Delhi cricket continued to have a tough season this year as Tripura stunned them today in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Delhi is a star-studded team with the presence of players like Nitish Rana, Priyansh Arya, Ayush Badoni and Digvesh Rathi who have experience of playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL). However, they were toppled by Tripura as they failed to chase down the target of 158 runs.
After opting to bat first, Tripura managed to post 157 runs for the loss of five wickets in their 20 overs, even as six out of their seven wickets managed to score 18 or more, but none crossed the 30-run mark. It was a collective effort from them as they posted a decent total on the board. For Delhi, Suyash Sharma did well to return with figures of 2/16 while Rathi also accounted for a couple of wickets.
In response, the star batting line-up of Delhi struggled to up the ante. Arya could only muster eight runs while Yash Dhull never looked in touch during his 25-run knock.
Nitish Rana played a fighting knock, but in vain
Nitish Rana managed to hold one end and Delhi needed one big partnership to get over the line. But it never came as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Eventually, Rana also got out in the 17th over after scoring 45 runs off 40 deliveries. Tejasvi Dahiya and Anuj Rawat tried their best but Delhi could reach only 145 runs in their 20 overs for the loss of eight wickets. They lost the game by 12 runs as Tripura created history.
Again, it was a collective effort from their bowlers, even as their captain Manisankar Murasingh led from the front to register figures of 2/19. He also won the player of the match award for his all-round effort as he had also scored an unbeaten 25 off 18 balls earlier.
This loss leaves Delhi in fourth place in the Elite Group D in the tournament with eight points after playing four matches so far. Meanwhile, Tripura registered their first win of the season in four matches.
