Capitals’ win came thanks to an all-out effort with bat and ball, while Royals were slumped in a furious chase of 222.
DC rotator Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav Their performance was impressive as the batsmen fired in unison.
Again, it is Jack Fraser-McGurk (50) and Abhishek Borel(65)’s explosive performance saw DC post a challenging 221 for eight.
The Royals needed a win to secure a playoff spot, and they began a tight chase. However, the dismissal of captain Sanju Samson in the 16th over was a turning point as he scored 86 runs in 46 deliveries. After Samson’s departure, the Royals’ innings lost steam and they ended up losing by 201 runs for 8.
Wrist-spinner Kuldeep (2/25 in 4 overs) and left-arm spinner Axar (1/25 in 3 overs) showed impressive control of line and length, which really restricted Royals in the middle overs scoring rate.
when things happen
The two bowlers conceded just 50 runs in a total of seven overs.
Tuesday’s win moves Delhi Capitals up to fifth place with 12 points – the same as three other teams – but even if they win their remaining two games, they will struggle to reach the knockout stages as they are ranked higher than Their team has a better chance of scoring 18 points. The DC can have up to 16 points.
Veteran Ravichandran Ashwin rocked the Capitals with wickets in consecutive overs but pacer Avesh Khan was left bleeding.
Samson’s batting was a joy to watch, although Jos Buttler failed to make the most of the missed opportunities. Samson showed great disdain for veteran pacer Ishant Sharma and scored from him with ease.
Buttler started hard and when he reached the eighth over, Jake Fraser-McGurk took a high catch from Mukesh Kumar and Buttler Le got his chance.
The England batsman dragged a ball away from left-arm spinner Axar, who showed the art of containing batsmen on a small ground like Kotla.
As the asking price increased, Kuldeep also kept a tight rein on the batsmen. Rasikh Dar cleans up Riyan Parag after being hit out of the park.
Samson completed his 50 run with a six off Kuldeep and then struck hard at Dar, who conceded 18 runs in the 13th over.
Royals needed 42 balls to score 91 runs. Debutant Shubham Dube supported his captain well, hitting a horrific six off Ishant after hitting four.
Left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed bowled four consecutive overs before creating an opportunity to get rid of Samson, whose lofted shot was well below the long-off fielder.
However, the game fell apart for the Royals after Samson left.
Earlier, DC might have scored more runs had it not been for some smart bowling by Ashwin and fellow off-spinner Ryan Parag in the middle overs.
Young Aussie batsman Fraser McGurk (50 off 20 balls) continued his excellent form while Abhishek Porrell contributed 65 off 36 balls. Tristan Stubbs scored a useful 20-ball 41 but captain Rishabh Pant’s (15) bat didn’t say much.
Royals pacers Trent Boult and Sandeep Singh came on at bat and largely succeeded in denying the home opener a free run. The initial boundary is mainly about well-timed drives and lobs in the “V” space.
Fraser-McGurk became agitated and began throwing his bat. The Australian gradually found his rhythm and was tough on Avish, who blasted 28 runs in the fourth over of the fourth innings, plundering four fours and two sixes for just 19 He completed his half-century with just one ball.
As fate would have it, Fraser-McGurk was dismissed softly when Ashwin’s full-toss ball directly covered fielder Donovon Ferreira. Shay Hope also passed away soon after, in a rather unfortunate way. Porrell hit Sandeep directly and the ball touched the bowler’s hand before crashing into the stumps and catching the West Indian outside the crease.
Yuzvendra Chahal (1/48 in 4 overs) started with a bit of length and was bowled by Porel for a six. However, Parag’s off-spin was excellent and he managed to keep the batsmen quiet.
Ashwin came back and got rid of Axar Patel who had just delivered his biggest attack on Parag. Porrell continued strong and completed his fifty, while Avish continued to bleed. In his two games, he allowed 42 points.
RR captain Sanju Samson handed the ball to Ashwin, who again passed the ball, this time passing Porel’s long ball back to Po Porel, but the lefty can’t catch the ball well.
The home team’s skipper didn’t do much as he threw away his wicket with a shot that swept Chahal. DC has scored 65 points in the last 5 games.
(Inputs from PTI)
