A late flourish courtesy of Marcus Stoinis took the Delhi Capitals to a total of 157 against Kings XI Punjab. Considering the slowish track at Dubai this is surely going to prove an above-par total. The Aussie all-rounder Stoinis scored a breathtaking 53 off 21 balls which included three huge maximums.
Chasing the target, KXIP suffered a big blow early in their inning in the form of KL Rahul. The KXIP skipper was clean bowled by Mohit Sharma with an absolute peach for 21.
Following that captain, Shreyas Iyer of DC introduced his seasoned spinner Ravichandran Ashwin in the last over of the powerplay. Ashwin was into his act straight away as he sent Karun Nair packing to the pavilion.
Ashwin Castles Nicholas PooranĀ
In walked the exciting Nicholas Pooran to the crease against a rampant Ashwin. The off-spinner bowled two consecutive dot balls at Pooran and the pressure was building. Next ball, Ashwin bowled the perfect arm ball to which Pooran had absolutely no clue.
The ball landed at middle and leg where Ashwin exactly wanted as Pooran lunged forward to defend it. The West Indian played for the turn but the delivery went straight on. It kissed the front pad of Pooran and hit the top of off stump.
R Ashwin apna badla lete hue. Captain tha Punjab ka sidha team se hi nikal diya š¤
Ab lo maje…Thukra kar mera pyar mera intekam dekhegi š#Ashwin
Credit : @shashi_kant7 pic.twitter.com/yYVczAX9gR
— Shivam Dhiman š± (@SSS_Shiv_007) September 20, 2020
Also Read:Ā Watch – Rishabh Pant Throws Away His Wicket As Delhi Capitals Struggle Against Kings XI Punjab
The veteran off-spinner castled Pooran early on in his inning with an absolute beauty. As expected the Delhi Capitals side all gathered around Ashwin and celebrated the massive wicket. Against his old team whom he captained last season, Ashwin picked 2 wickets against them in the very first over.
Meanwhile, the vital breakthrough of Ashwin put his team in a driving seat. The mood of DC got even better when Kagiso Rabada sent Glenn Maxwell packing in the very next over. Maxwell was expecting Rabada to bowl it short and was hanging back. However, the fast bowler double bluffed him and pitched it up. Maxwell went through with the shot and skied an easy catch to Iyer at Mid-off.
KXIP are now in need of a big partnership if they need to chase down the target a 158. Coming back to Ashwin he still has 3 overs left which will be like gold dust for his side. The spinner is currently off the field after copping a blow to his shoulder.
Also Read:Ā Ravichandran Ashwin Walks Out After Copping A Shoulder Blow
