During the ninth match of the 11th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) between Mumbai Indians and Delhi Daredevils at Mumbai, Delhi Daredevils opener Jason Roy played a match-winning innings as Delhi Daredevils registered its maiden victory in this season. An innings comprising of attacking shots, composed boundaries and a great sense of responsibility saw Daredevils chase 195 on the last ball of the match.
Brought into the playing eleven in place of Colin Munro, Roy grabbed the opportunity with both hands. Opening the batting with Gautam Gambhir, both of them got their team off to a good start as they scored 11 runs in the first over which was bowled by Hardik Pandya.
Rohit Sharma introduced spin in the form of Akila Dananajaya in the second over itself. Roy welcomed the Sri Lankan spinner, who made his IPL debut, with a six and a four. Just when Gambhir was struggling to make any connection with the ball, Roy took on Hardik Pandya as he hit him for a couple of sixes and a four off consecutive deliveries.
At the end of the powerplay, Daredevils had scored 53-1, out of which Roy had contributed 37* (18). When Roy hit Mayank Markande for a couple of fours and a six in his second over, he made sure that he didn’t let the in-form leg-spinner settle down. On the second delivery of the 10th over, with a couple of runs off Jasprit Bumrah, Roy completed his half-century off 27 balls. It was his maiden half-century (in his fourth match) in the IPL.
When Rishabh Pant was going bonkers against the home team’s bowling attack, Roy has the patience to watch calmly from the other end. It appeared as if chasing down the total was his ultimate goal. Roy’s six off Krunal Pandya in the 16th overcame at a time when his team required it the most.
Daredevils required 11 runs to win from the last over. Against Mustafizur Rahman, Roy hit the first two balls for a four and a six respectively. When Rahman bowled a trio of dot deliveries, not for a moment did Roy appeared baffled. He held it nerve and scored the winning runs on the last ball of the match.
Delhi Daredevils would want Roy’s form to continue throughout the tournament as runs at the top of the order are likely to be the key for their success in the tournament.
