At the Arun Jaitley Stadium, the Delhi Capitals (DC) clinched a crucial 20-run win against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Match 56 of the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. The victory, underpinned by a formidable batting display, elevates DC to 12 points on the leaderboard, joining three other teams in a tightly contested race for the playoff spots.
RR won the toss and opted to bowl first, a decision reflecting their confidence in the batting lineup’s ability to chase down big totals. The decision appeared sound initially, but DC’s openers had other plans. The pitch lived up to expectations, promising a high-scoring encounter.
Jake Fraser-McGurk spearheaded DC’s offensive with a blistering half-century off just 19 balls. Remarkably, this swift fifty was his slowest of the season, highlighting the explosiveness he has brought to this year’s IPL. The fireworks began in earnest during the fourth over, bowled by Avesh Khan, which saw Fraser-McGurk carting 28 runs, comprising four boundaries and two towering sixes.
His assault was abruptly halted by R Ashwin, who saw Fraser-McGurk hit a catch straight to cover, neatly taken by Donovan Ferreira. Nonetheless, Abishek Porel took the baton, steady initially but aggressive after Fraser-McGurk’s departure. Despite Shai Hope’s early run-out, Porel maintained his onslaught, supported by Axar Patel until the 10th over when Ashwin struck again, removing Patel with a well-judged catch at long-on. At the halfway mark, DC were 115 for three, poised for a hefty total.
Porel reached his maiden IPL fifty in the 11th over off only 28 deliveries, marking a significant milestone with a six off Avesh Khan. However, the innings momentarily slowed as DC lost wickets in quick succession. Porel fell for 65 to Sandeep Sharma, and Chahal dismissed Pant while also marking his 350th T20 wicket in the process. DC appeared to be stumbling until Gulbadin Naib and Tristan Stubbs stabilized the innings and aimed for a strong finish.
Stubbs’ late charge invigorated the innings, his 20-ball 41 consisting of three fours and three sixes, two of which came in the last over delivered by Sandeep. The momentum had dramatically shifted when Chahal, having a sterling IPL season until now, conceded 21 runs in the 18th over. Rasikh Salam, brought in as an Impact Player, delivered timely boundaries to bolster the total further. DC concluded their innings at a formidable 221 for eight.
RR, set to chase a daunting target, needed their key players to fire on all cylinders.
. Skipper Sanju Samson led admirably from the front. Yashaswi Jaiswal started promisingly, dispatching the first ball for four but fell to Khaleel Ahmed on the second delivery. Impact Player Jos Buttler tentatively steadied the innings alongside Samson.
Samson then took center stage, smashing Khaleel for a massive six that marked his 200th six in IPL history. Captaincy saw him accelerating the innings further, with Ishant Sharma conceding two fours and a six. Mukesh Kumar, introduced in the fifth over, almost engineered a breakthrough but a catch was dropped off Buttler.
Nonetheless, the runs kept flowing for Samson, taking RR past 50 in the fifth over. Buttler, however, fell in the sixth over, misjudging an inside-edge off Axar Patel. The following overs saw a deceleration as RR’s middle order found boundaries hard to come by, while Riyan Parag struggled to establish his rhythm. By the halfway stage, RR were 93 for two, lagging behind the required run rate.
Rasikh Salam’s introduction proved decisive as he dismissed Parag for 27 in the 11th over. This dismissal placed additional pressure on Samson, who was inching close to his fifty. Supported briefly by Shubham Dube, Samson raised the tempo once more. They added 59 runs in 29 balls, bringing RR back into contention.
Samson reached his fifty but was dismissed for 86 off 46 balls by Mukesh, courtesy of a sharp catch by Hope at long-on. The basked contest entered a see-saw phase in the death overs, with RR balancing between hitting boundaries and losing wickets. Dube was dismissed for 25, and Ferreira, on his IPL debut, was leg-before to Kuldeep in the crucial 18th over which proved pivotal as the bowler conceded only four runs and nabbed Ashwin’s wicket.
RR were left needing 37 off the final two overs. Despite Rovman Powell’s presence, Rasikh bowled an extraordinary penultimate over, restricting RR to just eight runs. Consequently, RR’s chase unraveled, culminating when Powell was bowled by Mukesh in the final over, sealing the win for DC.