Dependable home bowlers delivered after Sam Billings and Corey Anderson did the job with the bat as Delhi Daredevils thrashed Kings XI Punjab by 51 runs in an Indian Premier League match at the Feroz Shah Kotla on Saturday.
Billings (55) struck his second IPL fifty before Anderson (39 not out) provided late fireworks to lead the hosts to a respectable 188 for six.
The hosts collected 68 runs from the last five overs and it tilted the game in their favour after mid-overs struggle.
Daredevils then restricted Punjab to 137 for nine to hand the visitors their second straight defeat.
It was spinner Shahbaz Nadeem who rattled the Punjab top-order by scalping Manan Vohra (3) and Wriddhiman Saha (7) in successive overs while Chris Morris (3/23) saw the back of Hashim Amla (19).
Adding to the wickets, skipper Zaheer Khan and Australian quick Pat Cummins (2/23) bowled tight overs to choke Punjab.
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Punjab's 50 came as late as in the ninth over while Eoin Morgan (22) departed at the half-way mark, caught by Karun Nair off Cummins.
Tottering at 64 for four in 10 overs, the visitors needed 125 runs from the last 10. With David Miller and skipper Glenn Maxwell around it was not impossible but Daredevils had too good an attack.
Leg-spinner Amit Mishra, who has been very consistent from the start of the league, dealt a severe blow to Punjab by seeing the back of Maxwell, who could not even open his account.
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The last nail in the Punjab coffin was the wicket of Miller, who was trapped by Anderson in the 14th over.
Electing to bat after winnings the toss, Delhi were off to a flier with the opening duo of Billings and last match's centurion Sanju Samson (19) putting on 53 runs.
Just after the powerplay, leg-spinner KC Cariappa put the brakes on Delhi's scoring by dismissing Samson, who holed out one to long-off straight down the throat of Eoin Morgan. The 22-year-old batsman's 18-ball effort comprised two boundaries and a six.
In the next over, Aaron dealt another jolt to the hosts with the wicket of Karun Nair (0), whose poor run with the willow continued.
Playing his first match of the season, Shreyas Iyer (22) joined Billings in the middle and the duo batted sensibly, occasionally dabbing the ball to the boundary, to raise 41 runs for the third wicket.
Iyer, who consumed 17 balls and struck three boundaries, looked good for a big innings before attempting to loft a good length ball from Mohit Sharma landed at the hands of Morgan at long-on. The next ball saw Billings complete his second IPL fifty with a deaf touch for a single. The 40-ball effort contained nine hits to the fence.
However, Billings failed to carry on and was back in the dug out after mistiming one from left-arm spinner Axar Patel in the very next over.
His departure as Delhi found themselves struggling at 103/4 by the end of the 13th over.
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With seven overs left,the stage was set for the in-form Rishabh Pant (15) and New Zealander Corey Anderson (39 not out) to step up the gas, but Aaron's bouncer cut short Pant's 9-ball effort, laced with three fours.
South African all-rounder Chris Morris struck an 8-ball 16 to help Delhi cross the 150-run mark before Sandeep induced him to pull a short ball only to find Mohit's safe hands at the square leg boundary.
Anderson then added the late surge, sending Patel to the cleaners for two consecutive sixes as the 19th over yielded 16 runs before pacer Pat Cummins (12 not out) joined the party in the final over, fetching 19 runs. Despite taking two wickets, Aaron was quite wayward in his line and length, leaking four wides and a no ball in his four overs which cost 45 runs.
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