The Central Delhi Kings defeated West Delhi Lions by 58 runs to retain their hopes of a semifinal berth at the ongoing Adani Delhi Premier League (DPL) T20, at the Arun Jaitley Stadium here on Tuesday. Shaurya Malik sizzled with figures of 3/13 along with Money Grewal’s 3/30 to help Central Delhi Kings defend their strong total of 179/7.
Earlier in the fixture, Vishant Bhati (42 off 31) and Dhruv Kaushik (26 off 19) set a solid foundation for Central Delhi Kings. A key 76-run partnership between Jonty Sidhu (37 off 25) and Aryan Rana (39 off 25) bolstered the innings despite a late stutter.
Opener Ankit Kumar (20 off 12) tried to set the tone for the West Delhi Lions’ run chase with a quickfire knock until he was removed by Money Grewal in the third over. Vivek Yadav, Anmol Sharma, and Deepak Punia were then ousted by Shaurya Malik’s fiery spell to leave West Delhi Lions at 36/4.
Opener Krish Yadav (10 of 19) struggled and was eventually castled in the ninth over to further cripple the Lions at 49/5. Captain Shivank Vashisht (43 off 32) and Impact Player, Ekansh Dobal (33 off 25) fought back with a rapid partnership of 64 runs in 42 balls.
At the 15-over mark, West Delhi Lions needed 73 runs in 30 balls. The equation proved too steep following the departure of Shivank Vashisht and Ekansh Dobal. Money Grewal picked up two more wickets in the death to clean up the tail as West Delhi Lions finished at 121 all out in 18.3 overs to endure their eighth loss of the tournament.
Batting first, the Central Delhi Kings lost Hiten Dhalal (6 off 9) to Rahul Gahlot. However, Opener Vishant Bhati and Dhruv Kaushik (26 off 19) brought the innings back on track with a 62-run alliance in 38 balls. Vishant Bhati took on the spinners and struck three fours and three sixes before he was stumped off Shivank Vashisht, in the 10th over. Gahlot then returned to dismiss Dhruv Kaushik, leaving the Central Delhi Kings at 84/1 in 10.1 overs.
Aryan Rana was dropped twice in two overs, and it proved costly for West Delhi Lions. Aryan joined skipper Jonty Sidhu in a significant partnership of 76 runs in 46 balls.
The innings lost momentum when Akhil Chaudhary’s second spell dismissed Aryan Rana and Keshav Dabas (0 off 1) in consecutive balls in the 18th over. Jonty Sidhu fell to Deepak Punia, and Money Grewal (5 off 3) followed in the same over. Lakshay Thareja struck a six and a four in the final two deliveries, guiding the Central Delhi Kings to 179/7 in 20 overs.
Brief scores:
Central Delhi Kings 179/7 in 20 overs (Vishant Bhati 42, Aryan Rana 35, Jonty Sidhu 37; Akhil Chaudhary 2-32, Deepak Punia 2-37) beat West Delhi Lions 121 all out in 18.3 overs (Shivank Vashisht 43, Ekansh Dobal 33; Shaurya Malik 3-13, Money Grewal 3-30, Rajneesh Dadar 2-18) by 58 runs.
