The Delhi Daredevils are finally back on track. This team managed to break the jinx. Thanks to their opener Mayank Agarwal and the middle-order star batsman Yuvraj Singh, the Daredevils cantered home with five wickets against the Kings XI Punjab. After losing two close matches earlier, this Delhi team really showed some character against a formidable Kings XI in Pune on Wednesday.
Knowing the slow nature of the track, the Kings were smart enough to bat first, but ran out of steam to score a big total after getting a decent start to their innings. Barring Virender Sehwag and W Saha, none of the batsmen could make use of their good start. Their star middle-order including captain George Bailey and Glenn Maxwell even failed to capitalise. The bowling department of the Daredevils also kept taking wickets at regular intervals to keep the Kings under check.
During their chase, Delhi kept their focus intact. Yuvraj getting those crucial runs for his team also helped him a great deal. The high point of the match was the battle between Mitchell Johnson of the Kings and Daredevils’ Yuvraj. The Australian fast bowler made a mistake of straying down the leg-side of the left-hander early in the innings. But the southpaw stood his ground and played shots according to the merit of the ball.
Opener Agarwal was also showed great courage to give a rapid start to the Delhi innings. Like Rajasthan Royals’ Deepak Hooda, this Daredevil opener displayed a great sense of urgency on his approach. He wasn’t bogged down by the pressure. Some of Agarwal’s shots were simply exquisite. Most importantly, he knew what his role was at the top of the order.
By winning this match, the Daredevils are also back in the reckoning. From, here they need to win more to stay ahead in the league while the Kings need to realise that they are one of the best teams in the competition before they play their next match.
