RAIPUR, India, CMC – Twenty20 World Cup star, Carlos Brathwaite, shone with the ball but failed to deliver with the bat, as Delhi Daredevils kept their playoff hopes alive with a six-wicket win over leaders Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League here Friday.
Sent in at the International Cricket Stadium, Sunrisers were held to 158 for seven off their 20 overs, with seamer Brathwaite finishing with two for 27 from his four overs.
In reply, Delhi reached their target off the last delivery of the game, thanks to a superb, unbeaten 83 by Karun Nair while Brathwaite scored just ten.
With the victory, Delhi remained in sixth place but moved to 14 points – alongside the third placed Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kolkata Knight Riders in fourth and the fifth placed Mumbai Indians in a tightly bunched table.
Sunrisers remained on top with 16 points, ahead of the second placed Gujarat Lions by virtue of a superior net run rate.
The leaders got a solid start from Australian David Warner who slammed 73 and helped to add 46 for the first wicket with Shikhar Dhawan who made 10.
Brathwaite ran out Dhawan in the sixth over with a brilliant direct hit off his own bowling and also accounted for left-hander Yuvraj Singh for ten in the 10th over, bowled dragging on a wide delivery.
The left-handed Warner seemed poised to launch a late assault when Brathwaite had him caught at third man in the 16th over, with Sunrisers on 117 for five.
Chasing a gettable total, Delhi lost the in-form Quinton de Kock for two at nine for one in the second over but Nair took control of the innings with an excellent knock which included eight fours and three sixes off 59 balls.
He put on 73 for the second wicket with Rishabh Pant (32) and 26 for the fourth wicket with Brathwaite who struck two fours before being brilliantly caught at short third man by a diving Barinder Sran off left-arm seamer Mustafizur Rahman.
Delhi required 11 from the last over and Nair struck boundaries from the last two deliveries to ensure a positive result for the visitors.
