DPL Season 2: West Delhi Lions edge Central Delhi Kings in last-over thriller

New Delhi, Aug 21 (IANS) The Delhi Premier League (DPL) clash between Central Delhi Kings and West Delhi Lions turned into a nail-biter at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Thursday, with the Lions holding their nerves to seal a dramatic three-run win.

Chasing 179, the Kings needed just seven runs in the final over, but Anirudh Chowdhary produced a masterclass in death bowling. Keeping his calm under pressure, Chowdhary conceded only three runs and dismissed skipper Jonty Sidhu (56 off 41) to deliver a memorable victory for the Lions. He finished with figures of 1-24 in three overs, with his final over proving decisive.

The Kings’ chase had begun on a shaky note, losing a couple of early wickets. But opener Yash Dhull kept them in the hunt with a fluent 72 off 49, stitching together a 79-run stand with his captain. Sidhu’s composed half-century, combined with a handy 23 off 12 from Aditya Bhandari, gave the Kings hope. Still, the late squeeze from Chowdhary and support from Shivank Vashisht (1-16 in three overs) tilted the contest in the Lions’ favour.

Earlier, batting first, West Delhi Lions endured their struggles, slipping to 65/4 before wicketkeeper-batter Krish Yadav anchored the innings. Yadav’s resilient 85 off 60 balls held the innings together, while Hrithik Shokeen (20 off 11) and Ravneet Tanwar’s late flourish ensured the Lions reached a fighting total of 178/8 in 20 overs. For the Kings, Arun Pundir was the pick of the bowlers, returning exceptional figures of 2-16 in four overs.

In the end, it was Chowdhary’s ice-cool final over that stole the spotlight, handing West Delhi Lions a thrilling victory.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Outer Delhi Warriors put up a commanding all-round display to defeat North Delhi Strikers by 7 wickets in a high-scoring Delhi Premier League (DPL) clash at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. The victory gave the Warriors two crucial points.

Brief scores:

West Delhi Lions 178/6 in 20 overs (Krish Yadav 85, Hrithik Shokeen 20; Arun Pundir 2-16) beat Central Delhi Kings 175/5 in 20 overs (Yash Dhull 72, Jonty Sidhu 56; Anirudh Chowdhary 1-24, Shivank Vashisht 1-16) by three runs

--IANS

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