North Delhi Strikers end with win after some controversy

New Delhi: North Delhi Strikers went out of the Delhi Premier League (DPL) 2026 with a whimper. Sunday night saw them play the tournament for the last time this season and as his side braced up and walked down to defend 166 against Outer Delhi Warriors in the allotted 20 overs, there was commotion in the middle.

Rajinder Gupta, the owner of North Delhi Strikers, was seen waving his hands and shouting animatedly at a group of people. He then waved his hands at his team, asking them to go back into the dressing room.

The players obliged. It was clear that the match was not going to finish. The Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) officials walked up to him to pacify him. But he wouldn't. A while later -- perhaps 20-odd minutes after the first innings, he seemed to agree to let play carry on. He barged out of the ground and into the old dressing room area, shouting, "Do they think I am a nobody. Call that fellow (referring to one of the officials of DPL)."

An irritated Shekhar Sharma, the CEO of Old Delhi Warriors, too walked in shouting, apparently at Gupta for stalling the match. "Aise thodi koi bhi match ko rok sakta hai (How can anyone hold the match to ransom?)."

While there was no official statement forthcoming, sources and officials in DDCA revealed, "Gupta had asked for two rooms in the Marquee area for his family along with security to ensure no one walks in. The Marquee has four rooms. However, when the remaining rooms started overflowing with people, some people walked in to his room(s) where his family was sitting. He began protesting. Soon he was on the field waving his hands and had to be pacified."

That episode led to a 14-minute delay. The first innings finished at 8:44 pm and the second innings -- of Outer Delhi Warriors -- had to begin at 8:59, 15 minutes later. But it could only start at 9:13 pm.

Gupta, like many franchise owners, have invested heavily in the DPL and they were probably feeling wronged at being given the short shrift.

The delay, however, impacted Outer Delhi Warriors mentally, so badly that they folded for 127/7 in 20 overs. Only Harsh Tyagi, who took three North Delhi wickets, stood out with 54 not out off 33 balls. Tyagi once again showed why he is among the best all-round white-ball players in Delhi cricket circuit.

The 39-run win ensured North Delhi Strikers finish at 5th position in the table. Outer Delhi Warriors, however, still ended among the top four. They will be featuring in the playoffs.

By the way, the Rajinder Gupta-episode wasn't the first time an unsavoury incident happened in DPL 2026. There was an altercation, some say it almost broke into a fistfight, during the opening ceremony of the Women's DPL when an official/office-bearer protested that his name was announced much later, well behind many others, on the stage.

Tags : Delhi, cricket, Rajinder Gupta, Harsh Tyagi, North Delhi Strikers, Outer Delhi Warriors, DDCA