Delhi’s collective bowling effort
For a team whose batting line-up is failing to fire in unison, it was important for the bowling unit to come up with a collective effort. That’s what the Delhi Capitals bowlers produced. It was difficult to single out any one of the six used. Their most expensive bowler on the day — Mukesh Kumar in this case — went for nine an over, but bowled a stellar last one. This was a super performance, considering that the team was defending something under 7.5 per over. Individuals did stand out, but it was one of those instances where the collective stood above personal efforts. Delhi stay alive, just by a thread, but they are there. And for that, they have their bowlers to thank.
Spare a thought for Bhuvi
One has to speak about Bhuvnsehwar Kumar, even though his team lost. Sixteen dot balls in four overs that cost a mere 11 runs and fetched two wickets. This was one of the best bowling exhibitions in the IPL this year. Conditions weren’t conducive to swing, which is his forte. But he turned that disadvantage into an advantage by using the cutters so effectively. And also, the clever use of angles. For right-hand batters, he had a plan. For the left-hand ones, he had a different one. It was intelligence all the way. It seemed his performance was going to turn the match in Sunrisers Hyderabad’s favour, but then, their batters choked.
The Pandey-Patel stand
Delhi looked well and truly gone after the eighth over bowled by Washington Sundar, where he took three wickets. The total was 62-5, and something below 130 was very much on the cards. That’s when Manish Pandey and Axar Patel put together that pivotal partnership of 69 runs. The three successive fours Patel struck off Mayank Markande in the 17th over were crucial. This was a vital passage of play, where preventing further loss of wickets was of paramount importance. Pandey and Patel did that even though the scoring rate was not that spectacular. In the end, that did not matter. The runs they shared made a big difference. And so did the tidy overs bowled by Patel.
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Pitches not helping batters
Pitches are getting slower. That’s expected, given that the IPL is played in select venues at the peak of the Indian summer. There is a lot of wear and tear, which brings the spinners into the play that much more. This was very evident in Hyderabad on Monday. Sundar, Markande, Patel and Kuldeep Yadav — all were effective to varying degrees. Going forward, this might become the trend. Those who prepare the pitches try their best to roll out high-scoring surfaces. But that becomes a difficult task because of the volume of load these pitches have to endure. From the spectator point of view, low or below-expectation totals are not that great. Yet, they make for some exciting contests.
Mukesh proves his worth
Now, come to Mukesh. A costly buy at Rs 5.5 crore, he had not done that well until now. Monday was his day. It could have gone horribly wrong for him after he bowled that 18th over, which produced 15 runs and brought Hyderabad right back into the game. Still, David Warner showed faith in him and gave him the last over when he had 12 to defend. Two properly connected shots and the match could have gone anywhere. That’s when the Bengal bowler did a Bhuvi and delivered six balls with pin-point accuracy. It was quality stuff – angles used cleverly, and the width of the crease taken full advantage of despite having an additional fielder inside the circle for a slow over-rate. Delhi may still not make it, but Mukesh will take it. This was his day to prove that he belongs on this stage.