Delhi Capitals defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by four wickets in Match 41 of the ongoing Indian Premier League 2022 season, at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday.
Delhi Capitals Were a Part of a huge drama in their last match where DC all rounder Rovman Powell smacked 3 sixes in the frist three balls while trying to get 36 off the last over.
However, this time Powell played his part to perfection againts KKR as he finished the match with 1 over remaining. The West indian scored an inbeaten 33 runs in 16 balls with a four and 3 sixes while chasing a low total of 147 in 20 overs.
there was a wobble midway through a chase of 146. Powell came in at a precarious point when Delhi had lost both David Warner and Lalit Yadav in the space of 9 balls.
It took a turn for the worse thereon with Rishabh Pant too nicked behind against Umesh Yadav. At 84/5, Delhi’s chase was unraveling rapidly.
However, a calm Powell provided a reassuring presence at the crease. He was on 8 off 9 without a boundary and allowed Axar Patel to be the dominant partner in a quick stand of 29.
“It was a simple situation that require you to play singles early. Once you get the singles early, the boundary balls will always come. It was not that difficult of a situation. I played it well,” recalled Powell after the game in a press conference.
His last seven balls contained three sixes and a four as he picked 25 to help DC win with an over to spare.
“They bowled their best bowlers early trying to get us out. Once we didn’t get out, you know that in the back end some makeshift bowlers will come and bowl…” said Powell who hit a six apiece against Venkatesh Iyer and Shreyas Iyer at the back end of the game.
“Yeah, it was a tough start, but I was in form. In the early part of the season, I was going out for like one ball, two balls and those kinds of stuff. When you get those innings, they don’t state whether you’re a good player or bad player,” stated Powell while also recalling the feeling within the group.
“The team – the captain, coach – rallied around me, and told me that I’ll play all the games. ‘So just relax, just to play cricket and to enjoy it’.”
My start in the competition wasn’t the best, but I trust all the work I had done before the IPL.” he added
Skipper Rishabh Pant admitted that they were eyeing Powell to do his power-hitting in the back end of the innings and use him as the designated finisher more often than not. Between the last two games too, Powell remembers the onus being on straightforward targets.
“The conversations were pretty simple. In the last game – 36 off 6 was always going to be difficult, just that I carried it a little close. We put that behind us and come today and try to get things right from a bowling perspective. And then whatever KKR made to try our best to chase it down. Because we know it’s important for us to get wins on the board and over time climb in the rankings.” DC Skipper Pant Said
At the halfway mark for DC, they’ve just seen some of the missing pieces of their puzzle find their way back in.
“It’s just for us to take all the stuff that we did right and channel it to greater success. It is important for just to find a few wins and find consecutive wins. It’s the middle of the competitions – 4 wins, 4 losses so everything is basically in our hands.” R Pant Added