DPL 2026: Central Delhi Kings holds nerves to beat West Delhi Lions by 21 runs

Batting first, Central Delhi Kings posted a mammoth 232/8 in 20 overs, with their top and middle order producing some excellent strokeplay.

Opener Siddharth Joon continued his impressive run of form, smashing 33 off just 17 balls (with two fours and four sixes). Samarth Seth then added further momentum with a quickfire 37 off 14 deliveries (with five fours and two sixes).

However, it was Money Grewal who provided the biggest push towards the end of the innings. Grewal played a blistering knock of 42 off just 16 balls (with three fours and four sixes), helping Central Delhi Kings finish with a huge total of 232 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium that will host India and Afghanistan bilateral series.

For West Delhi Lions, Manan Bhardwaj was the standout bowler, picking up three wickets. However, he conceded 37 runs in his four overs.

Chasing 233, West Delhi Lions made a flying start, reaching 71/2 in just 4.5 overs. The Lions then suffered another setback with the dismissal of Aaryavir Sehwag.

Krish Yadav (46 in 26 balls, with seven fours and a six) and Ankit Kumar steadied the innings and launched a counter-attack, putting together a valuable 59-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Their partnership gave West Delhi Lions hope of pulling off a challenging chase.

However, Tejas Baroka broke the stand by dismissing Krish Yadav for a well-made 46 off 26 balls. Yadav's dismissal put the Lions under pressure, but Ankit continued to keep his team in the hunt with some aggressive batting.

Ankit eventually fell for a brilliant 61 off 30 balls (with four boundaries and five sixes), leaving West Delhi Lions in a difficult position with the required run rate climbing.

The Lions could not maintain the momentum in the final overs and eventually finished on 211/8 in their 20 overs, falling 21 runs short of the target.

Money, Tejas and Keshav Dabbas took two wickets each.

Central Delhi Kings' disciplined finish with both bat and ball ensured they walked away with a hard-fought victory in a thrilling, high-scoring encounter. CDK is already in the final four, while West Delhi Lions are not a part of the race. (ANI)