Central Delhi Kings produced an imposing all-round effort to qualify for the Delhi Premier League (DPL) Season 2 playoffs by crushing Purani Dilli 6 by a comprehensive 104 runs (DLS method) in rain-affected encounter at Arun Jaitley Stadium on Monday.
Kings Post Mammoth Total Despite Early Setback
Choosing to bat first, the Kings recovered in no time after the early loss of Kaushal Suman (5 off 7). Yash Dhull, who was in grand form throughout the season, anchored the innings with a mature half-century. He combined with Yugal Saini (28 off 20) to post a vital 57-run partnership.
After they were sent back, the middle order contributed, skipper Jonty Sidhu hitting a flier 28 off 16 balls and Aditya Bhandari chipping in 17 off 11. But the showstopper came in the death overs, in the form of Aryan Rana, who unleashed a destructive attack with an unbeaten 42 off a mere 14 balls, laced with aggressive strokes. Kings totalled 197/5 in 18 overs.
For Purani Dilli 6, Rajneesh Dadar was the lone bowler to have some success, coming back with 3 wickets for 40 runs from his four overs.
Purani Dilli 6 Struggle Early in the Pursuit
In pursuit of a challenging total, Purani Dilli 6 struggled right from the beginning. The top two were dismantled by the Kings’ bowling pair of Money Grewal and Arun Pundir, who dismissed Rushal Saini for a duck and Samarth Seth shortly thereafter.
Skipper Vansh Bedi attempted the counter-attack with a brief 14-run contribution off just six balls, but his vigil was brief, as Pundir got him out again. The score was 44/3 in 6 overs when rain interrupted the game, and the DLS par target was established at 174 in 15 overs.
Kings’ Bowlers Wreck Havoc Post Rain Break
Following the disruption, matters only worsened for Purani Dilli 6. Simarjeet Singh turned it around entirely, grabbing Dev Lakra (6) and Aditya Malhotra (0) in rapid succession. The only ray of hope was provided by Pranav Pant, who scored a struggling 24 off 17 balls.
But after Pant was trapped in the deep by Tejas Baroka off Sidhu’s bowling, the rest of the batting went the way of a house of cards. Purani Dilli 6 were bowled out for a mere 69 runs, losing by a crushing margin of 104 runs.
Clinical Bowling Display Seals the Game
All Kings bowlers contributed. Simarjeet Singh and Jonty Sidhu took 2 wickets each for a mere 6 runs, with Sidhu facing only a single over. Arun Pundir too put his mark with 2/28 to keep the pressure constant throughout.
The comprehensive victory not only adds Kings’ momentum going into the playoffs but also sends a powerful message to the rest of the contenders in DPL Season 2.