New Delhi, Aug 9 (IANS) North Delhi Strikers secured a comfortable seven-wicket win against New Delhi Tigers in Match 18 of the Delhi Premier League (DPL) 2026 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday, thanks to a captain’s solid innings from Sarthak Ranjan and an organised, all-round bowling effort.
Opting to bowl first after winning the toss, North Delhi Strikers limited New Delhi Tigers to 161/8 in their 20 overs. Opener Atulya Pandey provided a strong start with 32 off 21 balls, hitting six boundaries. Nevertheless, North Delhi Strikers consistently took wickets at key moments. Vikas Dixit was the most effective bowler, disrupting partnerships during the middle and final overs, finishing with impressive figures of 3/28 in four overs.
Despite valuable middle-order performances by skipper Himmat Singh (24 off 17), Aaryan Sharma (25 off 21), and Hrithik Shokeen (35* off 25), the Tigers had difficulty breaking through against a disciplined Strikers bowling unit. All five frontline bowlers, Akhil Chaudhary (1/33), Ajay Yadav (1/32), Arjun Rapria (1/35), Mayank Dagar (1/32), and Vikas Dixit, took at least one wicket, making it challenging for the Tigers to gain the upper hand.
Chasing a target of 162, North Delhi Strikers smoothly achieved victory by scoring 165/3 in 19.1 overs. Captain Sarthak Ranjan excelled with a brilliant 65 off 43 balls, including three fours and five sixes. He partnered with Vaibhav Kandpal, who scored 41 off 36 balls, forming a significant 102-run opening stand off 70 balls.
Revant Rakyan’s 2/26 momentarily slowed the chase, but quick cameos by Yash Bhatia, who scored 19 off nine, Bharat Sindhwani, 24 off 18, and Yash Dabas, who remained unbeaten, scoring 14 off nine, smoothly led the Strikers to victory with five balls remaining.
–IANS
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