Kochi Tuskers Grab Vital Win Over Delhi Daredevils

Kochi Tuskers Grab Vital Win Over Delhi Daredevils

Brendon McCullum played a key innings for the Kochi Tuskers Kerala

©REUTERS/Andrew Caballero-Reynolds (SRI LANKA - Tags: SPORT CRICKET) Picture Supplied by Action Images

Kochi Tuskers Kerala 141-3 (B McCullum 37) beat
Delhi Daredevils 140-6 (V Rao 40) by 7 wickets
Indian Premier League 2011, Delhi
Scorecard

The Kochi Tuskers Kerala avenged their Indian Premier League defeat from three days ago when they beat the Delhi Daredevils by seven wickets at Delhi.

It could have rejuvenated their floundering campaign, the win coming after three straight losses and puts them at sixth place on eight points. Meanwhile it was the sixth defeat for Delhi in nine games and really puts their chances of making it to the knock-outs at real jeopardy.

Chasing 141 runs for victory, Kochi started in whirlwind fashion and they had Brendon McCullum to thank for that. He smashed the opening bowlers Irfan Pathan, Morne Morkel and Umesh Yadav all over the park as the first 50 runs came in only the fourth over.

McCullum scored 37 runs off 19 balls, a bursting stay at the crease that included five hits to the fence and two hits over it. But his dismissal came about softly as he pulled Morkel straight to mid-on at the start of the sixth over. It seemed as if Delhi might be able to recollect themselves having fought bravely on previous occasions.

Three wickets fell in the space of four overs and 28 runs. After McCullum, Michael Klinger departed an over later and when Mahela Jayawardene was run out in an active piece of cricket by Yogesh Nagar, it seemed there might be a match on hand. But Parthiv Patel, who came in at number three, played a watchful innings of 37 not out and steered his side home without any more trouble. He faced 31 balls and hit five fours.

Giving him company was Brad Hodge who remained unbeaten on 24 runs off 13 balls as the finish line was breached in only fifteen overs.

Earlier, Delhi were put into bat first on what looked like a lively pitch with grass on the top surface. It didn’t provide for much movement, just enough bounce for the batsmen to make merry. The home team were relying on their openers Virender Sehwag and David Warner to give them a head start but it failed to materialise.

Sehwag was first out in the third over, for only 15 runs, and when Warner followed in the sixth over, that was half their batting might already gone. The scorecard only read 42 for two and it soon became 43 for three with Naman Ojha edging one to the keeper in the seventh over.

Yogesh Nagar and Venugopal Rao tried rebuilding the innings, putting together 54 runs for the fourth wicket. But Delhi hadn’t crossed the 100-run mark until the 16th over and that meant an ordinary score was the best they could hope for.

Rao topscored with 40 runs off 36 balls, including five fours but it was Travis Birt whose cameo in the end allowed the innings some flourish towards the end. He hit 27 runs off only 15 balls laced with five boundaries and it meant Delhi would eventually finish with 140 for 6 in their twenty over. But it was never going to be a defendable total on a good batting track.

© Cricket World 2011