Cricket fans were treated to a rare spectacle as Rishabh Pant took to the bowling crease during the Delhi Premier League.
The swashbuckling wicketkeeper-batter, captaining Purani Dilli 6, bowled the final over of the match against South Delhi Superstarz.
Although his team fell short by three wickets, Pant's unexpected bowling appearance delighted spectators.
Remarkable fifties from skipper Ayush Badoni and Priyansh Arya led the South Delhi Superstarz to a three-wicket victory over Purani Dilli 6 in the opening match of the inaugural edition of the Delhi Premier League T20 at Arun Jaitley Stadium on Saturday.
Arpit Rana's 59 off 41 and Vansh Bedi's 47 off 19 helped Purani Dilli 6 put up 197/3 in 20 overs, before South Delhi Superstarz chased down the target in 19.1 overs.
South Delhi Superstarz began their run chase of 198 runs at a blistering pace. They smashed as many as 73 runs in the Powerplay, thanks to the free-flowing strokes from opener Priyansh Arya and Sarthak Ray.
Ray, who hammered 41 off 26 balls, was caught and bowled by Shivam Sharma in the seventh over, while Arya reached his fifty off 27 balls in the 12th over. In the same over, skipper Ayush Badoni, who had started his innings cautiously, struck four consecutive sixes off Ankit Bhadana, taking the team's total to 140/1.
Arya was caught by Arpit Rana off Sharma in the following over after scoring 57 runs off 30 balls, including three fours and four sixes. Dhruv Singh (1 off 2) then fell cheaply to Prince Yadav, while Badoni reached his half-century off 25 balls in the 14th over, reducing the equation to 38 runs needed off 36 balls.
However, the momentum shifted dramatically as Purani Dilli 6 claimed four wickets in quick succession. Badoni (57 off 29) and Tejasvi (0 off 1) were dismissed in the 15th over, Kunwar Bidhuri (5 off 7) in the 17th over, and Sumit Mathur (9 off 10) fell in the 18th over, leaving South Delhi needing 13 runs off the last two overs.
Vision Panchal and Digvesh Rathi then displayed some resilience as they chased down the target with five balls to spare.
Earlier in the contest, Purani Dilli 6 were invited to bat first and faced an early setback when Manjeet (13 off 8) was dismissed in the third over. Divij Mehra provided the breakthrough for the South Delhi Superstarz, with Kunwar Bidhuri taking a sharp diving catch near short third man.
Despite an early setback, Arpit Rana and star wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant took control of the innings as they guided Purani Dilli 6 to 58/1 by the end of the powerplay.
Rana batted fluently and reached his fifty off 37 balls in the 11th over, while Pant played a supporting role. The duo brought up the team's 100-run mark in the 13th over. However, Rana (59 off 41) was dismissed in the same over of Badoni. Pant followed soon after, dismissed by Kunwar Bidhuri in the 15th over after scoring 35 runs off 32 balls.
With Purani Dilli 6 at 129/3 after 15 overs, Vansh Bedi and Lalit Yadav upped the tempo as they struck a flurry of boundaries in the death overs, adding as many as 79 runs in 34 balls. Bedi's quickfire 47* off 19 balls and Yadav's 34* off 21 powered Purani Dilli 6 to an impressive total of 197/3 in their allotted 20 overs.
Brief Scores: Purani Dilli 6 197/3 in 20 overs (Arpit Rana 59 off 41 balls, Vansh Bedi 47* off 19 balls, Ayush Badoni 1/27) vs South Delhi Superstarz 198/7 in 19.1 overs (Ayush Badoni 57 off 29 balls, Priyansh Arya 57 off 30 balls, Shivam Sharma 2/38).
