New Delhi, Aug 17 (IANS) After his vital lower-order cameo and disciplined late-overs bowling spell proved decisive as Outer Delhi Warriors secured a 21-run victory over Purani Dilli 6 in a high-scoring 2026 Delhi Premier League (DPL) fixture, all-rounder Harsh Tyagi said he has always given equal importance to batting and bowling contributions.

Outer Delhi Warriors posted a formidable total of 219/5 in their 20 overs, thanks to a blazing 120-run opening stand between Yajas Sharma (86 off 36 balls) and Priyansh Arya (30 off 21 balls). Tyagi then provided crucial late momentum, smashing 32 off just 15 balls, while teammate Akshay Saini added an unbeaten 49 off 23 balls to push the score past the 200-mark.

With the ball, Tyagi took 3-22 as Purani Dilli 6 made 198/6, as Outer Delhi Warriors emerged victorious. “When I went in to bat, there were six overs left and the target was to get to 200. I managed to add around 30 important runs. With the ball, I had a tough start in my first two overs, but I focused on keeping the runs under control in the last two overs,” Tyagi said in a statement on Monday.

Elaborating on his execution during the death overs, the left-arm spinner highlighted his off-season preparation on variation bowling. “During those slog overs, I knew I could concede some runs, but I was confident in my preparation. I have worked a lot on my yorkers and slower balls throughout the year in Delhi to keep batters guessing.

“The most important thing was execution. Everything I had planned to do came off well on the field. I give equal importance to both my batting and bowling. I see myself as a bowling all-rounder who can bowl a full quota of overs and also contribute down the order with a good strike rate,” he stated.

For Purani Dilli 6, mystery spinner Digvesh Rathi was the standout bowler, returning figures of 3/25 in his four overs. But Rathi was penalised post-match for a Code of Conduct breach under Article 2.5 (Level 1) after making a sign-off gesture towards an opposing batter twice during the game. Match referee Abhinav Bali fined Rathi 30 percent of his match fees and handed him two demerit points after the player admitted to the offence and accepted the sanction.

--IANS

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