HYDERABAD: What happens when the possible champions meet the laggards? What else, but total annihilation! David Warner short-lived 54-ball 109 helped Delhi Daredevils inflict upon Deccan Chargers a massive 9-wicket succeeds that take them again to the top of the points table.
Having batted 1st and posted 187-4, thanks to Shikhar Dhawan and Cameron White, Deccan would have careful half the job done. They could even be excused for assume that it was all over once captain Virender Sehwag departed in the 1st over of the chase. But the home team had taken the field with no a single overseas bowler and paid heavily for that, as Daredevils gunned down the target with 20 balls to spare.
It didn’t help that Warner was in a mainly vicious mood. As a result, whatever Chargers had ended in their innings, Delhi did one better. The pint-sized Aussie gather his runs at a frenetic pace, starting with fours off Dhawan and success a pinnacle of demolition against Ashish Reddy, as the seamer accepted 20 in the 6th over. Warner joint with Naman Ojha (64, 46b) for 189 runs in 16.2 overs in an unbroken 2nd-wicket partnership.
He biffed sixes off most of Deccan’s attack and reached his 2nd IPL and 5th Twenty20 century in style, pulling another maximum off Ankit Sharma. The Warner-Ojha alliance totally overshadowed the 126-run connection between Dhawan and White, and brought Delhi back to the top of the table, where they replaced Kolkata Knight Riders. Deccan had earlier posted 187-4, thanks to their most consistent batsmen this season – Dhawan and White. The pair added runs at almost eleven per over as the home side shrugged off a normal start to go faster menacingly in the final 10overs.
After Kumar Sangakkara selected to bat, Chargers were 64 for the loss of opener Daniel Harris and captain Sangakkara. Dhawan opened the sluice-gates by cracking successive sixes off Shahbaz Nadeem and then wading into Irfan Pathan for 16 runs in the 13th over.Andre Russel, making his IPL debut, wasn’t spared either. The West Indian approved a hat-trick of fours to end with a wicket-less 39 from 4 overs. Morne Morkel came back after the Strategic timeout, and he too was taken to the cleaners – a 4 to fine-leg, another during point and a deadly 6 carted over mid-wicket.
Dhawan was run-out by a straight throw from fine-leg in the 18th over, and White full in by launching into Pathan again for maximum gain. The last 10overs yielded Chargers 123 runs, as Delhi bowlers insist on erring on the fuller side. And yet the whole failed to challenge Warner in the outline of mind he was in.
Man of the match:
David Warner
