Dubai, Oct 8 (UNI) Power-packed batting by Delhi Capitals openers Prithvi Shaw (48 runs off 31 balls) and Shikhar Dhawan (43 off 35) helped the table toppers post 164/5 against Royal Challengers Bangalore in match 56 of IPL 2021 here on Friday.
To RCB bowlers' credit, likes of Mohammed Siraj (2/25) and Dan Christian (1/19) did some damage control in the second half of the innings after DC were 88/0 halfway.
Sent into bat first, DC openers gave early pace to the scoring with 20 runs in the first two overs. The run rate fell shortly but then the last two overs of the powerplay yielding 24 runs meant DC put 55 runs on the board.
Dhawan and Shaw went on to add 88 runs by the end of 10th over but things soon turned sour as RCB came back strong in the game with three wickets in the next as many overs.
The opening stand was first broken up by RCB's ever-reliant Harshal Patel, who picked his 30th wicket of the season in Dhawan.
Further trouble found DC as Shaw fell to Yuzvendra Chahal (1/34) in the next over right after hitting the wrist spinner for a six.
Dan Christian then deceived skipper Rishabh Pant (10 off 8) with a bouncer to left DC reeling at 108/3.
Newly-in Shimron Hetmyer and Shreyas Iyer (18 off 18) bailed DC out of immediate trouble with a 30-ball 35 stand but the latter fell in the 18th over to Siraj before he could unleash himself.
Hetmyer (29 off 22) added valuable boundaries down the order to take DC to 164 before falling to Siraj in the final ball of the innings.
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