Ravi Ashwin has announced his return and how! After a somewhat roller coaster ride leading the Kings XI Punjab for the last two years, the off spinner from Chennai recently made his transfer to the Delhi Capitals for this edition of the Indian Premier League. He was also joined by fellow Indian teammate Ajinkya Rahane, who jumped from Rajasthan to Delhi. In his first game donning the Capitals’ blue jersey against his former franchise Kings XI, Ashwin literally set the stage on fire in his very first over, sending two big names in the Punjab middle order back to the hut.
Captain Shreyas Iyer threw the ball to the thirty four year old for the sixth over of the innings. The Capitals’ had already claimed the valuable wicket of KL Rahul at this point, and were looking to finish the powerplay on a high. Ashwin struck immediately with the first ball of his spell, and Karun Nair was sent walking for a paltry score of 1. But the star delivery was the one that followed four balls later, and it was Nicholas Pooran who was at the receiving end this time round. The ball started at around middle and off stump and angled inwards from there. Pooran left some clear daylight between his front pad and bat, and paid heavy prices for his error. The ball kissed his pad before crashing into his off stump. The twenty four year old from Trinidad was sent packing for a nought and there was nothing he could do about it.
But Ashwin’s ecstasy was short lived. In the final delivery of the over, Glenn Maxwell turned the ball towards Ashwin. In an attempt to dive and save the run, the off spinner’s left shoulder hit hard on the turf. He was in visible pain afterwards, and lay on the ground motionless. He was later walked out of the stadium, with the medical staff supporting his shoulder. His participation in the Capitals’ upcoming games is still under the scanner, with no official word from the Delhi think tank.
Earlier in the match, Mohammad Shami took the Delhi Capitals by storm, picking three scalps for just 15 runs. It all seemed lost for Delhi at 96-6, but Marcus Stoinis turned the tide in Delhi’s favour with a stunning innings of 53 off 21 deliveries.
In the second innings, the Kings XI Punjab seemed to be cruising even after losing early wickets, with Mayank Agarwal anchoring the innings. It was Marcus Stoinis yet again who did it for the Capitals’, but this time with the ball. The all rounder from Perth took two wickets in the last two deliveries of the game, and sent the match into a super over.
Kagiso Rabada took the responsibility of bowling the fateful six balls for the Capitals, and he delivered when his team needed him the most. He sent Rahul and Pooran back on consecutive deliveries, and the Kings XI were halted in their tracks for a mere two runs. Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant tidied things up for Delhi and the enthralling match finally drew to a close.