Lucknow, April 1 (NationPress) In an impressive display of bowling, the Delhi Capitals (DC) restricted the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) to just 141 runs within 18.4 overs at the Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium on Wednesday. Both Lungi Ngidi and T. Natarajan were standout performers, each claiming three wickets to dominate the innings.

LSG, batting first, opted for a new opening combination as skipper Rishabh Pant elevated himself to the top order but faced an unfortunate early exit due to a run out. A moment that could have resulted in a caught-and-bowled for Mitchell Marsh transformed into a run-out when Mukesh Kumar slightly touched the ball, leading it to hit the stumps at the non-striker’s end, leaving Pant short of his ground with just seven runs.

Mukesh Kumar started strong with the new ball, conceding less than a run per ball in his initial three overs during the powerplay. He effectively utilized swing and seam movement, making it challenging for Mitchell Marsh to find his rhythm outside off stump.

In a classic move, skipper Axar Patel introduced himself into the bowling attack and quickly made an impact. He deceived Aiden Markram (11) with a skiddy, angled delivery, which cramped his space and resulted in a clean bowled after Markram had previously hit a six off him.

Delhi Capitals concluded a strong first phase by limiting LSG to 48/2 at the end of the powerplay.

As the innings progressed, Ayush Badoni fell victim to T Natarajan’s delivery, leading to LSG’s score dropping to 49/3 in the seventh over as he edged a regulation ball to the keeper while attempting to play aggressively.

Ngidi recovered from a shaky start, providing what could be considered a candidate for the ball of the season. He outsmarted Nicholas Pooran (8) with a well-crafted slower ball that dipped unexpectedly, leaving Pooran unable to adjust his shot in time.

The Capitals maintained control as Mitchell Marsh navigated a tricky pitch, managing only one boundary before misjudging a wrong'un from Kuldeep Yadav, resulting in a catch at long-off for 35 runs off 28 balls.

Debutant Mukul Choudhary (14) displayed promising intent early on, hitting a reverse scoop four followed by another boundary behind the wicket off Kuldeep, contributing 34 runs alongside Abdul Samad. However, he fell victim to Kuldeep’s googly shortly after.

Samad fought valiantly until the end, scoring 36, but the rest of the batting lineup collapsed for just three runs. Ngidi and Natarajan were the stars for Delhi, each taking three wickets, while Kuldeep Yadav added two to his tally.

Final score:

Lucknow Super Giants 141/10 in 18.4 overs (Mitchell Marsh 35, Abdul Samad 36; T. Natarajan 3-29, Lungi Ngidi 3-31, Kuldeep Yadav 2-31) against Delhi Capitals.