Vettori shines as Delhi win rain shortened game

New Zealand left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori took three for 15 as the Delhi Daredevils won a rain-shortened Indian Premier League match against Kings XI Punjab by ten wickets at Newlands Sunday.

Vettori’s bowling was mainly responsible for restricting the Kings XI to 104 for seven in 12 overs in an overs-reduced game after rain delayed the start by more than an hour and a half.

Indian opening batsmen Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir made a revised target of 54 in six overs look easy, with Sehwag finishing the match with his fourth six in an innings of 38 not out off 16 balls.

Punjab made a flying start, reaching 67 before losing their first wicket off the last ball of the sixth over when Vettori caught Karan Goel at mid-on of Yo Mahesh.

Goel hit 38 off 21 balls with three fours and three sixes, including a massive hit off Mahesh which sailed out of the ground beyond mid-wicket.

Vettori came on to bowl the next over after the mid-innings break and trapped Ravi Bopara (22) leg before with his first delivery.

The Punjab innings never regained momentum as Vettori took two more wickets in his three-over spell and two run-outs contributed to the collapse.

“I think spinners are going to play a huge part in the tournament,” said man of the match Vettori, referring to good performances by Mumbai’s Harbhajan Singh, Rajasthan’s Shane Warne and Bangalore’s Anil Kumble Saturday on the first day of a double header opening weekend.

“Spinners have adapted as quickly as anyone in the Twenty20 game.”

Sehwag and Gambhir reached 24 in 1.5 overs before rain halted play.

The revised target meant they needed only another 30 runs off 4.1 overs.

CAPE TOWN, April 19, 2009 (AFP)