After facing back to back defeats, Purani Dilli 6 made a solid bounce back by securing a seven-wicket victory over West Delhi Lions in their third match of the Delhi Premier League T20 at Arun Jaitley Stadium on Wednesday.
Purani Dilli 6’s bowlers, led by Laxman’s 3/41 and Aayush Singh Thakur’s 2/27, restricted West Delhi Lions to 141/9 in their 20 overs. Arpit Rana’s unbeaten 56 off 43 balls was pivotal in Purani Dilli 6’s successful chase, reaching the target in 17.1 overs.
Purani Dilli 6 adopted an aggressive approach from the start of their chase. Rana was in fine form, delivering a series of fluent shots, while Manjeet provided reliable support. The pair maintained a rapid scoring rate, averaging over 10 runs per over until Manjeet was out in the fourth over. By the end of the powerplay, Purani Dilli 6 were well-positioned at 56/1.
Despite the loss of Sanat Sangwan (22 off 25) and Lalit Yadav (7 off 9) in quick succession, Rana remained steadfast, reaching his fifty in 42 balls in the 16th over. At this point, Purani Dilli 6 needed just 16 runs from 24 balls.
Rana, along with Vansh Bedi, who contributed an unbeaten 30 off 18, comfortably guided Purani Dilli 6 to victory, clinching a decisive seven-wicket win.
Purani Dilli 6, who had lost their initial two matches, won the toss and chose to bowl first. West Delhi Lions struggled early, with Lalit Yadav dismissing Ankit Kumar for a duck in the opening over. Anmol Sharma (1 off 2) followed, getting out to a superb catch by Keshav Dalal off Aayush Singh Thakur’s bowling.
Struggling to score, West Delhi Lions faced further trouble when Aryan Dalal (1 off 4) was run out in the third over, leaving them at a dismal 7/3.
Shivam Gupta (13 off 20) and Hrithik Shokeen briefly steadied the innings with a 27-run partnership from 33 balls, but Gupta fell to Laxman in the eighth over. Captain Hrithik continued to push the score along, forming a quick 31-run partnership with Dev Lakra. Hrithik, who made 28 from 32 balls, including three boundaries, was dismissed in the 12th over.
Ekansh, continuing his good form from the previous match, struck 34 off just 14 balls, while Lakra added 26 off 24 balls. Their efforts, along with Tishant Dabla’s late contribution of 23 from 9 balls, including three sixes, helped West Delhi Lions to a total of 141/9.
Brief Scores:
West Delhi Lions 141/9 in 20 overs (Ekansh Dobal 34 off 14, Hrithik Shokeen 28 off 32, Laxman 3/41)
Purani Delhi 6 146/3 in 17.1 overs (Arpit Rana 56* of 43, Vansh Bedi 30* off 18, Hritik Shokeen 2/21)
