Samson, Billings lead Delhi's charge against Pune

Sanju Samson recorded his maiden T20 ton and alongside Sam Billings put on a 69-run stand for the second wicket that helped Delhi ease to their first win in this edition of the Indian Twenty20 competition, thrashing a depleted Pune side - without their captain Steven Smith - by a 97-run margin at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune on Tuesday.

Delhi lost their opener, Aditya Tare, in just the second over of the match. Samson, his replacement, targeted Pune's seamers early in his innings with a series of drives through point and cover. He announced his arrival by dispatching Deepak Chahar for two fours in the first over he faced and then slapped Ashok Dinda for two more in the next. Samson scored 31 off the first 14 deliveries he faced.

With Billings playing positively at the other end as well, Delhi managed 62 for 1 in the Powerplay, which is their best effort since scoring 64 against Hyderabad in 2012. Samson and Billings scored at a rate of 9.85 in the seven overs they batted together. Billings fell in the ninth over for a 17-ball 24, while Samson departed after amassing a 63-ball 102. The partnership though laid the platform for an onslaught in the death overs which came from Chris Morris who clobbered an unbeaten 38 off just nine balls to help Delhi post 205.