The Delhi Daredevils registered their second successive win of IPL 2017 by defeating the Kings XI Punjab by a comprehensive margin of 51 runs at the Feroz Shah Kotla to go up to third place in the standings. Having opted to bat first, a 40-ball 55 from Sam Billings assisted by a quick-fire 22-ball 39 from Corey Anderson and crucial chippings from Chris Morris and Pat Cummins took DD to a total of 188/6 in their allotted 20 overs.
In reply, Punjab were never in the game as the Delhi bowlers kept on piling pressure on them by taking wickets at regular intervals. KXIP could only manage 137/9 from their 20 overs as they slumped to their second successive defeat of the tournament after winning their opening two games.
Chris Morris was the pick of the Delhi bowlers, picking up three wickets for 23 runs from his four overs while Shahbaz Nadeem and Pat Cummins picked up two apiece. Corey Anderson was adjudged the Man of the Match for his 39 and taking the wicket of the dangerous David Miller.
Here are the five biggest talking points of the match.
#1 The Indian bowlers disappoint for the Kings XI
The Kings XI Punjab were pretty sloppy with the ball and gave away too many runs at the end which led the Daredevils to put up a strong total of 188. Punjab deployed a total of 6 six bowlers, five of whom were Indians and barring KC Cariappa, all of them went for more than eight runs an over.
Even though most of Delhi’s wickets were taken by pacers, they were the very same people who conceded heavily. The likes of Sandeep Sharma, Mohit Sharma, and Varun Aaron were extremely expensive, conceding 41, 37, and 45 runs from their respective four overs.
Amongst the spinners, Axar Patel bowled a spell of 1/33 from his four overs but was not as effective as we have seen him be with the ball during the match. Nevertheless, the Indian bowling department will have to regroup and work on their shortcomings if Kings XI Punjab are to come back to winning ways.
#4 Glenn Maxwell’s decision to demote himself backfires
Kings XI Punjab skipper Glenn Maxwell was brilliant with the bat during Kings XI Punjab’s previous three games, scoring 112 runs at an impressive strike rate of 200 and had easily established himself as Kings Xi’s talisman.
With Delhi posting a total of 188, Maxwell was needed to fire on all cylinders if KXIP would have to chase down the total. However, Punjab were off to a disastrous start as they lost both Manan Vohra and Wriddhiman Saha within the first four overs. What was even more surprising that Maxwell did not come out to bat at No.4. Instead, he came in to bat at No. 6, having sent Eoin Morgan and David Miller before himself.
Maxwell’s gamble did not pay off as he was dismissed by Amit Mishra for a duck after having faced only two balls. This was not a very wise decision by the KXIP skipper as when a team is chasing down a total close to 190 and has lost a couple of early wickets, they need their talisman to come in sooner and take the responsibility of keeping them in the match. Having witnessed this disastrous outcome, Maxwell will surely think twice before demoting himself in the batting order again.
#3 Zaheer Khan turning out to be quite the captain for Delhi
A fast bowler captaining a team is something you don’t see very often in India but Zaheer Khan is looking to change that trend. Last year, he captained Delhi to a much better performance compared to their performance in 2015. And this year, he has done a brilliant job as the skipper so far.
Zaheer has used his vast experience to hone his captaincy skills which are very evident in his field placements. His ability to read the game well is what enables him to make better field placements as per the player or the situation of the match. The veteran pacer has also been very sensible in choosing the correct bowling options – this has made the Delhi Daredevils a pretty decent bowling unit and the only team in the tournament so far who has not conceded 160 runs against any opposition.
His own performances have been pretty decent so far, picking up five wickets at an economy rate of 8.11. Zaheer Khan is turning out to be a very efficient captain for DD and by the look of things, there is a good chance he might lead the Daredevils to the playoffs.
#4 Billings finally converts his steady start into a big score
With Quinton de Kock out of the tournament due to a finger injury, the opening responsibilities fell on the shoulders of Sam Billings and the Englishman had given a steady start to Delhi’s batting in their opening two matches. However, he could not stay on the field for long, scoring 25 and 24 against Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rising Pune Supergiants respectively.
This time around, though, Billings was finally able to convert his good start into a big score against the Kings XI Punjab. The opener was off to a good start along with Sanju Samson with the two adding 53 for the first wicket. Billings dealt only in boundaries but that was enough to keep the scoreboard ticking as he reached his second IPL fifty in 36 deliveries.
The Englishman eventually got dismissed for 55 from 40 deliveries by Axar Patel but by then he had put the Daredevils in a good position. Billings’ knock was very crucial in Delhi’s win and provided he keeps on converting his quick starts into bigger scores, the Daredevils are in safe hands.
#5 Corey Anderson shows his worth
After Delhi Daredevils’ defeat to Royal Challengers Bangalore in their tournament opener, New Zealand all-rounder Corey Anderson was drafted into the side to replace Carlos Brathwaite in DD’s second game against the Rising Pune Supergiants. However, he did not get much of a chance to shine, having faced only four deliveries and conceding 10 runs in his only over.
The New Zealander rebounded brilliantly for the Daredevils in their following match against the Kings XI Punjab as he scored a valuable cameo of 39 from 22 deliveries during the death overs to help Delhi reach a strong total of 188/6.
Anderson’s bowling was also pretty decent as he conceded 23 runs in three overs, picking up the wicket of David Miller as the Daredevils registered an important win over Kings XI Punjab. Anderson was adjudged the Man of the Match for his all-round effort.
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