New Delhi, Aug 10 (IANS) Arpit Rana shone with bat while Anuj Rawat displayed his brilliant captaincy skills to lead East Delhi Riders a narrow two-run victory against West Delhi Lions in a last-ball thriller of the Delhi Premier League Season 2 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium here.

Chasing 159, West Delhi Lions came agonisingly close but fell short by just two runs, finishing at 156/7 in their 20 overs. The Lions’ innings was anchored by Krish Yadav’s resilient 44 from 39 balls and a blistering cameo from Ankit Kumar, who smashed 42 runs from just 16 deliveries with two fours and five sixes. However, disciplined bowling from East Delhi Riders, particularly Mayank Rawat who took 2/18 from his four overs, and Rounak Waghela with 2/23, proved decisive in the closing stages of the match.

Notably, with this win, East Delhi Riders have climbed to top of the points table. They currently have nine points from six games.

Earlier, the East Delhi Riders posted a total of 158/8 in their allotted 20 overs after being sent in to bat by the West Delhi Lions. The Riders suffered an early setback with the first wicket falling at just 10 runs, but a brilliant 71 off 47 balls from Arpit Rana, featuring seven fours and three sixes, and a solid 50 off 37 balls from Hardik Sharma, including two boundaries and four maximums, revived the innings.

Together, Rana and Sharma shared a commanding 102-run partnership – the highest of the innings – before a late collapse saw East Delhi lose momentum. Rounak Waghela provided a brief flourish at the end, remaining unbeaten on 12 off six deliveries. The West Delhi Lions bowlers fought back superbly in the death overs, with Manan Bhardwaj delivering the standout spell of 3/26 from four overs, while captain Nitish Rana claimed 2/31. Hrithik Shokeen (1/27), Anirudh Chowdhary (1/22), and Tishant Dabla (1/3) also contributed with the ball.

Brief scores: East Delhi Riders 158/8 in 20 overs (Arpit Rana 71, Hardik Sharma 50; Manan Bhardwaj 3-26) beat West Delhi Lions 156/7 in 20 overs (Krish Yadav 44, Ankit Kumar 42; Mayank Rawat 2-18) by two runs.

–IANS

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