Axar Patel FIFTY: DC vs MI – With his team in dire straits, Axar Patel put on a show at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in a crunch game against the Mumbai Indians. The left-hander showcased his range of hitting on his way to a maiden IPL fifty. The all-rounder has now played the second most matches now before his maiden fifty after Ravindra Jadeja. Follow IPL 2023 LIVE Updates on Insidesport.IN
Coming into bat with his side in trouble, Axar Patel put on a show taking the attack to the Mumbai Indians. Delhi were 98/5 when Axar walked in and stitched a vital partnership with David Warner.
The left-hander teed off with a couple of sixes off Hrithik Shokeen and did not look back since. He followed it up with two boundaries off Cameron Green to keep the momentum going. Patel was given a reprieve after he was dropped on the boundary, with SKY parrying it over the boundary for a maximum.
STAT: Most innings before 50+ score in IPL
- 131 R Jadeja
- 91 Axar Patel
- 70 R Ashwin
- 60 Harbhajan
He eventually finished with 54 off 25 balls, reaching his milestone in 22 balls. The Delhi Capitals vice-captain now has the fourth fastest half-century of IPL 2023. It is also his first fifty in his IPL career. He reached the milestone in his 91st innings, almost a decade after first bursting onto the scene. Only Ravindra Jadeja has taken more innings to score a maiden fifty in IPL history.
Baapu toh bowlers ke sehat ke liye haanikarak hai!
A maiden #TATAIPL 5️⃣0️⃣ for Axar Patel 👏#DCvMI #TATAIPL #IPLonJioCinema #IPL2023 pic.twitter.com/XJsyRAiuvL
— JioCinema (@JioCinema) April 11, 2023
Axar’s batting has come leaps and bounds over the last 12 months. The all-rounder has chipped in with timely knocks for India across formats including the Border Gavaskar Trophy. In ODIs, Patel has proven himself to be a finisher a role he occupies with the Capitals as well.
Speaking after his innings, Patel said, “I was backing my confidence, went with an attacking mindset and the plan was if the ball was in my slot and I’d go for it. The ball was stopping a bit and I wanted to hold my shape while trying for the big hits.”
Follow InsideSport on GOOGLE NEWS / Follow IPL 2023 Live Updates with InsideSport.IN