DPL T20: Keshav Dabas' fifty powers Central Delhi Kings to 5-wicket win over East Delhi Riders

New Delhi, Aug 27 (IANS) Keshav Dabas and Aryan Rana’s gritty 60-run partnership off 40 balls helped Central Delhi Kings defeat East Delhi Riders by five wickets in the 16th match of the Delhi Premier League T20 at Arun Jaitley Stadium here on Tuesday.

Skipper Himmat Singh’s 63 off 33 balls and Anuj Rawat’s 61 off 44 guided East Delhi Riders to a total of 172/5 in their 20 overs. However, Dabas' unbeaten 52 off 27 balls led Central Delhi Kings to chase down the target in 17.5 overs, handing East Delhi Riders their first defeat of the season. Despite the early wickets of Yash Dhull (8 off 11) and Dhruv Kaushik (15 off 8), Central Delhi Kings managed to score 51/2 in the Powerplay, thanks to Hiten Dalal and captain Jonty Sidhu, who kept the scoreboard moving.

Dalal's innings of 31 off 18 balls ended in the ninth over, and Sidhu (15 off 18) followed him back to the pavilion in the very next over, leaving Central Delhi Kings at 75/4 at the halfway stage.

Aryan Rana and Keshav Dabas then steadied the run chase. Their cautious approach in the following overs reduced the target to 41 needed from the last four overs.

Bhagwan Singh provided East Delhi Riders with a breakthrough by removing Rana (28 off 22) in the 17th over, but he conceded 27 runs, leaving Central Delhi Kings needing just 14 off 18 balls. In the same over, Dabas also completed his fifty in 26 balls. He, along with Sumit Kumar (13 off 5), struck a flurry of boundaries in the following over to help Central Delhi Kings chase down the target with 13 balls to spare.

Earlier in the contest, East Delhi Riders were put in to bat first. Openers Anuj Rawat and Sujal Singh started slow, taking the team to the 50-run mark by the seventh over. Singh was given a lifeline when he was dropped in the ninth over but couldn’t capitalise as he got dismissed in the same over to Harish Dagar after scoring 31 off 28 balls. Rawat then shifted gears as he brought up his fifty in 38 balls, with East Delhi Riders at 103/2 after 13 overs.

Meanwhile, Central Delhi Kings’ bowlers kept things tight, restricting East Delhi Riders from scoring freely. Keshav Dabas struck twice in the 15th over, removing Rawat (61 off 44) and sending Mayank Rawat back for a golden duck. By the 16th over, East Delhi Riders were 128/3, with Himmat anchoring the innings.

In the final four overs, skipper Himmat and Samarth Seth accelerated and went to smash 44 runs. Himmat, who was dismissed in the final over, scored his third consecutive fifty of the tournament, finishing with 63 off 33 balls. Seth chipped in with 12 off 11, helping the team post a competitive total of 172/5.

Brief scores:

East Delhi Riders 172/5 in 20 overs (Himmat Singh 63, Anuj Rawat 61; Keshav Dabas 2-20) lost to Central Delhi Kings 173/7 in 17.5 overs (Keshav Dabas 52 not out, Hiten Dalal 31; Mayank Rawat 1-15) by three wickets.

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