LFL Match 14: Globrix Consultants vs Delhi Donuts

Brief Scores

Delhi Donuts:                                       112 all out in 19.2 overs

                                                            Sanchit 27 (23)

                                                            Mohit 4/15 (4)

                                                            Ankit 2/21 (4)

                                                            Vishal 2/28 (4)

                                               

Globrix Consultants:                            1/1116 in 15 overs

                                                            Anuj Poddar 68* (45)

                                                            Mohit Arjun 25 (39)

Man of the Match:                                 Anuj (Globrix Consultants)

Best Performer Delhi Donuts:               Sanchit

Complete Scorecard:                            http://bit.ly/1viWCkt     

Globrix Consultants Sound a Warning with a Crushing Win

Delhi Donuts won the toss and elected to bat, but from there on it was pretty much one way traffic. From the time Waseem was out LBW to left-arm seamer Vishal in the second over, the punch back never came from the batting side. Delhi Donuts had shown a lot of spunk in their opener against Hindustan Tiles, but today was not a good day for their batsmen.

Seamers Ankit and Vishal Deliver the Blows

The 3^rd and 4^th overs, bowled by Ankit and Vishal, were the best ones for Delhi Donut, yielding a total of 27. Opener Karan punched three boundaries and a six, but he was dismissed caught at deep third-man by Raja off Ankit. Vishal struck another blow in the 6^th over, as Kapil top-edged to Rishab at cover. The knockout blow came in the very next over, as Donuts’ star performer Saurav hit a full-pitched delivery from Ankit straight to mid-off. The ball was in his slot, but his thought process of playing cautiously held back his instinct, and he never went through with his shot. With that wicket, Ankit ended with 2-21 from his spell of 4 overs, and his seam partner Vishal also delivered an impressive 2-28. These two bowl really well in tandem, and are probably the best representation in our tournament of the cricket adage, ‘bowlers hunt in pairs’.

Leg-Spinner Mohit Cleans up the Late Order

Anuj and Sanchit, the best performers

Leg spinner Mohit came on in the 10^th over and made an immediate impact, picking up Gurdeep’s wicket off his second ball. It was actually a long hop which the batsman pulled straight down the throat of deep mid-wicket. Rohan squandered his wicket the very next ball, lifting a catch to extra cover. The leg-spinner, executing the classic T20 combo of a tight line and just-short-of-driving length with expert precision, picked up another in his next over, as Kanav lifted a catch to long on. The score now read a dismal 76/7, and  Sofi, who had come in at number 4, was left to play a lone hand. He lasted another 9 balls and became leg-spinner Paras’ only victim, as he lifted a catch to Ankit at long off. Mohit struck the very next ball, picking up Ruchit off an edge to the keeper. The leggie ended with an impressive 4-15 off his 4 overs.

Sanchit Delays the End

The shutout was delayed by Sanchit, however. Walking out at no. 10, he batted with more composure than some of his other team-mates. He protected Sandy from the strike, while finding gaps for a few boundaries and slapping part-time medium pacer Mohit Arjun for a six. By the time he was finally stumped off leg-spinner Anuj’s bowling for 27, he had taken his team’s total to a semi-respectable 112.

Subdued Start for Globrix

To their credit, Delhi Donuts did not let their batting performance dampen their spirit. They came out with the drive to give their best effort, and seamers Sanchit, Gurdeep, Kanav and Rohan all bowled disciplined line and length. Opener Mohit Arjun (25 from 39), particularly, never looked comfortable. After 10 overs, Globrix were only 50 having played 40 dot balls, but crucially they had not lost any wickets and Anuj Poddar, their captain, was still in there.

Anuj Launches into Top Gear

If there was any pressure on the batters, Anuj clearly wasn’t feeling it. With two attractive cover drives for boundaries in the 11^th over, he switched to top gear with effortless ease. He unfurled another 3 boundaries in the 12^th, mostly targeting the area between point and extra cover, and with that the game was as good as over. Mohit’s dismissal in the 13^th over was almost irrelevant, as Rishab (17 in 7) and Anuj (68 off 45) shut the game out in the 15^th over.

Anuj’s last 47 runs had come in 19 balls, and his solid performance earned him the man of the match award. For Delhi Donuts, the best performer was Sanchit for the 27 runs he scored coming in at no 10. With this win, Globrix Consultants qualified for the quarter-finals. Delhi Donuts do have a remote chance of joining them, but for that they need a big win in their next game against Vedic Naturals, and then hope that the Globrix vs Vedic game goes in their favor.