Virender Sehwag fashions hat-trick of victories

Delhi Daredevils had seemed well on their way to take the match against Pune Warriors last week, but they lost their way after Sehwag's dismissal in the 13th over, prompting a typically frank Sehwag to say that he should have batted till the 16th over.

Over the past week, he has done exactly that, making three consecutive half-centuries and taking three consecutive Man-of-the-Match awards as Daredevils won three games to extend their lead at the top of the table.

Sehwag started making good on his word in the return match against Warriors. Manish Pandey and Robin Uthappa made it seem like a difficult pitch as Warriors ended on 142 for 2, struggling to accelerate even though there were plenty of wickets in hand. Sehwag, though, slammed 87 off 48, making it difficult for experts to decide whether it was an easy track or one he made look easy.

The next team to be tamed by Sehwag was pre-tournament favourites Mumbai Indians, who had an attack which boasted four of the top six wicket takers in IPL history. Sehwag ended on 73 off a mere 39 deliveries, slicing a catch to deep cover in the 16th over, but he had already set up Daredevils for a match-winning 200-plus total.

He wasn't done yet, though, as in the next game against Rajasthan Royals, he equalled the record for most consecutive half-centuries in Twenty20s, getting to the milestone for the fourth match in a row.

For the past three seasons, Ambati Rayudu has been among the pillars of Mumbai Indians' batting. The recruitment of Dinesh Karthik and the experiment with several overseas opening batsmen has meant he has been pushed down the order in 2012, but he has accepted the new role as a challenge, saying it would add to the adaptability of his game.

Seen less as someone who is an explosive six-hitter and more as a batsman likely to anchor the innings, he has shown his ability to clear the rope over the past week. Robin Peterson may have taken the headlines in Mumbai's incredible win over Kings XI Punjab, but it was Rayudu's two sixes off the final deliveries of the penultimate over that decisively swung the game. Two days later, Mumbai seemed out of the game after Delhi Daredevils ran up 207, and reduced Mumbai to 19 for 3. For the next 10 overs, though, Rayudu's sparkling strokeplay kept the match alive, before his dismissal for a quickfire 62 virtually ended their hopes.

Another week to remember for Delhi Daredevils' low-profile left-arm spinner. He began with a stifling spell of 4-0-22-0 that choked Pune Warriors in the middle of their innings, starving them of momentum. A couple of days later, in the high-profile match against Mumbai Indians, he more or less confirmed Delhi's victory by dismissing the rampaging Ambati Rayudu and Kieron Pollard off successive deliveries to kill off the chase. He couldn't make any breakthroughs in the game against Rajasthan Royals, but given the new ball, he again proved difficult to get away, and again showcased why he has one of the best economy-rates in the tournament.