In a thrilling showdown at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi Capitals (DC) emerged victorious with a 20-run win over Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the 56th match of the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. This crucial victory for DC has made the TATA IPL 2024 Points Table even more interesting, propelling them to 12 points, a tally they now share with three other teams.
Rajasthan Royals, having won the toss, decided to bowl first, reasoning that their strong batting line-up could chase down any total set by the opposition. From the opening moments, it was evident that the pitch was conducive to high-scoring cricket as DC’s openers came out all guns blazing.
Jake Fraser-McGurk displayed his attacking prowess, blazing to a 19-ball half-century. Astoundingly, this was his slowest fifty of the season, reflecting the kind of form he has been in. A pivotal moment came in the fourth over, bowled by Avesh Khan, which Fraser-McGurk demolished for 28 runs, including four boundaries and two towering sixes, bringing up his fifty in that over.
However, his blitzing innings came to an end when R Ashwin deceived him, leading to a catch at cover by Donovan Ferreira. At the other end, Abishek Porel, who had begun steadily with early boundaries, took over the mantle of aggressor following Fraser-McGurk’s departure. Although Shai Hope was run-out prematurely, Porel continued his charge, supported by Axar Patel until the 10th over when Ashwin struck again to send Patel back to the pavilion. At the halfway mark, DC stood at an imposing 115 for three, hinting at an even bigger total.
In the very next over, Porel reached his first fifty of the TATA IPL 2024, smashing Avesh Khan for a six. His milestone came off just 28 balls, marking an impressive feat for the young cricketer. However, DC hit a rough patch in the middle overs, losing wickets in quick succession. Porel fell after making a crucial 65 off Sandeep Sharma’s bowling, and Rishabh Pant was dismissed by Yuzvendra Chahal, who celebrated his 350th wicket in T20 cricket.
The responsibility of steadying the innings then fell to Gulbadin Naib and Tristan Stubbs. They had to rebuild the innings before going on the offensive in the slog overs. Stubbs, known for his aggressive style, lived up to his reputation by hammering 41 runs off just 20 balls, interspersed with three fours and three massive sixes. Two of these sixes came in the last over of DC’s innings, bowled by Sandeep Sharma.
The platform for DC’s late surge was laid when Chahal, despite a commendable season, was plundered for 21 runs in the 18th over.
. Rasikh Salam was introduced as an Impact Player towards the end and instantly contributed with two scooped boundaries, to the great delight of the DC camp. DC concluded their innings at 221 for eight, confident but wary, given the recent history of high-scoring chases in the IPL 2024.
Rajasthan Royals’ chase began with Yashaswi Jaiswal hitting the first ball of the innings for a boundary, only to be dismissed on the next delivery by Khaleel Ahmed. Jos Buttler, brought in as an Impact Player, took his time to settle in, placing the onus on captain Sanju Samson to initiate the aggressive pursuit.
Samson began shifting gears in the third over with a colossal six off Khaleel, marking his 200th six in his IPL career. He continued his authoritative batting, with Ishant Sharma being the next bowler to suffer from Samson’s onslaught. Nonetheless, Mukesh Kumar almost obtained a breakthrough in the fifth over when Buttler’s mistimed shot was dropped by Stubbs, allowing RR to cross the fifty-run mark.
Despite some good shots from Buttler, he was eventually dismissed by Axar Patel in the sixth over. The next few overs saw a slowdown as Riyan Parag took time to find his rhythm. At the halfway stage, RR were behind the required rate at 93 for two. Rasikh struck again in the 11th over, removing Parag for 27.
Samson, entrenched at the crease, accelerated further, ably supported by Shubham Dube, who scored a quick 25 off 12 balls. Their partnership added 59 runs in just 29 balls, reigniting hopes for RR. Samson eventually perished for 86 off 46 balls, falling to Mukesh Kumar in a spectacular catch by Shai Hope at long-on.
The end-game was a tense see-saw as RR kept finding boundaries but also lost crucial wickets. Dube fell trying to hit big, and Ferreira, in his first IPL innings, was leg-before to Kuldeep Yadav in the 18th over, an over that critically dented RR’s chances as Kuldeep conceded just four runs and captured Ashwin’s wicket.
With 37 needed off the last two overs, much depended on Rovman Powell. Rasikh’s penultimate over limited RR to just eight runs, leaving a daunting 29-run target for the final over. Mukesh Kumar effectively closed the game for DC by bowling out Powell on the second ball, ensuring a memorable win for the Delhi Capitals.
