Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International: Delhi Royals registered their first victory of the Legend 90 League with a dominant 41-run win over Rajasthan Kings in Match 4 at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium on Saturday.
After putting up a formidable total of 195/3 in 90 balls, Delhi Royals effectively defended their score, restricting Rajasthan Kings to 154/4.
Rajasthan Kings skipper Ankit Rajpoot opted to bowl first, but Delhi Royals capitalised on the decision. Shikhar Dhawan gave his team a blazing start, striking three consecutive fours in the first over against Rajpoot. He, along with Lendl Simmons, built a solid 60-run partnership before falling to Sudeep Tyagi.
Simmons, playing his first match of the season, continued to dominate, stitching an 82-run stand with Angelo Perera for the third wicket. The former West Indies opener smashed 87 off just 39 balls, hitting 12 fours and four sixes, before missing out on a century.
Perera provided the finishing touch, remaining unbeaten on 54 off 24 balls with six fours and three sixes, helping Delhi Royals set a daunting total of 195/3 in 15 overs.
Chasing 196, Rajasthan Kings suffered an early blow as opener Phil Mustard was dismissed for a duck in the first over by Parvinder Awana, who bowled a wicket-maiden.
Despite some resistance from Gaurav Tomar (34 off 18) and Rajesh Bishnoi (31 off 12), Rajasthan struggled to build momentum. Bipul Sharma was the game-changer with the ball, taking three wickets to reduce Rajasthan to 78/4.
Rajat Singh, the Kings’ top scorer from their previous game, played a valiant knock, remaining unbeaten on 48 off 32 balls. He, along with Manpreet Gony, tried to revive the innings, but the target proved too steep.
Despite some resistance from Gaurav Tomar (34 off 18) and Rajesh Bishnoi (31 off 12), Rajasthan struggled to build momentum. Bipul Sharma was the game-changer with the ball, taking three wickets to reduce Rajasthan to 78/4.
Article Source: IANS
