Dirk Nannes was too quick and disconcerting, Farveez Maharoof too opportunistic, and Delhi Daredevils' fielders too alert for Ravi Bopara's 48-ball 56 to bother Delhi going into the chase on a flat pitch. Regular wickets and frequent wickets punctuated Kings XI Punjab's innings as Delhi got another IPL campaign off to a good start. Nannes went for just 12 runs in his four overs, and Maharoof claimed the big wickets of Kumar Sangakkara and Yuvraj Singh.
Bopara got support from Irfan Pathan - out of India's preliminary squad for World Twenty20 but fit enough to start for Punjab - during a 60-run fifth-wicket partnership, but they will feel they haven't recovered enough from being 44 for 4.
Sharp fielding, Nannes' awkward bounce, and Maharoof's capitalising on the pressure left the lower middle order with too much to do. Mithun Manhas started Punjab's slide with a direct hit to remove Manvinder Bisla. Sangakkara, Punjab's new captain, came out counterattacking, but in an inspired move Delhi's new captain, Gambhir, persisted with Maharoof despite his 18-run fourth over
0 comments:
Post a Comment