A fightback from the bowlers followed by Shikhar Dhawan’s 49-ball 92 powered Delhi Capitals (DC) to a six-wicket win over Punjab Kings (PBKS) at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.
Opting to bowl first, Punjab raced to 122 within 13 overs but ended with only 195/4 on the board, as Delhi bowlers made a strong come back. Dhawan then controlled the chase to make it seem easy, as DC reached the finish line in just 18.2 overs. The southpaw was adjudged the ‘Player of the Match’ for his stunning knock, laced with 13 fours and two sixes.
For Punjab, Mayank Agarwal was the more aggressive of the two openers, smashing 69 runs off 36 balls with seven fours and four sixes. Captain KL Rahul’s strike rate was under the scanner as he made 61 in 51 balls. Chris Gayle and Nicholas Pooran couldn’t get going, while Deepak Hooda and Shah Rukh Khan played useful cameos to guide them to 190+.
“It was a conscious effort from my side. I knew I have to improve on that (strike rate). Started taking more risks. Not afraid of changes, always open towards it. Not scared of getting out as well. Have worked on a few shots. My slog shot has improved a lot. It was there earlier as well, but now I play it more freely. I’m more relaxed, having played for so many years. Don’t take things for granted,” said Dhawan at the post-match presentation.
Here’s how Twitter reacted:
Shikha♎r Dhawan is a classic example of how to maintain a good strike rate without taking undue risks. A great learning example for many players who get bogged down. This 92 Was a Champion knock , showing how it is done.
— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag)
Brilliant once again from how ⭕good he has been in the history of ipl? Too good. Well done on convincing victory.
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan)
Vintage Dhawan, what a c♒lassical knock from Gabbar.
— Vinay Kumar R (@Vinay_Kumar_R)
Great win 🙌🏼 onto Chennai! 👍🏼
— Sam Billings (@sambillings)
'Gabbar' may have missed a ton but what an innings under pressure. Well chased
— R P Singh रुद्र प्रताप सिंह (@rpsingh)
The Art 🎨: Bringing joy to DC fans
The Artist 👨🎨: GabbarA power-packed 92 from tonight 💙
— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals)
🉐This Shikhar Dhawan is one of the finest knඣocks I have ever seen. Not blind hitting, just brilliant manipulation of the field. This is a modern classic.
— Joy Bhattacharjya (@joybhattacharj)
Chasing 195 runs in 18.2 ove𝓡rs shows cricket has gone to next level. But the experience of the senior players like will always come handy in big run chase. Congratulations on the victory.
— Vinay Kumar R (@Vinay_Kumar_R)
Shikhar Dhawan missed his ton by just 8 runs.
LIVE Score:— betvisa68.com (@CricketTimesHQ)
Selfless man gabber
Proud to be a Shikhar Dhawan fan
Orange cap 🍊 holder now— Pradeep (@pradeep41nani)
Two openers, two innings :
KL Rahul : 51 balls 61 runs. (SR 120)
Dhawan : 49 balls 92 runs. (SR 188)
The Punjab kings will struggle a lot if Rahul continues this play s♕afe approach. The think tank can’t let this happen🍎 year after year. Looks silly
— Dodda Ganesh | ದೊಡ್ಡ ಗಣೇಶ್ ✤(@dodd𒊎aganesha)
The biggest factor behind Punjab's loss today is KL Rahul's 61 off 51 balls. Match run-rate 10.25. He consumed 51 balls [42 percent of inns resources] with a run-rate of just 7.17.
— Mazher Arshad (@MazherArshad)
Dhawan’s scores in last 4 successful chases:
101* vs CSK, 2020
54 vs RCB, 2020
85 vs CSK, 2021
92 vs PBKS, 2021Player of the match in 3 of these.
— Bharath Seervi (@SeerviBharath)
Ricky Ponting totally changed Shikhar Dhawan's T20 batting under him.
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra)
//twit♔ter.com/TheSwatFlick/status/13ꦦ83840719278800898
