Raipur, Feb 13 (IANS): Bipul Sharma delivered a standout performance, claiming the first five-wicket haul of the event as Delhi Royals registered their third victory in the Legend 90 League with a commanding six-wicket win over Dubai Giants at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium here on Thursday.
In the 14th match of the tournament, Bipul Sharma etched his name in the event's history books with the first-ever five-wicket haul. Chasing a modest target of 98 runs, the Royals completed the task in just nine overs, finishing at 99/4.
Leading the side in the absence of Shikhar Dhawan, Bipul Sharma rose to the occasion with a sensational 5-21 spell, dismantling the Giants' batting lineup. After a steady start, Dubai Giants crumbled under pressure, slumping from 40/1 to 97/9 in their allotted 15 overs.
Praveen Gupta contributed with two wickets, while Parvinder Awana added one to complete the Royals' dominant bowling effort.
With a below-par target on the board, the Royals made light work of the chase. Punit Bisht led the charge with a brisk 32 off 15 balls, while Angelo Perera top-scored with a quickfire 39 off 22 deliveries. Anureet Singh finished things off in style, smashing two sixes to seal the victory with six wickets and six overs to spare.
Speaking after the game, Bipul Sharma credited his experience and game awareness for his outstanding bowling performance.
"For the last four matches, I have been observing how Dhawan leads the team, and I tried to implement the same. The pitch was good, and I focused on varying my deliveries in the air. I was closely watching how the batters were shaping up for shots and adjusted my bowling accordingly, which worked in my favour."
With this win, Delhi Royals have climbed to the second spot on the points table, securing three wins in five matches. When asked about playoff calculations, Bipul Sharma remained focused on playing one game at a time. "We are not thinking too much ahead. Our goal is to play our natural game and take things as they come. If required, we will look at the net run rate in the later stages, but for now, we are just focusing on the upcoming matches,” Bipul signed off.