Dhawan leads Delhi Capitals to competitive 189/3 against SRH in Qualifier 2
Abu Dhabi: In-form Shikhar Dhawan smashed 78 off 49 balls to lead Delhi Capitals to a challenging 189 for three against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the second Qualifier of the Indian Premier League here on Sunday.
It turned out to be a good decision to bat first as Dhawan and Marcus Stoinis (38) got the team off to a flying start with their 86-run stand.
Skipper Shreyas Iyer (21) could not do much but Shimron Hetmyer, who was brought in for Sunday's match, chipped in with an unbeaten 42-run knock.
Dhawan, in his well-paced innings, hit six fours and two sixes. He added 52 runs for the third wicket with Hetmyer before being dismissed by seamer Sandeep Sharma (1/30).
SRH's sloppy fielding also helped Delhi Capitals as they dropped Stoinis early in the innings and gave them a few free runs. SRH also dropped Dhawan towards the end, though it did not cost them much.
Yet again, Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan (4-0-26-1) was the most effective bowler though T Natarajan bowled well in slog overs.
Stoinis was asked to open the innings by the Delhi Capitals. After being dropped by Jason Holder off Sandeep at short mid-on, the Australian punished the SRH bowlers with a flurry of boundaries.
Stoinis, on three at that time, was nicely set up by Sandeep but the opportunity was not taken. It was Holder, who was then taken to task by Stoinis, who creamed off 18 runs from the West Indian's over with three fours and a six.
Sandeep was initially impeccable with his length balls but drifted afterwards and was punished by Dhawan. In-came spinner Shabaz Nadeem to bowl the last Powerplay over and ended up leaking 14 runs as DC reached 65 for no loss.
SRH skipper David Warner shuffled his bowlers around, handing the ball to Rashid and Natarajan. The Afghan spinner got them the breakthrough with his eighth ball by castling Stoinis.
Dhawan raised his fifty with a six off Nadeem. Iyer struggled to time the ball and was soon dismissed by Holder.
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Mamata asks TMC nominees not to leave counting centres as EC data shows BJP leading
Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday urged TMC candidates and agents to remain vigilant and not to leave counting centres, alleging that there was a "game plan" by the BJP and the Election Commission to show the saffron party taking a lead in the early trends of counting.
In a video message issued during the counting of votes, the TMC supremo appealed to party workers to stay put and not to lose morale.
"I appeal to everyone that neither TMC candidates nor counting agents should abandon counting centres," she said.
As trends on the Election Commission website indicated the BJP leading in 188 seats against the TMC's 94, Banerjee maintained that her party was still ahead in a significant number of constituencies.
"We are still ahead in 170 seats, but I request everyone not to lose hope," she said, adding that there were "around 70 to 100 seats where we are leading, but they are not sharing the data of those seats".
"A false narrative is being spread," she alleged.
The chief minister accused the Election Commission of "not declaring results or leads" in areas where the TMC was ahead.
"This is a game plan by the EC and the BJP as it (poll panel) is not declaring results or leads in areas where we are leading," she said.
Banerjee also alleged irregularities in the counting process at some locations.
"In several places, counting has been stopped after the first two to three rounds. In Kalyani, we have caught seven machines with severe anomalies," she claimed.
She further alleged that TMC workers were being "harassed with the help of central forces" and that party offices were being "vandalised and forcefully captured".
"With the help of central forces, they are harassing and torturing AITC workers. Our offices have been vandalised," she said, also alleging that voter list revision exercises were "purposefully done to target seats where we were strong".
Seeking to reassure party workers, Banerjee said more rounds of counting were yet to take place and urged them to stay firm.
"Fourteen to eighteen rounds of counting will happen. You will surely emerge victorious. Don't be afraid; fight like tigers," she said.
Her remarks came as counting trends suggested that the BJP was leading in 188 seats and had crossed the halfway mark of 148 in the 294-member assembly, pointing to a potential shift in the state's political landscape.
Counting for 293 constituencies was underway with postal ballots, followed by EVM votes.
Officials cautioned that trends could change as more rounds are counted, and final results would be known later in the day.
জরুরি বার্তা pic.twitter.com/Uc82oihwEL
— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) May 4, 2026
