Yuvraj's all round excellence in vain !

Yuvraj continued his brilliant all round form with a blistering 66 not out, with five sixes and took four Delhi wickets, but his all round excellence went in vain,as Delhi coasted to their maiden win.

Jesse Ryder, another impact player, was also at his best as he blasted 60 with five sixes and Pune piled up a mammoth 187/5!

Delhi wanted 188 to win and it seemed that Sehwag alone would do it. But then Sehwag fell, clean bowled by Ryder for 37. David Warner scored a brilliant 46 with two sixes. And then Delhi was in dire straits at 120/5, when Venugopal Rao took over the reins.

Venugopal Rao blasted 3 sixes and one four in a scintillating innings of 31. Finch scored 25 and Delhi won by 3 wickets.

"We did not bowl well in the death overs", said Yuvraj.

"You have to give it to Delhi. They played really well under pressure. We did not take wickets in the first six and did not bowl well in the end overs. I was thinking of spinners in the death overs but in the end your main bowlers have to bowl well. You have to give them confidence," a disappointed Yuvraj said after the match.

Yuvraj,Man of the Match because of his all round performance, said that Pune was in the game when he got rid of Aaron Finch in the 19th over, with Delhi still needing 21 off 11 balls.

"We were there in the game when Finch got out but Venugopal and Hopes batted really well. After Sehwag and David Warner gave Delhi a good start, their middle-order came out good."

It was Delhi's shrewdness which paid off. DDD reserved a couple of their big hitters back and V Rao and A Finch blasted the Pune bowlers to all parts of the field, in the death overs, to register their first IPL victory.

In the 39th over, Yuvraj had Finche caught and bowled with his first ball and removed V Rao with his last, sending shivers in the Delhi camp. Then Delhi only wanted 8 runs off six balls. Then James Hopes, hit the third ball of Ryder's over for six and then hit the next one through backward point to send DDD fans into ecstasy.

"Our batsmen played responsibly and we won a thriller" said Sehwag.

"Our batting didn't click in the first two games in which we batted first. I thought with a target to chase the batsmen would take some responsibility. It was a fine victory and was a team effort by the Delhi Daredevils," said the swashbuckling opener after his team defeated the home side by three wickets in a high-scoring game.

He said DDD has resigned to defeat when they needed 41 off the last three overs.

"When we needed 41 off three overs we thought we would lose the game. But twenty runs came off the 18th over. I think that was the turning point," said the formidable swashbuckling opener, who scored 37 in 23 balls , sharing an opening stand of 75 with Dave Warner.

"The wicket was good. The kind of batting line-up we have, we knew if we could get a good start we could do it. But we were confident of chasing 160-170. But Yuvraj Singh played a fantastic knock. We lost quick wickets, but Venu (gopal Rao) and Aaron (Finch) played splendidly." the Delhi bomber said.

"He was the only bowler who gave (only) 26 runs in four overs. He later hit a four and a six to win the game and has made it difficult for us whom to select for the next match."

Sehwag said it is difficult to build a team and make it jell.

"It's difficult to build a new team with only one man in it originally. We are coming there, getting better as a unit. We are practicing hard, sharing information and experience. We need a couple of more weeks.
"Greg Shipperd, the coach, has done a fantastic job. We had a camp from March 30. He has helped me with his knowledge about the players."

He paid glowing tributes to the all round magnificence of Yuvraj Singh, who excelled with both bat and ball.

"It happens even in One-dayers. Yuvraj Singh batted well and bowled well but ended on the losing side. I am happy with that. It was a great effort by our team. We had bowled really well before the last over, by Ashok Dinda." he said. Dinda was hit by Yuvra for three towering sixes and gave away 26 runs in the final over.

Sehwag said Morkel missed yesterday's match because of a digestive tract disorder. "Morkel had an upset stomach. I don't know what he ate, but hopefully he will be fit for the next game."