New Delhi, August 11 (HS): Under the floodlights at Arun Jaitley Stadium, East Delhi Riders pulled off a heart-stopping 2‑run victory over West Delhi Lions in a Delhi Premier League (DPL) Season 2 clash that went down to the very last ball. Arpit Rana’s brilliance with the bat and skipper Anuj Rawat’s shrewd game plan proved decisive in this edge-of-the-seat encounter.
Set 159 for victory, West Delhi Lions fought valiantly but were restricted to 156 for 7 in their allotted 20 overs. Krishna Yadav anchored the innings with a composed 44 off 39 balls before Ankit Kumar lit up the chase with a whirlwind 42 from just 16 deliveries, peppered with 2 fours and 5 towering sixes. His late assault kept the Lions in the hunt until the final over, but disciplined bowling — particularly from Mayank Rawat (2/18) and Raunak Vaghela (2/23) — sealed the win for East Delhi.
The triumph catapulted East Delhi Riders to the top of the points table with 9 points from 6 outings.
Earlier, batting first after losing the toss, East Delhi endured a shaky start at 10 for 1 before Arpit Rana took charge. The stylish right-hander smashed 71 off 47 balls (7 fours, 3 sixes), while Hardik Sharma’s aggressive 50 off 37 deliveries provided perfect support. The pair stitched together a 102-run partnership — the biggest of the match — stabilising the innings before a mini collapse in the death overs. Vaghela’s unbeaten 12 off 6 balls offered a final flourish, guiding the Riders to 158 for 8.
For the Lions, Manan Bhardwaj was the pick of the bowlers with 3 for 26, while captain Nitish Rana claimed 2 for 31. Hrithik Shokeen (1/27), Anirudh Chaudhary (1/22) and Tishant Dabla (1/3) chipped in with crucial breakthroughs.
Brief Scores:
- East Delhi Riders – 158/8 (20 overs): Arpit Rana 71 (47), Hardik Sharma 50 (37); Manan Bhardwaj 3/26
- West Delhi Lions – 156/7 (20 overs): Krishna Yadav 44 (39), Ankit Kumar 42 (16); Mayank Rawat 2/18, Raunak Vaghela 2/23
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
