| 0.0 : Hello and welcome to the 16th game of this year's Indian T20 League. It is a clash between Delhi and Hyderabad in the former's den. The hosts are placed 5th on the table and the visitors 3rd. A win here for any of the teams will see them go top. Still early days though in the tournament but the view from the top is always a good one. Will Delhi get back to winning ways or will Hyderabad make it 3 in 3? We will have to wait to find out. |
| Michael Slater is doing the pitch report and he starts by saying that the wicket has not changed since the last game. Adds that there is no grass on it at all. Informs that the pitch will be skiddy in the first 10 overs and in the next 10, it will start slowing down gradually. Reckons that spin will be the key for Delhi this evening if they want to stop the pair of David Warner and Jonny Bairstow. |
| TOSS - Hyderabad win the toss and they elect to field first. |
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar says that they want to bowl first. Mentions that it is a dry wicket but then he is more happy to chase. States that the dew might play a factor later on. Informs that they are unchanged. |
| Shreyas Iyer says they also wanted to bowl first. Mentions that the wicket looks very dry and he hopes it worsens as the game progresses. Informs that Axar Patel, Rahul Tewatia and Ishant Sharma are in for Avesh Khan, Harshal Patel and Hanuma Vihari. |
| Delhi XI - Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer (C), Rishabh Pant (WK), Colin Ingram, Chris Morris, Axar Patel, Rahul Tewatia, Kagiso Rabada, Sandeep Lamichhane, Ishant Sharma. |
| Hyderabad XI - Jonny Bairstow (WK), David Warner, Vijay Shankar, Manish Pandey, Yusuf Pathan, Deepak Hooda, Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar (C), Sandeep Sharma, Siddarth Kaul. |
| We are all set for the action to begin! The Delhi openers, Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw make their way out to the middle. The right-hander will be on strike and he will be facing Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Here we go... |
| 0.1 : B Kumar to P Shaw, FOUR! What a shot to begin proceedings! Shaw is off the mark in style. Not a very bad delivery that, slightly behind the fuller length on off, Shaw waits for it and then places it in the gap in the cover region and the ball races to the fence. |
| 0.2 : B Kumar to P Shaw, That one stays low! On the shorter side and outside off, not a lot of width on offer there. Shaw still goes for a cut but misses. |
| 0.3 : B Kumar to P Shaw, Corrects his line and bowls it on the stumps, Shaw goes back and keeps it out. |
| 0.4 : B Kumar to P Shaw, Another back of a length delivery and on the stumps, Shaw is solid in defense once again. |
| 0.5 : B Kumar to P Shaw, FOUR! EDGY! Shaw won't care though. Second boundary in the over. Hint of shape there for Kumar. It is on off, Shaw looks to drive it down the ground but due to the outswing, it flies off the outside edge to the third man fence. |
| 0.6 : B Kumar to P Shaw, A dot to end a very good first over for Delhi. On a length and around off, Shaw strokes it nicely to mid off. |
| Mohammad Nabi to bowl from the other end. |
| 1.1 : M Nabi to S Dhawan, Slower through the air on middle, Dhawan looks to defend but ends up playing outside the line. The ball goes off the inner half towards short fine leg for a run. |
| 1.2 : M Nabi to P Shaw, Works it with the turn through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 1.3 : M Nabi to S Dhawan, On the stumps, it is kept out. |
| 1.4 : M Nabi to P Shaw, Pitches this one outside off, it turns back in. Shaw waits for it and then guides it to short third man for a run. |
| 1.5 : M Nabi to S Dhawan, Dhawan uses his feet but does not get to the pitch of the ball. He then works it through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 1.6 : M Nabi to P Shaw, Slows it up this time and gets the ball to turn into the batsman. It is flicked through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 2.1 : B Kumar to P Shaw, A length delivery on off, with a little outswing, Shaw tries for a straight drive gets an outside edge towards the cover region. |
| 2.2 : B Kumar to P Shaw, OUT! The off stump goes for a walk! Bhuvneshwar Kumar strikes and he is pumped up. The slight change in grip does the trick for him. However, the shot by Shaw can be questioned here. On a slow and low wicket, not sure the cross-batted hoick was on. It is on a length and on off, does not bounce as much as Prithvi expects it to. He looks to hit it through mid-wicket but misses. Ideal start for Hyderabad after electing to bowl. |
| Shreyas Iyer walks out to the middle. |
| 2.3 : B Kumar to S Iyer, Bhuvi brings this one in, length delivery outside off. Shreyas defends it. |
| 2.4 : B Kumar to S Iyer, A back of a length ball on off, Iyer taps it towards the point region for a single. |
| 2.5 : B Kumar to S Dhawan, Full on off, defended watchfully. |
| 2.6 : B Kumar to S Dhawan, A length ball on middle and leg, Dhawan steps out of his crease and drives it to mid off. |
| 3.1 : M Nabi to S Iyer, Good amount of turn there again! This is pitched on off and it comes back in. Iyer looks to work it on the leg side but misses to get hit on the pads. |
| 3.2 : M Nabi to S Iyer, This time gets bat to ball and flicks it through mid-wicket for a run. |
| 3.3 : M Nabi to S Dhawan, Nicely swept but straight to the fielder. That was right off the middle but finds square leg. |
| 3.4 : M Nabi to S Dhawan, This is fired on the pads, Dhawan looks to work it on the leg side but misses. The ball brushes his pads and rolls towards short fine leg. A leg bye taken. |
| 3.5 : M Nabi to S Iyer, This is fired on off, Iyer watchfully pushes it towards cover for a quick single. His bat drops as he looks to ground but the fielder misses his shy at the non-striker's end. |
| 3.6 : M Nabi to S Dhawan, A single to end another good over for the visitors. A straighter line again from Nabi. Dhawan works it through mid-wicket for a single. |
| Siddarth Kaul is on now. |
| 4.1 : S Kaul to S Dhawan, A back of a length delivery on off, Dhawan drives it towards the cover region. |
| 4.2 : S Kaul to S Dhawan, Dhawan steps out and plays this fuller length delivery towards the mid-wicket region and runs for a single. |
| 4.3 : S Kaul to S Iyer, SIX! Right in Shreyas' arc and he has hit it out of the ground. On the pads, it is fuller in length. Iyer lofts it over the mid-wicket fence. First of the game. |
| 4.4 : S Kaul to S Iyer, Corrects his line and bowls it on off, the length is fuller. Iyer drives it to covers. |
| 4.5 : S Kaul to S Iyer, A fuller length delivery on off, Iyer keeps it out. |
| 4.6 : S Kaul to S Iyer, A back of a length delivery on off, Shreyas taps it towards the point region for a single. Despite the biggie just 8 from this over. |
| 5.1 : M Nabi to S Iyer, This quicker and on off, Iyer strokes it to the left of covers and scampers across for a single. |
| 5.2 : M Nabi to S Dhawan, FOUR! That has gone to the fence like a tracer bullet! Brings the sweep out, does Dhawan and nails it through backward square leg. A boundary. |
| 5.3 : M Nabi to S Dhawan, Now a couple! Nicely waits for the ball and then opens the face of the bat at the very end. It goes past short third man for a brace. |
| 5.4 : M Nabi to S Dhawan, Back of a length a delivery on middle, Dhawan nudges it to mid-wicket for a run. |
| 5.5 : M Nabi to S Iyer, A back of a length delivery on middle, Iyer waits for it on his back foot and flicks it towards the mid-wicket region. Single added. |
| 5.6 : M Nabi to S Dhawan, OUT! In the air... taken! Delhi have lost Dhawan on the last ball of the Powerplay. A big wicket, this, for the visitors. Nabi slows this one up and lands it on middle. This one bounces a touch extra. Dhawan looks to sweep but the ball takes the top edge and lobs towards short fine leg where Sandeep Sharma accepts a dolly. Both the openers are back in the hut and with that wicket, the Powerplay also belongs to Hyderabad. Delhi are 36 for 2 after it. |
| Rishabh Pant is the new man in. |
| 6.1 : S Kaul to S Iyer, A length delivery on off with hint of outswing, Iyer guides it towards the third man region for a single. |
| 6.2 : S Kaul to R Pant, Fuller length delivery on off, Pant drives it past the bowler. Warner at mid off, puts in a great dive to his left and saves a certain boundary. |
| 6.3 : S Kaul to S Iyer, A length delivery on off, Shreyas plays it towards the third man region for a run. |
| 6.4 : S Kaul to R Pant, Back of a length delivery on leg, Pant calmly flicks it towards the mid-wicket region. Single taken. |
| 6.5 : S Kaul to S Iyer, A well aimed bouncer pitching on off, Iyer ducks under it. |
| 6.6 : S Kaul to S Iyer, A short of a good length delivery on off, Shreyas drives it to mid off and runs for a single. 5 runs from this over. |
| Rashid Khan is on now. |
| 7.1 : R Khan to S Iyer, FOUR! A freebie to begin with. A full toss and Iyer says thank you very much. He strokes it through covers and the ball races away. |
| 7.2 : R Khan to S Iyer, Rashid corrects his length. Bowls a wrong one on off pitching back of a length. Iyer keeps it away. |
| 7.3 : R Khan to S Iyer, A length delivery on off, Shreyas defends it. |
| 7.4 : R Khan to S Iyer, A brilliant delivery this. Perfectly tossed on off, Iyer leans for a forward defense but gets beaten. |
| 7.5 : R Khan to S Iyer, A back of a length delivery on middle, Shreyas flicks it towards the mid-wicket region. Takes a first run quickly and at the same time, calls for the double. That is very good running. The fielder at mid-wicket has a shy at the stumps at the non-striker's end but replays show Pant would have been well in even if the ball had hit the stumps. |
| 7.6 : R Khan to S Iyer, A shorter length delivery on off, Shreyas Iyer keeps it away. |
| Sandeep Sharma is on now. |
| 8.1 : S Sharma to R Pant, A slower one to begin with, Pant works it through mid-wicket and takes a single. |
| 8.2 : S Sharma to S Iyer, Back of a length again and on middle, Iyer works it around the corner and gets to the other end. |
| 8.3 : S Sharma to R Pant, On the off pole, Pant manages to work it through square leg but only for a single. Three singles in the over so far. |
| 8.4 : S Sharma to S Iyer, Slower ball, Iyer with soft hands works it towards fine leg. He takes one quickly but has to settle for the single. |
| 8.5 : S Sharma to R Pant, That just does not bounce! Another slower one outside off, Pant looks to hit it over covers but the ball sneaks under the bat. |
| 8.6 : S Sharma to R Pant, Just plants his front foot across and then works it through mid-wicket. Once again the batters take the first one quickly but there is only one available. Just the five from Sandeep's first. |
| Strategic break. Mohammad Nabi is back into the attack. |
| 9.1 : M Nabi to R Pant, OUT! Pant is out of here and there is pin-drop silence in the stadium here. He has literally thrown it away. That shot was just not needed at the moment. Delhi needed him to continue batting. Very reckless from Rishabh. Nabi however, is delighted. He strikes on the very first ball of his final over. Excellent bowling change. He gives it a lot of air and lands it on off. Pant looks to loft it over mid off but does not get the distance. Deepak Hooda does well there to take a |
| 9.2 : M Nabi to R Tewatia, A quicker one by Nabi, fires this one on leg. Tewatia looks for a flick but the ball hits him on his pads and he runs for a leg bye. |
| 9.3 : M Nabi to S Iyer, Back of a length delivery, Iyer flicks it to mid-wicket for a single. |
| 9.4 : M Nabi to R Tewatia, A short delivery on off, Tewatia cuts it to point and runs for a single. Iyer shouts no and the fielder at point has a shy at the striker's end but overthrow helps the batsmen to take the single. |
| 9.5 : M Nabi to S Iyer, Full on off, Iyer taps it to point for a single. |
| Has Nabi got another? He feels so but the umpire does not. They have gone for the review. Looks very close. |
| 9.6 : M Nabi to R Tewatia, NOT OUT! It is umpire's call! A good review though by Hyderabad. Also, they do not lose it. Nabi bowls the straighter one, it lands on off and it comes in with the angle. Tewatia looks to defend but misses. The ball hits the front pad and the players appeal. The umpire shakes his head. The ball in the meantime rolls towards fine leg and the batsmen take a leg bye. Kumar then signals the 'T'. Replays roll in and they show that it is clipping the leg pole. A huge wicket a |
| 10.1 : S Sharma to S Iyer, Full on off, Shreyas wrists it mid on for a run. |
| 10.2 : S Sharma to R Tewatia, A length delivery on middle and leg, Tewatia keeps it away. |
| 10.3 : S Sharma to R Tewatia, FOUR! Superb timing on that. It's full and outside off, Tewatia leans into the drive and creams it through the gap in the covers to find the fence. |
| 10.4 : S Sharma to R Tewatia, Slower one by Sandeep Sharma. Pitching on leg. Rahul was looking for a flick but the ball hits his hand. |
| 10.5 : S Sharma to R Tewatia, OUT! Another one bites the dust! Sandeep Sharma gets his first. The slower ball completely does Tewatia in. The ploy to send him up the order has failed. It is pitched on off, Rahul is way too early in the drive. He then looks to check his shot. The ball though hits the bat and lobs towards the cover region. Nabi runs to his right and takes a sitter. Delhi slip further. |
| Colin Ingram to bat next. |
| 10.6 : S Sharma to C Ingram, Full on off, Ingram drives it to the cover fielder. Another excellent over, just the 5 runs and a wicket from it. |
| Rashid Khan is back on. |
| 11.1 : R Khan to S Iyer, A length delivery on middle, Iyer just works it to square leg for a single. |
| 11.2 : R Khan to C Ingram, A shorter length delivery on off, Ingram cuts it to point for a run. |
| 11.3 : R Khan to S Iyer, A short delivery outside off, Iyer cuts it to sweeper cover for a single. |
| 11.4 : R Khan to C Ingram, A tossed up delivery on off, Ingram tries a sweep but gets an inside edge onto his pads. |
| 11.5 : R Khan to C Ingram, A length delivery on middle, Ingram this time connects his sweep and takes a single. |
| 11.6 : R Khan to S Iyer, A nice loop on this delivery pitching outside off, Iyer leans for a drive but gets beaten. |
| 12.1 : S Sharma to C Ingram, A back of a length delivery on off, Colin cuts it but gets an inside edge onto the ground and Ingram takes a quick single. |
| 12.2 : S Sharma to S Iyer, Back of a length on off, Iyer defends it. |
| 12.3 : S Sharma to S Iyer, FOUR! Slightly short and Iyer is onto it quickly. He rocks back and pulls it over the mid-wicket fielder. No one in the deep so a boundary results. Much-needed one. |
| 12.4 : S Sharma to S Iyer, A fuller length on off, Shreyas was looking to work it towards mid-wicket but he closes his bat early and gets a leading edge towards the short third man region. Single taken. |
| 12.5 : S Sharma to C Ingram, A shorter length delivery, pitching outside off Ingram cuts it to sweeper cover for a single. |
| 12.6 : S Sharma to S Iyer, Fuller length delivery on off, Shreyas drives it to the cover fielder. |
| Siddarth Kaul is back. |
| 13.1 : S Kaul to C Ingram, A short of a good length delivery on off, Ingram slashes it hard but gets an outside edge towards the third man for a single. |
| 13.2 : S Kaul to S Iyer, A fuller length delivery on off, Iyer taps it to Manish Pandey at point and runs for a quick single. Pandey has a shy at the stumps at the striker's end but misses. The replays show that if the ball would have hit the stumps it would have been curtains for Ingram. |
| 13.3 : S Kaul to C Ingram, Wide! Way too wide outside off. Colin shoulders his arms. |
| S Kaul to C Ingram, OUT! What a catch to dismiss Ingram! Manish Pandey is the fielder. Ingram will feel hard-done by there but he has to walk back. Not such a great delivery, it is short and outside off. Ingram cuts it nicely but uppishly towards point. Pandey there moves swiftly to his left and takes it inches above the ground with a dive. Delhi now have half their side back in the hut. Into the bowling all-rounders are Hyderabad now. 130 seems difficult from this point. Everything depend |
| Strategic Break! |
| 13.4 : S Kaul to C Morris, A yorker on off, Morris keeps it away. |
| 13.5 : S Kaul to C Morris, FOUR! Excellent shot. A very nice way to get off the mark. It is short and outside off, Morris cuts it late through point and for a boundary. |
| 13.6 : S Kaul to C Morris, Full on middle, Chris drives it towards the mid on region for a run. |
| Rashid Khan is back. |
| 14.1 : R Khan to C Morris, A tossed up delivery outside off, Morris goes for a sweep. Chris fails to get any connection with the ball. |
| 0.0 : Another review from Hyderabad. Rashid this time feels he has got his man. The umpire does not agree. Seems to be missing off or might just end up being umpire's call. |
| 14.2 : R Khan to C Morris, NOT OUT! That is missing the off pole! Hyderabad lose their only review. A poor one to be honest, that never looked out. The leg spinner from Rashid Khan. It pitches on off. Morris has no idea which way the ball is turning and hence goes for the sweep shot again. He misses and the ball hits the back pad. An appeal follows but the umpire shakes his head. Replays show that the on-field call is right. |
| 14.3 : R Khan to C Morris, This time brings the reverse sweep out but once again misses. |
| 14.4 : R Khan to C Morris, A leg bye! Morris once again fails to put bat to ball but this time his pads ensure he gets a single. This is on the leg pole. Morris looks to flick but misses. The ball brushes the pads and rolls towards short fine leg for a single. |
| 14.5 : R Khan to S Iyer, FOUR! Take that, says Iyer. He has smashed that. A little too full on middle, Shreyas smacks it straight past the bowler. No fielder there and it is a boundary. |
| 14.6 : R Khan to S Iyer, Rashid drags his length back and bowls it outside off. Iyer hangs back and looks to cut but misses. |
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar is back on. |
| 15.1 : B Kumar to C Morris, A length delivery on middle, Chris dances down the track and whacks it towards the mid-wicket region for a single. |
| 15.2 : B Kumar to S Iyer, A short of a good length delivery on off, Iyer drives it straight to the mid off fielder. |
| 15.3 : B Kumar to S Iyer, A short delivery on off, Iyer pulls it towards the mid-wicket region for a double. |
| 15.4 : B Kumar to S Iyer, Fuller length delivery on off, Iyer goes for a drive but gets and inside edge onto the short third man region for a single. |
| 15.5 : B Kumar to S Iyer, Full on leg, Iyer flicks it to mid-wicket for a run. |
| 15.6 : B Kumar to C Morris, A low full toss to end the over, Morris hits it with a cross bat towards the mid-wicket region for a single. |
| 16.1 : R Khan to S Iyer, OUT! There goes the skipper and probably Delhi's hope to get to somewhere close to 140. Rashid Khan gets his first in his final over and it is of the well-set batsman. He bowls the googly, Iyer may have picked it as he looks to go with the turn with a slog sweep. The ball though does not bounce a lot, sneaks under the bat and hits the off pole. Khan is up and running in celebration. |
| 0.0 : Axar Patel next in. |
| 16.2 : R Khan to A Patel, A flighted delivery on off and middle, Axar drives it towards the mid on region for a single. |
| 16.3 : R Khan to C Morris, A short delivery by Rashid on off, Morris cuts it towards the point region. Single added. |
| 16.4 : R Khan to A Patel, A back of a length delivery, Patel punches it to sweeper cover for a single. |
| 16.5 : R Khan to C Morris, A floated delivery on middle, Morris flicks it for a single. |
| 16.6 : R Khan to A Patel, A flighted delivery on off, Axar comfortable defends it on his front foot. Rashid finishes with excellent and economical figures of 4-0-18-1. |
| Sandeep Sharma is back on. |
| 17.1 : S Sharma to C Morris, Top nut to begin with! The slower one and Morris has no idea about it. In the end, he somehow tries to get bat on ball but fails to do so. |
| 17.2 : S Sharma to C Morris, SIX! Morris has picked the bones out of that one. This time he waits for the slower ball and then pulls it over the mid-wicket fence. Need a few more do the hosts. 100 up for them. |
| 17.3 : S Sharma to C Morris, Dances down the track but Sandeep shortens his length. Morris pulls it through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 17.4 : S Sharma to A Patel, Another slower one, Patel strokes it to covers for no run. |
| 17.5 : S Sharma to A Patel, Another dot! Not good this from Axar, he needs to give the strike over to Morris if he is not hitting the boundaries. Length and outside off. Patel looks to get bat on ball but misses. |
| 17.6 : S Sharma to A Patel, This time gets bat to ball but only a run as it goes off the inner half to deep mid-wicket. A good come back by the bowler after going for a biggie on the second ball. Just the 8 from it. |
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar to bowl out. |
| 18.1 : B Kumar to A Patel, Full on middle and leg, Axar drives it down to long on for a single. |
| 18.2 : B Kumar to C Morris, WIDE! Bhuvi bowls this way too outside off. Morris lets it go. |
| B Kumar to C Morris, OUT! Another easy catch and the dangerous Morris is walking back. Once again it is the line wide outside off. Morris looks to go over covers. It is the slower one though. It hits the toe-end and lobs towards covers where Nabi takes it easily. |
| Kagiso Rabada out now to bat. |
| 18.3 : B Kumar to A Patel, A length delivery on off, Axar drives it to cover for a single. |
| 18.4 : B Kumar to K Rabada, DROPPED! Kumar could have easily got another! Easy catch that. Sharma is the culprit. This is on the pads. Rabada flicks it stylishly but uppishly towards deep square leg. Sharma there runs to his right, settles under it but drops it. The batsmen take two. Can Rabada make use of the reprieve and strike a few lusty blows? |
| 18.5 : B Kumar to K Rabada, A single as this is mistimed towards mid off. |
| 18.6 : B Kumar to A Patel, FOUR! SHOT! Ends the over with a boundary, a much-needed one. Room on offer and Patel pounces on it. He smashes it through covers and it races away. |
| Siddarth Kaul is called back on to bowl. |
| 19.1 : S Kaul to K Rabada, A slower on outside off by Kaul. Rabada goes for a whack on off side. Fails to get any connection. |
| 19.2 : S Kaul to K Rabada, OUT! Rabada's drop does not count for a lot. Another slower one does the trick for Hyderabad. It is outside off. Rabada looks to swing across the line but only manages a top edge. Kumar at short third man takes an easy catch. |
| Ishant Sharma is the new man in. |
| 19.3 : S Kaul to A Patel, Three dots in a row to begin the last over! The slower one and outside off, Axar once again swings across the line and misses. |
| 19.4 : S Kaul to A Patel, SIX! All the way! Axar expects a slower one and gets it. It is on the leg pole. He lets it come to him and then lofts it over the wide long on fence. Delhi would love one more in the two balls to come. |
| 19.5 : S Kaul to A Patel, A couple! Axar has crunched that. He dances down the track and strokes it through wide mid off. Long off does well to stop it with a dive. Stops two. |
| 19.6 : S Kaul to A Patel, SIX! BOOM! Axar finishes the innings with a bang! 14 from the last three balls and 14 from the last over. Excellent from the left-hander. Once again he waits for the slower ball and then tonks it over the bowler's head. It goes all the way. DELHI FINISH WITH 129! |
| This last over could be the turning point in the game. 140 would have been the target, but on this slow and turning wicket, it could just be enough. Just could be. Hyderabad dominated play for the most part, picking up Shaw early and then striking at regular intervals. It was a collective effort, as all the bowlers chipped in with the wickets. Barring that one dropped chance of Rabada, which virtually cost the visitors nothing, the fielders backed their bowlers well. Right towards the end though |
| Delhi may just be one of those few teams in the world who are more uncomfortable at home than away. They never looked in this. You'd imagine they know the conditions best, but that wasn't the case to be. Their batsmen threw their wickets away cheaply except for the skipper Iyer. Axar Patel's late hitting in the final over might provide them with something to fight for. |
| Mohammad Nabi who is up for an interview says he feels great to bowl like this in the T20 format. Reckons that the wicket is a little bit slower and it is difficult to bat on. Ends by saying that the dew seems to be settling in and it might make batting easier. |
| Now then, 130 is the target! Hyderabad are favorites heading into the second half but it won't be easy. Can the Delhi spinners have a say or will it be too easy for the visitors? Stay tuned to find out. |
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