NEW DELHI, Apr 21:
Virender Sehwag returned to form with a blistering unbeaten 95 to help Delhi Daredevils break the jinx of six straight defeats and open their account in the ongoing Pepsi Indian Premier League with a thumping nine wicket win over Mumbai Indians here today.
The win, also aided by skipper Mahela Jayawardene’s classy 59, breaks Delhi’s eight straight defeats, including the two in last year’s qualifier and eliminator.
Chasing a challenging 162, Sehwag and Jayawardene made short work of MI’s ordinary bowling attack to help Delhi overwhelm the target with three overs to spare.
While Sehwag hit a whopping 13 fours and two sixes during his 57-ball knock, Jayawardene decorated his 43-ball innings with eight boundaries and one hit over the fence.
May be it was the presence of Sir Vivian Richards in Delhi’s dressing room that brought out a signature Sehwag innings.
If Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma entertained the crowd during the first session, Sehwag and Jayawardene’s exhilarating strokeplay in the second half enthralled the spectators even more.
If Sehwag’s innings was all about brute power, Jayawardene was elegant in his shot-making as he more often caressed the ball to the boundary.
While Sehwag blazed to his 50 in just 31 balls, Jayawardene never looked like brutalizing the bowling but yet completed his half-century in 34 deliveries.
For the first time in the tournament, Delhi’s opening combo fired as Sehwag and Jayawardene shared 151 runs off 94 balls to lay the foundation for the comfortable win.
The listless Mumbai bowling attack finally tasted a success in the form of Jayawardene who got out LBW to Lasith Malinga with Delhi just needing 11 runs to win.
While Delhi registered their first win in the tournament out of seven games, for Mumbai it’s their fourth defeat out of six matches in IPL 6. (PTI)
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