New Delhi: David Warner laboured to his third fifty of the season before Axar Patel flaunted his much-improved batting skills again to push Delhi Capitals to 172 all out against Mumbai Indians in the IPL here Tuesday.
Warner struck 51 off 47 balls before Axar’s impactful 54 off 25 balls took Delhi to a competitive total after Mumbai Indians put the hosts in to bat.
Veteran Piyush Chawla, who was commentating in the IPL last season after going unsold, showed he has still got his sublime skills in tact with a three-wicket haul for Mumbai Indians.
Prithvi Shaw, who struggled in the first three games, hit some high quality boundaries in his 10-ball 15 before falling to a sweep shot off spinner Hrithik Shokeen.
Number three Manish Pandey (26 off 18) used his feet brilliantly against the spinners but that also led to his downfall.
Yash Dhull, who made his IPL debut after warming the bench for the whole of last season, could last only four balls.
When Chawla trapped Rovman Powell with a googly in the 11th over, Delhi were staring at a below par total at 86 for four.
However, Axar joined a struggling Warner in the middle and singlehandedly changed the momentum of Delhi’s innings.
Arguably the most improved batter of the Indian team over the last 12 months, Axar made his intentions clear with back-to-back inside out sixes off Shokeen.
Two overs later, it was the turn of left-arm pacer Jason Behrendorff to be at the receiving end of Axar’s onslaught. After dispatching him for a six over long-on, Axar targeted the same area again and got lucky as Suyakumar Yadav missed the catch completely and got hit above his eye with the ball going all the way.
Surya was expectedly taken off the field after that nasty hit.
Axar’s fifth and last six was the best of the lot as he smashed Meredith over the latter’s head to bring up his half-century.
Mumbai put the brakes on the scoring rate by picking four wickets in the 19th over bowled by Behrendorff, who ended with figures of three for 23 in four overs.
PTI
