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Collingwood's capital innings

Last updated on: April 05, 2010 01:09 IST

Paul CollingwoodSo often Paul Collingwood has proved to be the crisis man for England. Now he is doing the same for Delhi Daredevils.

The England batsman was surplus to requirements for Delhi and didn't feature in a single match in the last two IPL seasons.

- Coverage: Indian Premier League

But, this season, when given the opportunity, he made sure he grabbed it with both hands.

Collingwood has emerged as one of Delhi's most consistent batsmen in this tournament with two half-centuries in three games.

He started off with a cracking 53 from 45 balls in his debut match, against Kolkata Knight Riders, where David Warner stole the headlines with a splendid century.

The 33-year-old continued the trend of senior players grabbing the headlines with a match-winning innings of 75 from a mere 46 balls to inspire Delhi to a 37-run victory against Royal Challengers Bangalore.

The right-hander helped Delhi amass a huge 184 for five in their 20 overs as he batted sensibly in the middle overs before exploding towards the end.

He hit three sixes in the space of two overs towards the close, helping Delhi hit 59 runs off the last five overs, which ultimately proved crucial.

Chasing the huge total, Bangalore's explosive battling line-up, featuring the likes of Jacques Kallis, Kevin Pietersen and Ross Taylor, succumbed to the pressure of the huge target and failed to deliver.

Photograph: IPL/Getty Images