DCL Match 22: Opto vs UCOL

Brief Scores

Opto:                               7 / 147 in 17 overs

                                                            Gagan Sodhi 65 (35)

                                                            Ashish 27 (14)

                                                            Dinesh 3/23 (4)

                                                            Jerry 3/30 (4)

                                                                                                                                   

UCOL:                               90 all out in 16.2 overs

                                                            Mohsin 30 (26)

                                                            Gagan Sodhi 4/11 (3)

                                                            Ravi Dixit 2/20 (4)

                                                                                                                                   

Man of the Match:                        Gagan Sodhi (Opto)

Best Performer UCOL:                Dinesh

Complete Scorecard:                http://bit.ly/1AEEtN2  

Gagan Sodhi Stars with Bat and Ball in Another Crushing Win for Opto

Opto were overwhelming favorites coming into this match, and once again they demonstrated that they are not only the most formidable bowling unit in the Delhi Champions League, but they also have in their ranks the most outstanding all round cricketer in Gagan Sodhi.

UCOL won the toss, and in this rain curtailed 17-over encounter, they decided to give their bowlers first go in overcast conditions. It was Opto, though, who registered the first blow with opener Ashish flicking two big consecutive sixes off left-arm seamer Rupen in the first over. Frustratingly for the bowler, he caught Ashish’s glove off an attempted pull last ball of the over, but wicket-keeper Mohsin put down the skier running backwards.

Dinesh bowled an excellent spell of 3/23 for UCOL

Ashish, determined to make them pay, slapped two boundaries off Dinesh in the next, among them a swashbuckling straight drive. He got width from Rupen in the 3^rd, and he conveniently deposited a six over point, before the seamer finally got his line right, and Mohsin did not make any mistake this time, collecting a feather edge to send the opener back for 27. Ishneet was out LBW to Dinesh in the next, and UCOL were back in the hunt.  

Dinesh, bowling seam up with excellent energy and control, picked up Sidharth in his next, Shubham completing a sharp catch at mid-wicket. Quick leg-break bowler Jerry came on in the 8^th over, and bowling a canny wicket-to-wicket line, he dismissed Kanwal and then Prashant in his first two overs. Both batsmen had played themselves in before lifting catches to deep mid-wicket and short third-man respectively.

75 / 5 looked like trouble for the batting side, but Gagan was in and he looked ominous with two savage sixes off Aman Kangra in the 9^th – straight and mid-wicket. The big hitting batter took charge in the last 7 overs against steadily good bowling. Confident in his hitting power, he was happy to push singles and rotate the strike with Mannat, till bowlers erred towards a fuller length. Jerry did it just once in the 12^th, and Sodhi slammed him back over his head for a straight six. Off-spinner Sandeep also made the same error in the next for the same result. That, in fact, turned out to be the best over for the batting side, with 16 coming off it including a jab pull by Mannat for four.

Gagan Sodhi walked away with the MoM award

Gagan reached his 50 in the 15^th with two straight boundaries and a mid-wicket six off Jerry. He was finally dismissed by Dinesh in the last over for 65 (35 balls, 6 x 6, 4 x 4), an innings that helped Opto reach a respectable 147.

With his innings, Gagan did himself a favor. The pressure was now on UCOL and he shut the game out early, running through the UCOL top order with a sensational spell of 4 wickets in 5 balls. Rahul was the first to go in the 3^rd over, knicking through to the wicket-keeper off a fast, good length delivery in the channel outside off stump. Govind was out caught at point off the next ball, and Jerry was rushed back two balls later, caught by Prashant at cover. Gagan then completed an excellent catch off his own bowling, diving to his left, to send opener Shubham back to the dugout off the first ball of his next. 15 / 4 was a complete shut out.

Left arm seamer Ravi Dixit constructed a quiet spell from the other end, confirming the merit of this seam duo as the best in the DCL. UCOL wicket-keeper Mohsin resisted the Opto push for a while, sweeping and nudging the spinners for a quietly compiled 30. However, there was no threat to the target, and UCOL ultimately folded for 90.

Gagan Sodhi earned himself another Man of the Match award, and he is now frontrunner for Man of the Series. Seamer Dinesh was the Best Performer for UCOL for his spell of 4 – 0 – 23 – 3.