DPL 2026: Bhandari, Khurana star in Central Delhi Kings' 30-run win

DPL 2026: Bhandari, Khurana star in Central Delhi's 30-run win over East Delhi

New Delhi, Aug 19

Opting to bat, Central Delhi Kings recovered from an early top-order collapse to post a competitive 179 in 19.5 overs, before Khurana choked East Delhi Riders' chase to restrict them to 149/7 in 20 overs.

The Kings got off to a disastrous start as pacer Simarjeet Singh struck twice in quick succession - removing in-form openers Siddharth Joon and Yash Dhull to leave them reeling at 14/3 inside the powerplay.

Jonty Sidhu (41 off 28 balls) and Keshav Dabas (18 off 23 balls) momentarily steadied the ship with a 54-run fourth-wicket stand. However, the departure of Dabas triggered another slide, leaving the burden on Sidhu, who was eventually dismissed after playing a brisk knock.

With the Kings in dire straits, Bhandari turned the game on its head with a sensational counter-attacking knock. The middle-order batter took the opposition attack to the cleaners by smashing an explosive 63 off just 29 deliveries.

Wicketkeeper-batter Vansh Bedi provided the late flourish with a quickfire 14-ball 27 to take the side to 179 before they were bowled out in the final over. Simarjeet was the standout bowler for the Riders, returning with impressive figures of 3-29 in his four-over spell.

In reply, East Delhi Riders struggled to gain momentum from the outset, suffering a similar fate as they were reduced to 32/3 early in the chase. Arpit Rana (25 off 26 balls) and Suryansh Raina (38 off 24 balls) showed resilience in the middle by stitching a brief 28-run partnership to keep the Riders in the hunt.

But Khurana (3-28) struck at crucial junctures to trigger a collapse from which East Delhi Riders could never truly recover. None of the lower-order batters could keep up with the required run rate as Central Delhi Kings, who have already qualified for the playoffs, comfortably sealed the contest.

— IANS