New Delhi, Aug 24 (IANS) The Arun Jaitley Stadium crowd was treated to a high-voltage contest on Sunday as the New Delhi Tigers cruised to a commanding nine-wicket victory over Central Delhi Kings in a rain-curtailed Delhi Premier League fixture.

Chasing a revised target of 69 in just six overs, the Tigers came out all guns blazing. Openers Himmat Singh and Shivam Gupta set the tone from the very first ball, attacking the Kings’ bowlers with intent.

The duo put on a brisk 58-run opening partnership in just 4.2 overs before Shivam (8 off 8) departed.

Skipper Himmat, however, remained unfazed, powering his way to an unbeaten 45 off just 19 deliveries, laced with clean hitting all around the ground. He was ably supported by Vaibhav Rawal, who struck a quickfire 9 not out off 3 balls to finish the job in style.

Earlier, batting first, the Central Delhi Kings posted a competitive 167/8 in 19 overs before rain intervened for the second time and the DLS method came into play. Their innings revolved around skipper Jonty Sidhu, who played a captain’s knock. Sidhu unleashed a flurry of boundaries, scoring a blistering 75 off 37 balls, anchoring the innings after the Kings were reduced to 59/2.

Sidhu, alongside Yugal Saini (20 off 21), stitched a crucial 53-run stand for the third wicket to stabilise the innings. Just as the Kings were looking to push towards a bigger total, Pankaj Jaswal turned the tide with a superb over.

He dismissed Sidhu with a sharp caught-and-bowled, before running through the middle order to finish with excellent figures of 3/27 in his four overs.

Pradyuman Sanan and Himmat Singh chipped in with two wickets each, ensuring the Kings didn’t run away with the game despite their aggressive start.

In the end, rain set up a shortened chase, but Himmat’s belligerent stroke play ensured the Tigers crossed the finish line comfortably, bagging a crucial win in the tournament.

–IANS

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