Shikhar Dhawan and Rishabh Pant Share Heartwarming Moment in Delhi Premier League Opener
In a heartwarming display of camaraderie, out-of-favour India batter Shikhar Dhawan and his national and state teammate Rishabh Pant shared a warm hug during the Delhi Premier League 2024 opener at Arun Jaitley Stadium on Saturday. Dhawan, the co-owner of South Delhi Superstars, and Pant, the captain of the Purani Dilli 6 team, were playing against each other in the opening game of the tournament.
On the sidelines of the match, Dhawan was giving an interview to the host broadcaster when Pant, after getting dismissed for a 35 off 32, walked past him. Dhawan stopped his interview mid-way and shared a warm hug with the wicketkeeper-batter. The picture of the two players embracing has gone viral on social media, showcasing the strong bond between them despite their current cricketing situations.
In the match itself, remarkable fifties from skipper Ayush Badoni and Priyansh Arya led the South Delhi Superstarz to a three-wicket victory over Purani Dilli 6. Arpit Rana’s 59 off 41 and Vansh Bedi’s 47 off 19 helped Purani Dilli 6 put up a competitive 197/3 in 20 overs, but South Delhi Superstarz chased down the target in 19.1 overs.
South Delhi Superstarz began their run chase aggressively, smashing 73 runs in the Powerplay thanks to the free-flowing strokes from opener Priyansh Arya and Sarthak Ray. Arya reached his fifty off 27 balls, while Badoni struck four consecutive sixes in the 12th over to take the team’s total to 140/1. However, Purani Dilli 6 fought back, claiming four wickets in quick succession to shift the momentum.
Badoni (57 off 29) and Tejasvi (0 off 1) were dismissed in the 15th over, Kunwar Bidhuri (5 off 7) in the 17th over, and Sumit Mathur (9 off 10) fell in the 18th over, leaving South Delhi needing 13 runs off the last two overs. Vision Panchal and Digvesh Rathi then displayed resilience, chasing down the target with five balls to spare.
Earlier, Purani Dilli 6 were invited to bat first and faced an early setback when Manjeet (13 off 8) was dismissed in the third over. Arpit Rana and Rishabh Pant then took control of the innings, guiding Purani Dilli 6 to 58/1 by the end of the powerplay. Rana reached his fifty off 37 balls, while Pant played a supporting role. The duo brought up the team’s 100-run mark in the 13th over. However, Rana (59 off 41) was dismissed in the same over, and Pant followed soon after, dismissed by Kunwar Bidhuri in the 15th over after scoring 35 runs off 32 balls.
With Purani Dilli 6 at 129/3 after 15 overs, Vansh Bedi and Lalit Yadav upped the tempo, adding 79 runs in 34 balls. Bedi’s quickfire 47* off 19 balls and Yadav’s 34* off 21 powered Purani Dilli 6 to an impressive total of 197/3 in their allotted 20 overs.
