CHRIS DHAMBARAGE
COLOMBO – Axar Patel produced a fine all-round performance as Delhi Capitals (DC) edged out Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by seven runs in the 34th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) played at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Uppal, Hyderabad on Monday.
The left-hand middle order batsman hit a run-a-ball 34 runs with the aid of four boundaries to help DC compile a modest 144 for nine and then followed up with two wickets for 21 as SRH were restricted to 137 for six in reply.
Hyderabad needed nine runs from the last two balls with Washington Sundar on strike. However, Impact Player Mukesh Kumar cramped the batsmen and did the job for his side to hand SRH its fifth loss of the season.
Henrich Klassen and Washington resurrected the run chase with a 41-run partnership after a middle-order collapse which had left it reeling at 85 for five at one stage.
Patel and Kuldeep Yadav tied down the batsmen by bowling a stump-to-stump line. Mayank Agarwal decided to break the shackles against Mitchell Marsh when he hit through the extra cover region to fetch a boundary after 27 deliveries.
But just when SRH were rebuilding their innings, Agarwal perished, one short of his half century, off Patel.
Earlier, opening bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar got SRH off to a good start as he had Phil Salt caught behind off the third ball of the innings after DC had won the toss and elected to bat first.
Mitchell Marsh, who walked in at number three, got in the groove straightaway cracking four fours off Marco Jansen in the second over to accumulate 19 runs off the over.
However, just when it looked like DC were getting some momentum going, T. Natarajan struck in his first over to trap Marsh LBW for 25 off 15.
DC then lost their way as they lost three wickets in the eighth over before Man-of-the-Match Patel and Manish Pandey batted patiently and brought up their 100 in the 15th over and then the 50-run partnership, off 48 balls.
Chief scores
Delhi Capitals: 144/9 in 20 overs (David Warner 21, Mitchell Marsh 25, Manish Pandey 34, Axar Patel 34, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 2/11, Washington Sundar 3/28)
Sunrisers Hyderabad: 137/6 in 20 overs (Mayank Agarwal 49, Heinrich Klassen 31, Washington Sundar 24 n.o, Anrich Nortje 2/33, Axar Patel 2/21).
