The North Delhi Strikers secured a dominant seven-wicket victory over the Central Delhi Kings in the fourth match of the Adani Delhi Premier League T20 at Arun Jaitley Stadium on Monday, credits to brilliant performances from Vaibhav Kandpal and Yash Dabas, who both scored impressive half-centuries.
Batting first, Central Delhi Kings, posted a total of 175/5 in their 20 overs. Dhruv Kaushik led the way with a blistering 63 off 34 balls, supported by Jonty Sidhu’s 42 off 28.
Despite a solid start, with openers Hiten Dalal (27 off 20) and Kaushik pushing the score along, the Kings struggled to build momentum after Dalal was dismissed by Suyash Sharma in the fifth over. Captain Yash Dhull (11 off 16) was the next to go, falling to Manan Bhardwaj in the ninth over, leaving the team at 65/2.
Kaushik and Sidhu then put together a crucial partnership, bringing the score to 100 in the 12th over. Kaushik reached his half-century in just 28 balls with a six, but was soon after dismissed by Yatish Singh. Sidhu followed in the 18th over, bowled by Suyash Sharma, who ended with figures of 2/35. The final overs saw Central Delhi Kings struggle to accelerate, with Anirudh Chowdhary conceding only four runs in the 19th over and Keshav Dabas contributing a brief 14 off 7 balls to take the team to 175/5.
In response, the North Delhi Strikers approached the chase aggressively, despite losing opener Sarthak Ranjan early for 10 off 7 balls in the second over. Kandpal and Dabas formed a formidable partnership, rapidly taking the team to the 100-run mark by the 10th over. Dabas played a brilliant knock of 56 off 33 balls before being dismissed by Rajneesh Dadar in the 11th over.
Kandpal continued to anchor the innings, reaching his half-century in 30 balls before being caught near square leg for a well-made 60 off 35 balls in the 14th over. At that point, the Strikers were comfortably placed at 147/3. Yash Bhatia then took charge, ensuring the chase was completed with 11 balls to spare, finishing unbeaten on 34 off 26 balls.
Brief Scores:
Central Delhi Kings 175/5 in 20 overs (Dhruv Kaushik 63 off 34, Jonty Sidhu 42 off 28, Suyash Sharma 2/35).
North Delhi Strikers 177/3 in 18.1 overs (Vaibhav Kandpal 60 off 35, Yash Dabas 56 off 33, Money Grewal 1/27).
