New Delhi: Delhi Capitals (DC) registered their sixth victory in the ongoing IPL as they rode on opener Shikhar Dhawan (56, 41b, 7z4, 1z6) and skipper Shreyas Iyer’s (58 n o, 49b, 5×4, 1×6) half centuries to beat Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) by five wickets here Saturday.
After the early dismissal of opener Prithvi Shaw (13), Dhawan along with Iyer put on 92 runs for the second wicket that set the tone for Delhi towards victory.
Earlier, Chris Gayle (69, 37b) smashed five gargantuan sixes into the night sky before Delhi Capitals (DC) put the brakes and restricted Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) to 163/7.
Coming back into the team, young leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane returned figures of 3/40, playing an influential role in helping DC rally after Gayle’s blitzkrieg.
The hosts enjoyed early success as Lamichhane tossed the ball up and had KL Rahul (12) stumped with one that turned sharply in the second over.
Apart from managing two runs from the nine deliveries he faced, Mayank Agarwal (two) watched the action unfold from the other end, as Gayle flayed the Delhi spinners.
He toyed with Amit Mishra (0/41) and smoked the experienced leg-spinner for three maximums, including two over the deep mid wicket region.
However, it took an acrobatic effort from Colin Ingram in the deep to bring to an end Gayle’s belligerent stay in the middle. Pacer Kagiso Rabada (2/23) and Axar Patel (2/22) also bowled well.
Brief scores: Kings XI Punjab 163/7 (Chris Gayle 69; Sandeep Lamichhane 3/40) lost to Delhi Capitals 166/5 (Shikhar Dhawan 56, Shreyas Iyer 58 n o) by five wickets.
