IPL

IPL 2019: Ashwins pull out mankading tease, Dhawan does a little dance

Kings XI Punjab captain Ravichandran Ashwin, and leg-spinner Murugan Ashwin brought the possibility of mankading into play against Delhi Capitals batsman Shikhar Dhawan at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium on Saturday.

Team Sportstar Team Sportstar
Chennai 21 April, 2019 16:55 IST

Shikhar Dhawan, who was clearly enjoying the multiple mankading warnings, greeted Ravichandran Ashwin with a little dance.   -  SPORTZPICS

Team Sportstar Team Sportstar
Chennai 21 April, 2019 16:55 IST

Once he sent Jos Buttler packing after mankading him, Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) skipper Ravichandran Ashwin made sure batsmen at the non-striker's end are watchful while backing up this Indian Premier League (IPL) season.

The off-spinner served a reminder of this mode of dismissal on Saturday night, but it was his leg-spinner teammate Murugan Ashwin who first raised the mankading prospect.

Both spinners did it to Delhi Capitals (DC) batsman Shikhar Dhawan at the Feroz Shah Kotla.

M. Ashwin stopped in his run-up in the 12th over after spotting Dhawan out of the crease. The leggie quietly returned to his mark.

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It was R. Ashwin the very next over. He too stopped mid-stride, but this time Dhawan was inside the crease.

Dhawan, who had notched up a half-century, was clearly enjoying the gamesmanship.  

When R. Ashwin ran in for the next delivery, Dhawan, known by fans as 'Gabbar', suddenly started moving around in the crease. To some fans, it looked like a dance. Some of them even found a name for it: the Gabbar Groove. For many others, it was simply Delhi's Dhawan having fun, playing to the gallery on his home ground.   

 

Delhi Capitals beat Kings XI Punjab by five wickets, breaking the Kotla jinx.