Delhi Daredevils won their first game of the IPL this season by beating Kings XI Punjab by five wickets, but the match almost went down to the wire as there was only one ball to go when the side triumphed. 
The Delhi Daredevils captain Gautam Gambhir won the toss and decided to field first given that it was expected to catch more dew later. And in more ways than one, the decision proved to be a good one, as Mithun Manhas hit the stumps direct to run Manvinder Biswas out in the very second over. 
Kumar Sangakkar began from where he had left it in the series against India, but much like those games, he departed after getting a start – a six and a four and then flicking Farvez Maharoof straight into the hands of the fine-leg which had only just brought into the circle.
39/2 became 44/4, when two of Punjab’s best batsmen fell in quick succession; Yuvraj Singh’s comeback game after injury lasted only five balls, while Mahela Jayawardene was sent back off the very first ball he faced.
At the other end, Ravi Bopara, who had opened the innings, was unbeaten, and watching in a whirlwind as his team-mates kept going back to the pavilion. However, he was then joined by Irfan Pathan, and the pair showed some kind of stability to lead the Punjab side out of trouble. Or relatively anyway!
The run-rate of 7 per over was maintained throughout the innings, before Pathan tried to step out to Tillakaratne Dilshan, and in the process was stumped and this was followed by – as it invariably happens – another wicket, as Mohammad Kaif’s comeback saw him score only six runs.
However, the body blow was dealt when Bopara, who had scored a half century by now, and could have gone on to get the home team to more than 160, was dismissed off a rank full-toss by Yo Mahesh. He tried to flick the ball, and much to his chagrin, was caught in the deep. The tail wagged a tad, but in the end, they managed only 142/9 in the twenty overs.
It was not a very big total, but the Mohali pitch is always know to assist the seam bowlers in the first few overs under light. While Pathan did not begin too well, it was S. Sreesanth who got the Punjab side their first breakthrough as Virender Sehwag was caught in the slips driving away from his body. Sreesanth then added the cherry on top by getting rid of the other danger-man, Dilshan, who flicked the ball to Manvinder Bisla, to be reduced to 10/2.
AB de Villiers joined his captain Gambhir, but struggled with his timing and was even let off despite some average running between the wickets. He patted on, faced 13 balls, but scored only seven runs before being run-out as he deserved as Delhi reached 45/3 in as many deliveries.
Dinesh karthik’s sublime form helped him get to 20, but the run-rate was not earth shattering, and with the asking rate piling up, it was Karthik who blinked first – hoiking Yusuf Abdullah straight to long-off. At this stage, the Daredevils were 79/4 and a wicket of Gambhir would have set the cat amongst the pigeons. Instead, Ramesh Powar was introduced into the attack at a very late stage and went for 16 runs to bring the Daredevils back into the game.
Gambhir got to his half century and in the company of Mithun Manhas saw the Daredevils to a comfortable win in the end.