What's with the around-the-stumps tactic?

The average run-rate in the Powerplay, while batting first, in this IPL season is 8.55, which translates to about 51 runs. And prior to this game, Delhi Daredevils had fallen short of that mark, making 28 for 2 against Royal Challengers Bangalore and 45 for 1 against Kings XI Punjab. Gautam Gambhir had opened the batting in both those games, scoring at a strike-rate of 96.59. With him relinquishing captaincy and the team benching him thereafter, Prithvi Shaw and Colin Munro were given a go at the top of the order. They attacked from both ends to amass 57 runs in the Powerplay, setting the base for a strong total.

Teams usually look to play out Sunil Narine, taking him for around six an over while denying him wickets. But Daredevils decided to risk going after him and took 35 off his first three overs. Narine didn't complete his quota, which meant 19-year-old Shivam Mavi had to be bowled out for just the second time this season. He went for 58, including 29 off the final over.

For the sixth time this season, a bowler decided to go around the wicket to a right-handed batsmen in the 19th or 20th overs. Mavi followed in the footsteps of Jasprit Bumrah, Vinay Kumar (twice), Dwayne Bravo and Ben Cutting, trying perhaps to use the angle and bowl away from the batsman's reach or cramp him for room by targeting leg stump. But is this tactic working?

Statistics say that before this match, right-arm pacers bowling around the stumps to right-handed batsmen in the final two overs have an economy rate of 12.82. The corresponding figure for those bowling over the stumps is 11.46 for those bowling over the stumps. After Mavi went for 29 against Iyer, that figure ballooned up to 15.

We did get a glimpse of how the tactic can work when Avesh Khan bowled around the wicket to Andre Russell. He conceded just six runs off five balls and eventually dismissed him with a perfect yorker. But you have to get the line absolutely right because Russell gets three runs a ball when fast bowlers have tried this against him in this IPL.

Narine's exceptional ability as a pinch-hitting opener was one of the stories of the 2017 IPL, and he has already produced a couple of stunning cameos this year too. But the novelty is wearing off. Teams have found out that he is troubled by the short stuff and his dismissal to Trent Boult on Friday was the second time this season that he has been dismissed by a bouncer. He was knocked over in similar fashion five times in 2017.