IPL 2018, DD vs KXIP: Hits and Misses
After playing five away games, Delhi Daredevils returned to the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi to play their first home game of the season. There was big news at the toss as Chris Gayle missed out due to soreness. On the other hand, Delhi made a wholesome of changes.
Put into bat first, KXIP lost Aaron Finch early, but once again KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal looked good before both the batsmen fell after good starts. For the first time in the tournament, KXIP’s top-order had failed. Karun Nair and David Miller did get their eye in, but they fell trying to up the ante. KXIP managed just 143 as it was a very good bowling performance by the DD bowlers.
Chasing an under-par total, DD got off to a good start as debutant Prithvi Shaw struck a 10-ball 22. Despite the good start, the hosts lost three wickets inside the powerplay and were 48/3 after 6 overs. DD lost a couple more wickets as they were reduced 76/5 in 12 overs. But Shreyas Iyer and Rahul Tewatia kept the hosts in the hunt. Iyer took the game to the final over but Mujeeb held his nerve to give KXIP their fifth win of the season.
#5 Hit: Shreyas Iyer
If Delhi Daredevils got close in this game, it was because of Shreyas Iyer. The 23-year-old batsman has been in decent form. He was very good in the last game against RCB where he scored 52.
In this game, he batted at No. 4 and came into bat with DD 41/2. With 103 runs required, Iyer needed to bat through and take DD close. With wickets falling around him, he held one end up and kept rotating the strike, keeping the scoreboard ticking. Despite the required run-rate mounting, he looked pretty calm and was not too fussed. With 17 needed off the last over, he refused a single off the first ball and then struck a superb six to keep DD in the hunt.
But with Mishra at the other end, he denied another single to keep strike before he struck a vital boundary to reduce the equation to 5 off 1. But Iyer holed out as DD lost their fifth game of the season. But it was Iyer’s 57 that took DD so close.