The even nature of the current round of IPL was underlines when bottom side Delhi Daredevils recorded their second win of the competition with a blistering batting performance against Kings XI Punjab. With all teams except Pune now having played five or more matches, all sides have won at least twice, and except for top team Mumbai, all sides have now lost twice.
In Saturday's match, the home side's opening pair's potential was finally fully realised. Their only other significant partnership of the tournament was a 75 run start that helped their side chase down Pune's 187, but they went well beyond that today, and at a pace that left Punjab reeling. Both openers made 77, with Warner's 48 ball effort put in the shade by Sehwag's 35 ball carnage. Even when Sehwag departed in the 12th over with the score on 146 there was no let up for Punjab as Venugopal Rao and Naman Ojha kept up the attack. Chawla was the only bowler to go for under 10 an over as Delhi finished with 4/231. David Hussey's first outing saw his first three deliveries all hit for six, before claiming Sehwag with his fourth.
In reply, the Kings XI gave it a decent shot, with Shaun Marsh hitting six sixes in a 46-ball 95, but despite their moments, Gilchrist, Hussey and Valthaty were unable to provide enough support to reach what would have been a record Twenty20 chase.
Thus Mumbai are now the only team with just one defeat in what is a pretty crowded table with just over a third of the group stage completed. Mumbai certainly look to be the team to beat with only Valthaty ahead of Tendulkar on the run aggregate list, with Malinga a run away leader on the wicket taking list and Harbhajan Singh in equal second place.
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