New Delhi, Aug 20 (IANS): East Delhi Riders secured a five-wicket victory over Purani Dilli 6 in a rain-shortened match of the Delhi Premier League (DPL) T20 at the Shri Arun Jaitley Stadium here on Tuesday. Mayank Rawat’s 2-15 with the ball and blistering 55 not out off 27 balls with the bat led the East Delhi Riders to their second consecutive victory in the league.

With the match reduced to 18 overs due to a delayed start caused by a wet outfield, Purani Dilli 6 set a target of 143 for East Delhi Riders on what was a tricky batting track.

East Delhi Riders started steadily, but Sujal Singh's (18 off 14) dismissal in the 5th over left them at 38/1 at the end of the Power-play. Despite their flawless chase in the previous match, the East Delhi Riders struggled as they lost two crucial wickets in the sixth over, with Shivam Sharma trapping both Anuj Rawat (18 off 17) and Pranav Pant (1 off 2) LBW.

The pressure mounted when skipper Himmat Singh (6 off 9) was dismissed by Yug Gupta in the eighth over, with East Delhi Riders reeling at 47/4. Mayank Rawat and Hardik Sharma then provided some much-needed stability, helping the team cross the 100-run mark in the 12th over. However, Sharma lost his wicket in the same over after scoring 25 off 19 balls, leaving the East Delhi Riders needing 41 runs from the last five overs.

Rawat then took charge as his late onslaught helped East Delhi Riders take home their second straight win of the season with two overs to spare.

Brief score:

Purani Dilli 6 142/8 in 18 overs (Mayank Gusain 35, Yug Gupta 34 not out; Simarjeet Singh 3-28) lost to East Delhi Riders 145/5 in 16 overs (Mayank Rawat 55 not out, Hardik Sharma 25; Shivam Sharma 2-15) by 5 wickets.