Sat, 23 Apr 2011 - IP Delhi vs IP Punjab, IPL 2011, 26th Match - Bulletin

Delhi emerge victorious in run fest !!!

Delhi skipper Virendar Sehwag had asked for some grass on the Kotla pitch to give his team home advantage so that his army of fast bowlers proves to be effective. He got the wish but pitch turned to be virtual graveyard for the bowlers from either side.

It rained sixes and fours at Kotla as bat had complete domination over the ball. In the run fest evening it was finally home team that emerged victorious over Punjab trying to match Delhi’s batting heroics but falling short by 29 runs in the end.

In the match that saw ball sailing over into the stands 23 times, likes of renowned hitters Sehwag, David Warner, Adam Gilchrisht and Shaun Marsh made hay as run came thick and fast in either of the batting efforts.

It was Delhi though that had done enough in the first inning by posting a mammoth 231 as visitors came up with spirited effort with bat led by their skipper and Marsh. Marsh was brilliant with his hitting as he kept the Punjab ship in contention till his he was there at the crease.

He hit half a dozen towering sixes and nine fours in his 46-ball 95 as he and Gilchrisht made a good fist of the big total by taking attack to Delhi camp.

Gilly was very brutal during his 33 ball 42 in which he hit eight fours half of them off first four deliveries of Ajit Agarkar who was playing his first game of the season for Delhi.

Sixes and fours were coming far too easily when two Australian left handers were batting and it looked Punjab might surprise Delhi.

Important moment came in 11th over when Varun Aoran who is supposed to be fastest bowler in India had Gilly’s leg stump disturbed. With Gilly’s dismissal, runs came from Marsh’s end at as required rate but others failed to keep the momentum despite having strike rates over 100.

Marsh’s eventually fell to Morkel five runs short of a well deserved hundred when he tried to pull fast bowler for a six but only top edged for a catch in the inner circle.

Earlier Sehwag and Warner showed why they are considered the most dangerous opening pair in the IPL as they went berserk against Punjab bowling as pair blasted their way to 146 in just 71 balls. Both the explosive openers went hammer and tongs from the word go as they dispatched bowlers with utter disdain to give something special for home crowd to cheer about.

Sehwag played his innings this season as faced only 35 balls for his 77 punctuated with eight fours and four big sixes. Three of those sixes came off three consecutive bowled by David Hussey before part timer had some relief as Delhi dasher was holed out in the deep to end blistering opening stand.

Warner also hit four sixes and seven fours as he continued on hitting ways after Sehwag’s wicket on his way to 48 ball 77.

There was a lull period with Punjab bowlers effecting some tight overs but formalities resumed soon as Venugopal Rao and Naman Ojha looted 47 runs off last overs to take score to 231.

Rao continued on his good form in the IPL hitting 15-ball 28 and Ojha played a cameo of 19 off 8 balls to finish the Punjab surge on a good note.