Dubai: Delhi Daredevils pulled off an exciting four-wicket win in the last over to record their first success in the Pepsi Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Saturday.
Chasing a daunting total of 166, JP Duminy (52 off 35 balls) ensured a victory with three balls to spare after his skipper Dinesh Karthik showed the way through a sparkling 56 off 40 balls.
The victory dented Kolkata’s reputation as a formidable all-round side with variety in their bowling though they once again displayed their depth in batting when despite losing opener Jacques Kallis and skipper Gautam Gambhir, both for ducks, they posted an impressive 166 for five.
Robin Uthappa cracked 55 runs off 41 balls while Manish Pandey fired again with 48 off 42 balls as they put on 64 runs in 9.2 overs. Shakib Al Hasan swelled the total through a quickfire 30 off 22 balls.
Chasing a run rate of 8.30 runs per over, Delhi lost an early wicket in the first over when Murali Vijay was run out through a direct by Manish Pandey for a duck. The pair of Karthik and Mayank Agarwal were involved in a terrible mix up in the third over, but fortunately for them the throw was off target. Agarwal scored 26 off 14 balls before pulling Morne Morkel into the hands of Piyush Chawla at square leg. When Kallis clean bowled Ross Taylor for 6 in the seventh over, Delhi were 60 for 3.
Duminy joined skipper Karthik, who started to open out. He hit Kallis for a six to fine leg and Chawla to square leg for another six. At the half way mark they needed 83 off 60 balls.
To check the run flow Kolkata introduced off spinner Sunil Narine in the 11th over, he made the batsmen toil giving just four runs in his first over and seven in the second. This resulted in the required run rate climbing.
Karthik reached his half century off 37 balls but Narine trapped him leg before while attempting to paddle sweep. That also put an end to the 58 runs partnership in 7.3 overs. Duminy took charge and steered the team to an unlikely victory.
