Imran Tahir gave Delhi some hope with two consecutive overs that went for six runs each, but inexplicably – with 37 needed from 18, Shami was brought back.
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Earlier, Supergiants bowlers did a good job, especially in the middle overs, to restrict the in-form Delhi Daredevils to 162 for seven after inviting the hosts to bat.
Put in to bat by MS Dhoni, Delhi, as has been the case thus far except for the chase against Gujarat Lions, suffered an early blow. Another restart was required, and it was given by Duminy and Billings.
Duminy, meanwhile, kept the score ticking by scoring at almost run a ball but was running out of partners. Billings and Duminy started slowly against Bhatia and Ashwin before the latter took control of the proceedings.
Another factor that stopped Delhi from posting 200 on the board was the bowling from the Pune side from overs 6 to 10.
The pair of Ravichandran Ashwin (0-34) and Bhatia (2-22) bowled well in partnership and conceded just 21 runs in the next four overs while also dismissing Nair in the process. The phase started with Sanju Samson departing just before the end of the powerplay, and ended with Karun Nair’s wicket. Braithwaite too entertained in his brief stay, as Delhi gathered 50 runs in the last five overs.Bhatia, familiar to the Kotla conditions this being his home ground, was the most effective for Pune while Scott Boland impressed with his 2/31. The Aussie opener hit two boundaries and a six.
Supergiants openers Usman Khwaja (30 off 27) and Rahane set up the chase with their 59 run stand. While Khwaja, playing his first IPL match, looked rusty, Rahane was rock solid with his shots. They needed wickets up front to make a contest of it, but instead, Rahane and Khawaja gave them a platform of a 59-run opening stand. Rahane was fluent from the start, while Khawaja – in his first IPL innings ever – was a mixture of nerves and gorgeous drives.
West Indian hitman Carlos Braithwate, who was included for the match against KKR, enthralled the Delhi crowd with his all-round efforts – 34 from 11 balls and three wickets – to pocket the man of the match award. In an over that included five wides, Dhoni also smashed a four and a six to bring the equation to 17 from two, and though Dhoni was caught brilliantly by Billings on the midwicket fence, it didn’t alter the result.
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1 – Medium pacer Rajat Bhatia tops the list of the most economical bowlers in this IPL when a minimum criteria of ten overs is imposed. Delhi huffed and puffed their way to 83 in the next six-over period which had either of the two Ashwins and Bhatia operating in tandem, until Sam Billings chose to take matters into his own hands. First, Duminy fell short of the crease while trying to steal a second run and in the next over, Saurabh Tiwary’s direct hit sent Jayant Yadav back to the dugout. Pune’s chase was anchored by Ajinkya Rahane (63*) and at the end Thisara Perera finished off things for his team with big hits.
