IPL 6: DD v/s KKR - Heroes of the Day

Delhi Daredevils have become a nightmare for most teams now. After a losing streak, the side seems to have re-discovered its winning ways. Sir Viv Richards’ words have had a near-magical effect on the demoralized lot – and it showed in their on-field display. On the receiving end tonight were the hapless Kolkata Knight Riders, who seem to manage to find new ways of losing games. Here are the Heroes for the Day:

David Warner (66 n.o. off 42 balls; 6 fous, 3 sixes)

Warner is DD’s go-to man whenever the side needs to be bailed out of a tough situation. Coming in with his side reeling at 27/2, the pocket-sized dynamo played a blazing innings that put a halt to KKR’s charge. He made them pay for their sloppiness in the field, saw off the dangerous Sunil Narine and ran like a hare between the wickets. No wonder he was awarded Man-of-the-Match for today. His fielding too is an invaluable asset to Delhi, and it was on full display at Raipur tonight.

Unmukt Chand (1 catch; 37 runs off 39 balls; 4 fours)

The U-19 World Cup-winning skipper finally came good in a very important game for his side. He took a great catch to remove the maverick Sumit Narwal towards the end of KKR’s innings, and followed it up with an excellent knock of 37 while providing steady support to the rampaging Warner. Their 95-run alliance shattered KKR’s hopes & boosted DD’s chances of securing a spot in the playoffs.

Irfan Pathan (1/16 in 3 overs; 1 catch; 1 run out)

The younger Pathan played extremely well in today’s game. He was into the action early, running out rival skipper Gautam Gambhir off his own bowling. He also took out KKR veteran Jacques Kallis courtesy a brilliant catch by Ben Rohrer. And in the field, he managed to hold on to a difficult chance offered by elder brother Yusuf, thus capping a fine performance for his side’s eventual victory.

Ben Rohrer (1 catch; 10 n.o. off 3 balls; 1 six)

Rohrer emulated Kieron Pollard when he pulled off a stunning one-handed catch to dismiss Kallis off left-arm pacer Irfan Pathan. It left KKR reeling and they were unable to recover sufficiently from that blow. With the bat, the NSW Blues’ mainstay smashed a huge six off Yusuf Pathan to level the scores before taking the winning run. He is truly a good find for the Delhi side.

Sumit Narwal (23 runs off 15 balls; 4 fours)

Along with Brett Lee and Rajat Bhatia, Ranji all-rounder Sumit Narwal was one of the few bright spots in KKR’s disastrous batting performance tonight. His cameo 23 helped his side to a somewhat respectable, though low, score. However, he committed a horrendous blunder by dropping Unmukt Chand off the luckless L Balaji. His lapse of concentration cost the Kolkata outfit dear as Chand went on to aid Warner in securing the win for Delhi.