Thakur’s mix puts Punjab in a fix

Speedster Shardul reveals how his variations helped beat PBKS on Monday and take Delhi Capitals to fourth place; DC play their last game against Mumbai Indians on May 21

All-rounder Shardul Thakur personally did not have a great IPL till the 64th game of the tournament on Monday, against Punjab Kings, where he grabbed a four-wicket haul to help Delhi Capitals secure a 17-run victory. 

Key wickets

Thakur made only three in a Delhi score of 159 for 7, but then turned the match around with the ball as he claimed the wickets of Shikhar Dhawan, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Punjab’s top scorer Jitesh Sharma (44) and Kagiso Rabada to win the player of the match award with fine figures of four for 36. Thakur used his ability to mix up his deliveries, varying pace and movement, to dismiss the four batters. He was unlucky not to take a fifer when teammate David Warner dropped a catch in the deep.

“There was a lot of dew and it was humid too. I bowled off-cutters, knuckle balls, slow bouncers —it was a day for mixed deliveries,” Thakur said after helping his team stop Punjab at 142 for nine.  Besides Thakur, spinners Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav took two wickets each. Thakur pointed out that both teams struggled to get going after the Powerplay phase. “Both our middle-orders struggled today. Probably there was something in the pitch that didn’t allow batsmen to score after six overs,” he said. 

While Delhi got off to an electrifying start after the first-ball loss of their mainstay David Warner, thanks to Mitchell Marsh’s 63 and opener Sarfaraz Khan’s breezy 32, Punjab reached the half-century mark by the end of the Powerplay for the loss of their top three batsmen. Shardul praised his team’s bowling unit for applying the brakes on Punjab even though there was heavy dew. 

Dew factor crucial

“The dew came in after eight overs. They could have used it to their advantage, but they kept losing wickets. Credit to our bowling unit. We did not get the sort of momentum we wanted at the start [of the IPL]. But today’s victory was big. Our next match is on May 21 [v Mumbai Indians] and by that time many teams will probably be eliminated,” said Thakur about Delhi’s climb to the fourth spot in the points table.

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Pacer Shardul Thakur’s match-winning figures for Delhi Capitals against the Punjab Kings

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