed to be cruising along with Rising Pune Supergiant bowlers looking average. Meanwhile, Karun raced past his fifty and looked good for more. A flurry of wickets followed as the RPS bowlers tried to pull things back in the match.

Samuels (27) and Anderson (3) perished in quick succession. Pat Cummins contributed with 11 runs and Amit Mishra added 13 runs. However, it was Karun Nair from the other end who held the innings tight. He was dismissed by Ben Stokes on 64 that came off 45 balls with 9 fours to his name. His knock helped DD post 168/8 in their stipulated 20 overs.

In the run chase, Rising Pune Supergiant were rocked on the very first delivery of the innings. Zaheer Khan cleaned up Ajinkya Rahane for a golden duck to get Steve Smith at the crease. Rahul Tripathi failed yet again with the bat and it was Zaheer who took his second when he sent Tripathi packing on 7. Manoj Tiwary and Steven Smith kept things going for RPS since then. Both batsmen looked good at the crease. However, the runs were hard to come by.

Smith departed after scoring a hard-fought 38 off 32 balls with 4 fours and a six. Ben Stokes arrived at the crease with a big reputation at stake. He hit a couple of sixes and 3 fours during his 25-ball stay at the crease that yielded 33 runs. He was dismissed by Mohammad Shami. MS Dhoni had a tough time at the crease as Shami’s direct hit saw Dhoni falling short of his crease in the 18th over. Dan Christian departed cheaply too. With 25 runs needed in the last over and Tiwary still fighting hard at the crease, things looked quite balanced.

Pat Cummins had the ball in hand, and two consecutive sixes from Tiwary almost set the game for RPS again. However, he could only manage 17 off the final over as the team finished 7 runs short of the target. Tiwary was dismissed on the final ball of the innings on 60 that came off 45 balls with 5 fours and 3 sixes. Delhi Daredevils beat the Rising Pune Supergiant by 7 runs.

Brief Scores:

Delhi Daredevils 168/8 in 20 overs (Karun 64, Pant 36, Unadkat 2/29, Stokes 2/31)

Rising Pune Supergiant 161/7 in 20 overs (Tiwary 60, Smith 38, Zaheer 2/25, Shami 2/37)

Check full scorecard here.