North Delhi Strikers Cruise To 7-Wicket Victory Over Central Delhi Kings

Kandpal and Dabas star in dominant performance to guarantee second win in Delhi Premier League

Leading North Delhi Strikers to a resounding triumph against Central Delhi Kings, Vaibhav Kandpal and Yash Dabas inspire others /

By Mohamed Bahaa

With a commanding seven-wicket victory against the Central Delhi Kings in their most recent match on Monday, August 19, at Arun Jaitley Stadium, the North Delhi Strikers proved their strength in the Delhi Premier League.

After winning the toss and choosing to bat first, Central Delhi Kings put up a respectable 20 overs scoring total of 175/5. With a powerful knock of 63 from just 34 balls, well-supported by Jonty Sidhu who scored 42 off 28 deliveries, Dhruv Kaushik was the outstanding performer. With openers Hiten Dalal and Kaushik driving the score to 50 in the first five overs, the Kings started off really impressively. But the momentum changed when Suyash Sharma dismissed Dalal for 27 in the fifth over, putting the Kings at 54/1.

Managing only 11 off 16 balls, Captain Yash Dhull battled to make an impact and was dismissed by Manan Bhardwaj in the ninth over, so lowering the Kings to 65/2. Then Kaushik and Sidhu stabilized the innings, bringing their team past 100 in the 12th over. Kaushik brought up his half-century in style with a six, but Yatish Singh soon removed him. Dismissing Sidhu in the 18th over, Suyash Sharma got his second wicket and left the Kings to run frantically in the last overs. Though Keshav Dabas, who struck 14 off 7 balls, had a brief cameo, the Kings barely achieved 175/5; Anirudh Chowdhary's 19th over was crucial in limiting the total.

In response, the North Delhi Strikers aggressively tackled the target even though opener Sarthak Ranjan was early lost for 10 in the second over. Then Vaibhav Kandpal and Yash Dabas seized control and built a vital alliance that helped the Strikers score 100 in just 10 overs. Dabas's excellent 56 off 33 ball innings came to an end in the 11th over when Rajneesh Dadar caught him. Still dominating, though, Kandpal brought up his half-century before being removed for a well-played 60 off 35 balls in the 14th over, so leaving the Strikers securely positioned at 147/3.

Yash Bhatia guaranteed there were no more mistakes; he scored an undefeated 34 off 26 balls to lead the North Delhi Strikers to a stunning triumph with 11 balls left.

Brief Scores:

North Delhi Strikers: 177/3 in 18.1 overs (Vaibhav Kandpal 60, Yash Dabas 56, Money Grewal 1/27)

Central Delhi Kings: 175/5 in 20 overs (Dhruv Kaushik 63, Jonty Sidhu 42, Suyash Sharma 2/35)