Sehwag blitzkrieg powers Delhi to victory

Virender Sehwag powered Delhi Daredevils to a comprehensive nine-wicket win over Deccan Chargers with a clinically brutal innings of 94 not out off 41 balls in an Indian Premier League cricket match played under lights at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad on Tuesday.

The powerful Indian opener slammed 10 fours and six sixes in a 41-ball innings of 94 not out to steer Delhi past the required target of 143 in 13 overs. Chaminda Vaas’s wide down the leg side to Shikhar Dhawan sealed Delhi’s second win in a row.

Deccan’s big overseas signings were unable to fire on a flat deck, this time in front of a home crowd. A late charge by Rohit Sharma helped his team recover to 142 for 8, a below-par score given the conditions.

Sharma’s dazzling 66 made up slightly for the failures of the rest of the batting order, with 26 (6,6,4,4,4,2) in a Farveez Maharoof over, but till then it had been the Delhi bowlers who had more than managed to keep the likes of Adam Gilchrist, Andrew Symonds and Shahid Afridi quiet.

Maharoof picked up the wickets of Venugopal Rao for 14 and Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds for 12 to finish with figures of 2 for 36.

Scores: Deccan Chargers 142-8 (20) (R Sharma 66, Mohammed Asif 2/19, Farveez Maharoof 2/36, R Bhatia 2/27)

Delhi Daredevils 143-1 (13) (V Sehwag 94 n.o., S Dhawan 25 n.o.).