| Scores | Upcoming | Results |
New Delhi: Dinesh Karthik blasted a 38-ball 69 and the home side bowlers then wreaked havoc as a resurgent Delhi Daredevils steamrolled Rajasthan Royals by 67 runs in their return leg Indian Premier League match on Wednesday.
Karthik clobbered six fours and four sixes and added 79 runs off 50 balls with Gautam Gambhir (43) to power Delhi to 188 for six first.
The home side then returned to shoot out Rajasthan for 121 in 17.4 overs to clinch their third win on the trot which catapulted them to the second place in the points table.
For them, Amit Mishra (3 for 25) and Parvez Maharoof (2 for 13) starred with the ball, sharing five wickets between them to snap Rajasthan Royals' four-game winnings streak.
Chasing 189 to win, Rajasthan never looked to be in the chase as they lost two wickets - opener Michael Lumb (0) and Faiz Faisal (0) - in the first over itself and by 4.1 overs were further reduced to 31 for four.
Rajasthan's chase was hit by Maharoof, who was drafted in the team in place of injured Dirk Nannes, in the first over as he dismissed Lumb, courtesy a stunning catch by David Warner, and trapped Faisal in front of wicket to reduce the visitors to one for two.
Naman Ojha (27) showed some spark with four fours and a six but fizzled out in the fourth over off Amit Mishra.
Abhishek Jhunjhunwala (2) was also run out in the next over to further dent their chances.
Yusuf Pathan (24) and Adam Voges (15) tried to rebuild the innings but soon they were also back to the pavilion. Paras Dogra (20) and Sumit Narwal (12) were the other contributors for the visitors.
Earlier, coming to bat when Delhi were gasping for breath at 67 for four in 8.3 overs, Kathik forged a crucial 79-run fifth wicket partnership with skipper Gambhir in 50 balls to resurrect the innings and then fired in the late overs to help the home team post their highest total in IPL 3.
The Daredevils batsman plundered six fours and four sixes before being dismissed in the last ball of the innings.
Earlier, Virender Sehwag (19) gave Delhi a flying start, clobbering Yusuf Pathan for a six and a four in the first over, before meting out the harsh treatment to Adam Voges in the third over, hitting him for two fours -- one over point and the other over extra cover.
However, the euphoria was shortlived as Sumit Narwal struck twice in his second over, removing Delhi's last match hero David Warner (4) with his first delivery and then dismissing the dangerous Sehwag with the third of the over.
Warner, dropped at two in Narwal's first over, couldn't make it count and was bowled by the 27-year-old Haryana lad when he tried to make room for himself.
While looking for a pull, Sehwag top-edged one to Paras Dogra at deep square leg as Delhi slipped to 25 for two in 3.3 overs.
New man in Paul Collingwood (16) started off well and looked in good touch as he hit a six and a four of the fifth over off Shaun Tait and then drove one past mid-on off Narwal in the next over.
But a terrible mix-up with Gambhir, four balls later, saw Collingwood back in the hut. Kedar Jadhav (10) also didn't last long and was sent packing by Shane Warne in his second over as Delhi plummeted to 67 for four in 8.3 overs.
Gambhir and Karthik then steadied the ship with singles and twos and picked up the occasional boundary as Delhi reached 100 for four in 13 overs.
After the 15th over, Karthik stepped on gas and biffed Siddharth Trivedi for a six and followed it up with two consecutive sixes in the 17th over off Narwal over long-off and deep mid-wicket.
Narwal, however, came back strongly dismissing Gambhir in the fifth ball of the over.
Karthik continued the carnage on the other end and blasted three successive fours in the 18th over en route to his fifty which came of 30 balls, before blasting Tait for a six in the last over. Andrew McDonald also contributed to his team's total with a nine-ball 14.
Brief scores
Delhi Daredevils: 188 for 6 (Karthik 69, Gambhir 43)
Rajasthan Royals: 121 (Mishra 3-25)
Result: Delhi Daredevils won by 67 runs
MOM: Dinesh Karthik (Delhi Daredevils)
