IPL 2013: Daredevils finish bottom after latest defeat

Umesh Yadav spent a couple of minutes closeted in a huddle with Mahela Jayawardene and Virender Sehwag.

Umesh Yadav spent a couple of minutes closeted in a huddle with Mahela Jayawardene and Virender Sehwag. With Pune Warriors at a comfortable 140 for four in the 18th over,the chat seemed to have ended with Yadav asked to bowl full and wide for he now served up two wide full-tosses and two delicious length balls. These four deliveries were creamed for 20 runs and Yadavs second full-toss was a no-ball for good measure.

And then,as if to rub salt into Delhis wounds,the last ball of the over was hit straight to Irfan Pathan on the square-leg fence. The all-rounder did not have to move an inch but somehow seemed to decline even the simplest of offerings. Yadav walked away,muttering to himself,with no Delhi player making the effort to go and commiserate with him. The 24-run over helped the Pune Warriors to 164 and even though Siddharth Kaul bowled a tight last over and dismissed the aggressive Luke Wright,the Warriors posted 172,their highest ever score at the Subrata Roy Sahara stadium.

Good start

Aaron Finch and Robin Uthappa had given Pune a good start,putting on 38 in five overs. Finch scored his fourth half-century of the tournament,smacking 52 off 34 with four clean sixes. Manish Pandey and Yuvraj Singh,the heroes for Pune in their previous game,fell early,Yuvraj again getting out to a short and wide delivery,throwing his bat out without moving his feet.

But Wright and Angelo Mathews,two players who hadnt really gotten going this season,reserved their best for the last. Wright struck a 23-ball 44,replete with seven boundaries and one six. Mathews hammered two huge sixes,finishing the innings on an unbeaten 30 off 22. The pair put on a racy 71 runs in just 38 balls,cracking seven boundaries and three sixes between them. Morne Morkel,who has been rather profligate through the season,was thumped for 36 runs in his four overs,with the lanky South African conceding 24 off his two overs at the death,as Mathews and Wright plundered 65 runs off the last five overs.

With the Delhi bowlers,with the exception of Kaul,serving length balls and full-tosses,both batsmen took full toll,favouring the midwicket area.

David Warner was restored as opener for Delhi alongside Jayawardene,but the Australians patchy form continued as he was dismissed for two,trying to pull a length ball from Wayne Parnell but only managing to get an inside edge to the keeper. Ali Murtaza,playing his third game of the season,began the match with an economy rate of 13.76. But here,he seemed to have found his radar. The 23-year-old from Allahabad first sent back Jayawardene,who scooped a catch straight to point. Then he accounted for Virender Sehwag,bowling slower through the air,inviting him to go for the big drive. Sehwag duly went for an inside-out swing over extra-cover but the ball seemed to grip the surface and Sehwag found Raifi Gomez on the extra-cover fence. Next ball,Murtazas arm ball hurried on to Bharat Chipli,who was beaten for pace and trapped plumb in front.

Murtaza finished with three for 15 off his four overs and the rest of the Delhi batting seemed stuck in a rut. CM Gautam and Pathan put on 54 runs from 42 balls,but with both batsmen unable to clear the ropes,Delhis hopes fizzled out as they replaced the Warriors at the bottom of the table,eventually losing by 38 runs.

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Brief scores: Pune Warriors 172/5 in 20 overs A Finch 52,A Mathews 30,L Wright 44; S Kaul 2/27 bt Delhi Daredevils 134/9 in 20 overs CM Gautam 30; A Dinda 2/21,A Murtaza 3/15,A Mathews 3/14 by 38 runs.