IPL 10, Match 52, Delhi Daredevils v Rising Pune Supergiant: 5 Game Changing Moments

Batting first on Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi Daredevils were off to the worst of starts that they could have expected against the Rising Pune Supergiant. The home side was reduced to 10/2 in just the third over before a third-wicket partnership between the in-form Rishabh Pant and Karun Nair. It almost seemed like the batsmen were taking the game away from the visitors before Pant threw his wicket for a cheap shot.

Karun Nair’s knock of 64 from 45 balls was the difference between 130 and 160 on the track which was quite difficult for the incoming batsman to bat on. The Daredevils posted a total of 168 for the loss of eight wickets. In reply, the Supergiant began the innings off to a shocking start. Daredevils captain Zaheer Khan got the team off to the best of starts, with a peach of delivery to dismiss the opener Ajinkya Rahane for a duck. In the end, Manoj Tiwary’s valiant innings of 60 went in vain as the Supergiant failed to chase the total of 169.

Here are the five game-changing moments in the encounter:

1) Rising Pune Supergiant and fielding – a match made in heaven

In the initial phases of the tournament, it looked like the Supergiant too like their counterparts in this match were weak in the field. In the series of matches, Jaydev Unadkat and Manoj Tiwary were culprits dropping the catches of Robin Uthappa and Gautam Gambhir only to name a few.

Since then, the Rising Pune Supergiant have upped the ante in the field with some spectacular fielding display and incredible catches on the field. Jayadev Unadkat’s catch certainly was a contender for the catch of the tournament, until Ben Stokes pulled off a jaw-dropping catch at the edge of the boundary. It took some fielding display from the Supergiant to restrict the Daredevils to 168.

2) Cannoned by Nair

It is almost the end of the tournament, and it seemed like Karun Nair would not show us the form which he exhibited in Chennai against the English visitors. Karun Nair had only managed to get a season high of 40 runs before this match, and it seemed like the curse was going to continue throughout the tournament.

The batsman seemed like a man on a mission for the Daredevils, getting off to a dream start with some deft touches across the leg-side. Once the Indian got his mojo back, he looked ever so threatening and posted 64 runs on the board, with 9 nine boundaries across the field.

3) Zaheer’s still that man on a mission

At the age of 38, veteran left-arm seamer Zaheer Khan proved that he has the goods to perform well in the shortest form of the game. The first ball that the left-arm seamer bowled was a peach of delivery, swinging back into the right-hander and taking the leg peg for a walk.

The experience that was shown during Zaheer Khan’s over was pure gold for the otherwise inexperienced Delhi Daredevils side, with only a few players with loads of international experience. It was almost like the age-old unplayable delivery returned to Indian Premier League, bringing back nostalgia for the Indian fans. The left-arm pacer completed his spell with figures of 2-25 in his four overs.

4) Mohd Shami’s change in fortune

It was not a common sight to see MS Dhoni getting out to a direct hit, and definitely not from a Mohd Shami’s direct hit. After an excellent display with the gloves, Dhoni failed to get the momentum with the bat, struggling to time the ball off the middle of the bat.

Mohammed Shami’s eye for the stump was seen not only during his bowling but also during his time in the field. The right-arm seamer knocked the stump catching the former Indian captain short of the crease. He followed it up with some pin-point Yorkers which made it very tough for the Rising Pune Supergiant batsmen to hit.

5) Manoj Tiwary continues to make merry

The Bengal batsman carried on his domestic form into the Indian Premier League and started to click from ball one in the tournament. The right-handed batsman has been one of Pune’s most consistent batsman in the tournament, with runs coming in thick and fast.

Tiwary looked in sublime form, while the rest of Pune batsman failed to connect the ball from the middle of the bat. With the score of 60, the batsman almost made it count for the visitors, who fell short by seven runs at the end.