Karun Nair guides Delhi past Hyderabad with unbeaten 83

Karun Nair single-handedly powered Delhi's effort, with an unbeaten 59-ball 83, that helped his side beat Hyderabad by six wickets, off the last ball, in the Indian Twenty20 competition at Raipur on Friday.

Delhi's captain, Zaheer Khan, won the toss and opted to bowl first. His opposite number, David Warner, led Hyderabad's charge with the bat. The left-hander smashed eight fours and one six in his 56-ball 75. Warner though was the only Hyderabad batsman that cashed in on a surface that appeared two-paced. The other Hyderabad batsmen got starts but failed to capitalize thereafter.

Delhi faltered at the start with the bat and lost in form opener, Quinton de Kock, in the second over for just two. Nair and Rishabh Pant dropped anchor and began rebuilding the innings in a bid to keep Delhi's hopes of qualifying for the play-offs alive. The duo added 73 runs for the second wicket in 9.5 overs before Pant was dismissed.

Nair used the sweep shot impressively to negate Karn Sharma's legspin. The right-hander had his share of luck, and survived a caught-behind appeal on 23 in the ninth over, with Delhi needing 105 off 69. Warner then dropped him when the batsman was on 51.

Sharma made the most of the missed chances and, along with JP Duminy, Carlos Brathwaite and finally Sanju Sampson guided Delhi closer to the 159-run target. At the end of the 17th over, Delhi required 28 from 18 balls. Warner turned to Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mustafizur Rahman to restrict the opposition.

Brathwaite reduced the margin to 16 off 12 balls. Mustafizur conceded just five in the 19th over. Delhi required 11 from the last over and Kumar conceded just five from the first four balls. Nair then ended the chase with two lusty fours from the last two balls.

"I have no words to describe the feeling. My best IPL knock. I'm used to adjusting from the longer formats," Nair, the Man of the Match, said. His captain, Zaheer Khan, lauded his team for their impressive effort. "Everyone wanted this win badly. I said irrespective of the result, we are going to smile out there. Great fight. Few situations not going our way. This season is all about having that young energy around. Good things are in store."