Delhi Capitals (DC) registered their sixth victory in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 after beating Rajasthan Royals (RR) by 13 runs at Dubai International Cricket Sta꧑dium on Wednesꦏday.
Chasing 162, Royals started well with openers Jos Buttler (22) and Ben Stokes (41). The pair added 37-runs for the opening wicket before DC speedster Anrich Nortje castled the stumps of Buttler. As if the trouble wasn’t enough, soon RR lost their skipper Steve Smith for 1 run.
Stokes, on the other hand, kept on tickling the scoreboard. He formed a much-needed 46-run partnership with Sanju Samson (25). Stokes was hitting well and looking set to score a big knock, but in an attempt to smash the ball off Tushar Deshpande, the English all-rounder ended up giving a catch to substitute fielder Lalit Yadav.
After Stokes’ dismissal, Royals lost two wickets in quick successions in the form of Sanju and Riyan Parag (1), who met a run-out.
Robin Uthappa (32) and Rahul Tewatia (10) stitched a 25-run partnership before Nortje again came to the party as he cleaned up Uthappa w🌸ith a toe-crushing yorker.
In the end, RR could only score 148/8, losing the game by 13 runs.
In the last three overs, DC bowlers conceded only 15 runs. Deshpande and Nortje picked up two wickets while Kagiso Rabada, Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel bagged one scalp each. For his game-changing spell, Nortje received the ‘Player of the Match’ award.
With the sixth victory in IPL 2020, DC have acquired the top position in the points table.
Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer drive DC to 161/7
Earlier, DC chose to bat first and started terribly. On the very first ball of the match, RR pacer Jofra Archer cleaned up opener Prithvi Shaw for a golden duck. Archer didn’t just stop there as he provided yet another breakthrough in his next over by sending Ajinkya Rahane (2) back into the hut.
But then skipper Shreyas Iyer (53 off 43) joined hands with Shikhar Dhawan (57 off 33), and the duo took DC out of early jolts. They shared 85 runs for the third wicket to put their side🎶 inꦬ a comfortable position.
DC was playing in the absence of Rishabh Pant and Shimron Hetmyer, which clearly impacted them in the slog overs. Capitals could only score 32 runs in the final five overs and lost four wickets. In the end, DC posted 161/7 on the scoreboard.
For Royals, Archer once again shined with the white leather as he picked up three wickets for 19 runs in his 4-over spell. Left-armer Jaydev Unadkat also impressed with two scalps to his name. Kartik Tyagi and Shreyas Gopal bagged one wicket each.
Here is how Twitter reacted:
Absolute bri🌟lliant death bowling by &#Nortje and a phenomenal spell by to take home! One partnership was all that was needed for to get those valuable 2 points!
— Kris Srikkanth (@KrisSrikkanth)
Quality death bow🔯ling by both quality fast bowlers !! nortje !! middle order could not handle the preꦡssure of a must win game ! Top knocks
— Yuvraj Singh (@YUVSTRONG12)
Well done Delhi Capitals! What a remarkable fight-back. This kind of win only gives the confidence to lift the trophy.
has been s𝓰o good in middle overs. Tushar Despande cool in death overs.— R P Singh रुद्र प्रताप सिंह (@rpsingh)
The fight, the spirit, the fielding, the bowing. This is MY team, this is Delhi’s team – this is – nothing embodies the spirit of a delhiite more than these boys – COME ON – bring on the next game
— Parth Jindal (@ParthJindal11)
Well done bowlers tonite 👏🤸🏽
— Danny Morrison (@SteelyDan66)
That was so good from the …going for 25 in the last 5 overs. 🙌🏾🙌🏾 team?
— Crystal Arnold (@Crystal_Arnold)
Anrich Nortje just knocked Butler over with a🐼 155kph rocket of a ball🔥🔥🔥🔥
— Ian Raphael Bishop (@irbishi)
Fire meets fire. Pace lights up the timber and wins. Nortje-Buttler. Fabulous view♊ing
— Ravi Shastri (@RaviShastriOfc)
Seriously good heat from 156.2kmph 🔥
✊— @BrettLee_58 (@BrettLee_58)
The last time Kagiso Rabada went wicketless (4-0-59-0) in an match – was on 2 May 2017 at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi against SRH.
Since then, in his last 22 games,ꦗ he has always managed a wi𝓡cket!— Mohandas Menon (@mohanstatsman)
Outstanding defence by . 💫Used quality ♍spin, extreme pace and a very impressive young pacer. Deserved.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha)
WHAT. A. COMEBACK 💙
Fifth straight win over RR ✅
Royal Double ✅— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals)
Our boys have p༒roved their strength yet again🍒. Congratulations on a spectacular win, .
— JSW Group (@TheJSWGroup)
DC have won their sixth match in
Different Players of the Match in all matches:
v KXIP: Marcus Stoinis
v CSK: Prithvi Shaw
v KKR: Shreyas Iyer
v RCB: Axar Patel
v RR: R Ashwin
v RR: Anrich Nortje🐲And Kagiso Rabada has the Purple Cap with 18 wickets
— Sarang Bhalerao (@bhaleraosarang)
Anrich Nortje is adjudged Man of the Match♏ for his brilliant bowling figuresꦗ of 2/33.
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL)
