Spinner Kuldeep Yadav shined with the ball as Delhi Capitals won a morale-boosting six-wicket victory against Lucknow Super Giants. Australia’s Jake Fraser-McGurk made a bold entrance with a robust half-century on his IPL debut.
Spinner Kuldeep Yadav sparkled with the ball as Delhi Capitals scored a morale-boosting six-wicket win against Lucknow Super Giants at Ekana Cricket Stadium on Friday. Australia’s Jake Fraser-McGurk made his IPL debut with a fiery half-century. After Kuldeep (3/20) dazzled with a three-wicket haul, Ayush Badoni (55 not out off 35 balls) hammered an explosive unbeaten half century to enable the Super Giants rally to a reasonable 167/7. With a partnership of 77 runs, Fraser-McGurk (55 off 35 balls) and captain Rishabh Pant (41) decisively defeated the hosts and sealed DC’s second victory of the season.
Known for his aggressive style, the 22-year-old Australian scored his first ever runs in the IPL by hitting a long shot off Yash Thakur over deep mid-wicket. In the ensuing over, he scored an additional six.
Even though Prithvi Shaw (32) was in fantastic form, DC dropped to 63/2 when Ravi Bishnoi entered the game and immediately made an impact. For a while, Fraser-McGurk was also having trouble finding the boundaries, which allowed the LSG bowlers to dominate the visiting team.
However, in the 11th over, Pant hit the ball over Bishnoi’s head for a straight six, earning Delhi their first boundary in 29 deliveries and helping them pass the 3,000-run mark in the IPL.
With some bold shots, such as a reverse scoop off Marcus Stoinis, the dashing wicketkeeper-batter showed off his old style.
With Pant’s powerful hitting, Fraser-McGurk’s pressure was lessened as he struck fellow countryman Stoinis for three straight sixes, nearly bringing the score to a run-a-ball.
After missing three games owing to a groin ache, Kuldeep returned to the team earlier and took three wickets in his allotted four overs, conceding just 20 runs and no boundaries.
Among his victims were Marcus Stoinis (8), the dangerous Nicholas Pooran (0), and skipper KL Rahul (39).
After dealing the first blow, Khaleel Ahmed (2/41), Ishant Sharma (1/36) and Mukesh Kumar (1/41) also claimed wickets, leaving LSG reeling at 94/7.
However, Badoni then decided to take responsibility for bringing the LSG innings back to life. Together with Arshad Khan (20 off 16 balls), he hammered five boundaries and a six to stitch together a 73-run unbroken partnership.
Quinton de Kock (19) chose to bat and got off to a fast start with four boundaries before being leg-before-s wicketed by Khaleel in the third over.
After being Khaleel’s second victim of the day, Devdutt Padikkal’s (3) miserable run continued. For his fifth consecutive single-figure score, the pacer pinned Padikkal in front of the center and leg.
The bowler dropped Stoinis on 0 off his own delivery in the very next ball, denying Khaleel the chance to make it two out of two.
Rahul, though, persisted in securing boundaries at the opposite end, leading his team to 57/2 on the powerplay.
However, the batting collapse was aided by Kuldeep’s entrance in the eighth over. The left-arm spinner initially bowled a superbly tossed up delivery, but Stoinis threw his hands at it, only to get a leading edge that sailed straight to Ishant at backward point.
Then he misled the highly effective Pooran, who appeared to be at a loss for words as the ball uprooted the stump.
As a result of the batting collapse, the hosts were obliged to use Impact Substitute Deepak Hooda (10) but Kuldeep took his third wicket in eight balls to remove Rahul and deflate the LSG batting.
As the boundaries stopped coming in, Delhi bowlers strangled the LSG hitters.
Hooda and Krunal Pandya (3) were replaced by Ishant and Mukesh, who also made a comeback to the Delhi playing XI following an injury.
