Delhi suffer humbling 9 wicket defeat to Puducherry as poor run continues

Listen to Story Puducherry clinched one of their biggest wins in Ranji Trophy history as they handed once powerhouses Delhi a 9 wicket hammering in the first match of Elite Group D at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Monday, January 8. Puducherry needed to chase just 51 runs to win on a cold morning in the capital city and the visiting side got there in style in just 13.4 overs.

Captain Yash Dhull's struggles continued as the young batter was not able to lead from the front in conditions that favoured fast bowling. Former Madhya Pradesh fast bowler Gourav Yadav, who moved to Puducherry for Ranji Trophy, delivered a performance that would haunt the Delhi batsmen for times to come.

Gourav Yadav was the architect of Delhi's downfall, claiming a career best seven wickets for just 49 runs in the first innings. He finished with a match haul of 10 wickets, adding 3 to his tally in the second innings. His spellbinding performance on the second day of the match restricted Delhi to a paltry 148 runs, setting the stage for Puducherry to consolidate their advantage.

As if following a script, Puducherry's top order then stood firm against Delhi's former international bowlers, Ishant Sharma and Navdeep Saini, who failed to make significant inroads into the opposition's batting lineup. The woes for Delhi were compounded by their middle order collapse, which seemed to have become a recurring theme.

In a dramatic turn of events, Delhi lost seven wickets for a mere 54 runs in the final session of play, leaving them teetering on the brink of an embarrassing home loss. Abin Mathew, another star with the ball for Puducherry, added to Delhi's misery with a five wicket haul, including the crucial wicket of Delhi's captain, Yash Dhull.

Delhi's recent performances in the Ranji Trophy have been a shadow of their former glory. With seven titles to their name, they once stood among the giants of domestic cricket in India. However, recent years have seen their reputation fade, as they struggle to find the form and consistency that once made them a formidable opponent.

Questions about team selection and talent management have hogged the limelight even as Delhi has struggled to get out of the group stages in the last 2 seasons of Ranji Trophy. It's not going to be any easy for Delhi when they travel to Jammu and Kashmir for their second game of the season from January 12..