Shikhar Dhawan became the first batsman to score back-to-back hundreds in the IPL but his side Delhi Capitals (DC) still ended up losing to Kings XI Punjab in Dubai on Tuesday. KXIP chased down the total of 165 with one over to spare, losing 5 wickets in the process.
With the win, KXIP moved to fifth spot in the IPL table with 8 points and kept their playoff hopes alive. DC remained on top with 14 points despite the loss.
KXIP had a rollocking start reaching 50 in just the 6th over. From 56 for 3, there was a 69-run partnership between Mayank Agarwal and Nicholas Pooran before the latter fell for a well-made 53. Pooran’s innings was punctuated with 6 fours and 3 sixes.
Maxwell played a useful knock of 32 before he was the fifth wicket to fall. Deepak Hooda and Jimmy Neesham remained unbeaten at the end.
For DC, Rabada was again the stand-out performer picking up 2 wickets for 27 runs in his 4-over spell. Tushar Desphande was taken to the cleaners, which included one over where he was smashed for 26 runs by Gayle.
Earlier, Dhawan cracked an unbeaten 106 off 61 balls which included 12 fours and three sixes. It seemed he was batting on a different surface with the second highest score of the innings coming from skipper Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant, who made 14 each.
KXIP bowled well at the back end of the innings to restrict DC to below 180 with lead pacer Mohammed Shami (2/28) being the stand out performer.
Fresh off a hundred in the last game, Dhawan began by slog sweeping offie Glenn Maxwell in the opening over.
Shaw, who failed to get off the mark in the preview two games, perished cheaply once again, trying to smash Jimmy Neesham over extra cover when he was in no position to play that aerial stroke. Iyer too did not last long after getting off the mark with a lofted cover drive that went for a six with Delhi reaching 83 for two in 10 overs.
At the other end, Dhawan grew in confidence and an example of that was the way he drove a full ball from Shami over mid-off. The southpaw crossed the 5000-run mark in the IPL by sweeping leggie Ravi Bishnoi for a six over deep square-leg, becoming the fifth batsmen to do so in the tournament's history.
He got to his century, another landmark, with a double off left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh. However, he did not get the required support from the other end as Delhi ended with a below-par total.
Delhi made three changes by bringing back a fit again Pant and Shimron Hetmyer, who made way for wicketkeeper Alex Carey in the former's absence.
Bowling all-rounder Daniel Sams was handed his debut cap with the Australian replacing in-form pacer Anrich Nortje.
KXIP surprisingly replaced Chris Jordan with Neesham after the Englishman had a decent outing in the previous game against Mumbai Indians.
With PTI inputs