IPL 2018, DD vs KXIP: The penultimate over bowled by Barinder Sran is SK Turning Point of the match
The Delhi Daredevils fell to their fifth defeat in six games at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium on Monday (April 23).
This time around, they were bettered by the Kings XI Punjab, who now have the record of defending the lowest total at the ground in T20 cricket.
Gautam Gambhir won the toss and decided to bowl first against Ravichandran Ashwin and his men.
The ploy worked well, as the hosts were able to keep the star-studded KXIP batting line-up quiet and managed to restrict them to a meagre total of 143-8 after 20 overs.
Halfway through the game, most cricket fans and aficionados would've put their bottom dollar on Delhi coming out on top of the encounter.
However, cricket is an unpredictable ballgame (literally). Punjab seemed to have concocted a winning formula this season and are using it to their advantage in the best possible way.
Despite Shreyas Iyer scoring an impressive half-century on the day and staying unbeaten till the second last ball of the innings, the visitors managed to pull one over the home side and came out victorious at the end of it all.
The exceptional bowling performance put up by Barinder Sran in the penultimate over of the second innings was the SK Turning Point of the game.
With Delhi requiring 21 runs off the final 12 deliveries, the seam-bowler put in an incredible shift to give away just four runs in 19th over.
His effort was all the more commendable considering the fact that he had been expensive in the game until that point.
Credit must be reserved for skipper Ashwin as well, who trusted his bowler's ability to deliver in a crucial point of the game.
Sran did deliver and did it in style. Not only did he concede just four runs, but also scalped the wicket of the dangerous Plunkett, who had to return to the pavilion without troubling the scorers.
The fast bowler's brilliant over gave Mujeeb Ur Rahman a chance to defend 17 runs in the final over, which thereby put pressure on Iyer, who was batting 45 off 39 deliveries then.
In the end, Punjab won the game by just four runs, which points towards the importance Sran's effort, in the context of the game.
Kings XI Punjab now sit pretty at the top of the points table. Their team looks ready to put up a serious contention for the league title this year.
They have a thinking and dynamic captain in Ashwin, along with a deep and versatile squad. The fact that they didn't even play Chris Gayle today shows how strong their bench really is.
Delhi Daredevils, on the other hand, look set for another disappointing season in the Indian Premier League.
They have failed to gel together as a unit and despite having a proven commander like Gambhir at the helm, the franchise has failed to tick so far in the tournament.
They will have to win at least seven of their remaining eight fixtures to have a chance of making it to the playoffs.
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