New Delhi: Mitchell Starc's exceptional performance in the final over propelled the match between Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals into a super over during their Indian Premier League (IPL) encounter on Wednesday at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
With nine runs needed from the last over, Starc delivered an outstanding performance, conceding only eight runs, which led to the super over. In that extra inning, Rajasthan Royals scored 11 runs, setting a target of 12 runs for Delhi Capitals.
KL Rahul and Trishan Stubbs stepped up to bat for Delhi, while Sandeep Sharma bowled for Rajasthan in the super over. The duo successfully chased down the target in just four balls.
Earlier in the match, Sanju Samson and Yashasvi Jaiswal opened the batting for Rajasthan Royals as they pursued a total of 189. In the second over, they targeted Mukesh Kumar, scoring 15 runs off him.
In the third over, Jaiswal aggressively faced veteran pacer Mitchell Starc, hitting him for 19 runs, including two fours and a six in quick succession.
After facing pressure from the Rajasthan batters, Mohit Sharma created a chance in the fifth over when Samson mis-timed a slower delivery that went straight up, but Ashutosh Sharma failed to take the catch. Following that drop, Samson capitalized by hitting a four and a six off Vipraj Nigam in the final over of the powerplay.
Rajasthan's captain had to retire hurt in the sixth over due to back stiffness, allowing Riyan Parag to join Jaiswal at the crease. The Royals concluded their powerplay at 63 without losing a wicket, with Jaiswal not out on 27.
In the ninth over, DC captain Axar Patel dismissed Parag for 8 runs off 11 balls, bringing Nitish Rana to the crease alongside Jaiswal. Jaiswal reached his half-century in the 12th over.
Kuldeep Yadav claimed the wicket of Yashasvi Jaiswal in the 14th over, who scored 51 runs off 36 balls, featuring three fours and four sixes. Wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel then joined Nitish Rana at the crease.
In the 15th over, Tristan Stubbs missed an easy catch of Nitish Rana off Axar Patel's bowling. Rana aggressively targeted Patel, scoring 16 runs in that over. He continued his assault in the 16th over, hitting a six and a four off Kuldeep Yadav.
Dhruv Jurel finally found his rhythm, hitting a six off Mohit Sharma, while Rana notched his second fifty of this IPL season in the 17th over.
In the 18th over, Starc dismissed Nitish Rana for 51 runs off 28 balls, which included six fours and two sixes. Shimron Hetmyer then came to bat alongside Jurel.
With nine runs needed in the final over, Starc delivered an exceptional performance, conceding only eight runs, leading the match into a super over.
In the super over, RR batted first with Riyan Parag and Hetmyer at the crease, while Starc bowled for DC. Parag was run out on a free hit on the fourth ball, and Yashasvi Jaiswal followed suit, also getting run out. RR ended with 11 runs, setting a target of 12 for DC.
For DC, KL Rahul and Trishan Stubbs came to bat, with Sandeep Sharma bowling the super over for RR. Rahul and Stubbs successfully chased down the target in just four balls.
A strong performance from the middle order, spearheaded by captain Axar Patel and South African Tristan Stubbs, enabled the Delhi Capitals (DC) to post a commendable total of 188/5 in 20 overs against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) during their Indian Premier League (IPL) match on Wednesday at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
After being invited to bat first, the Capitals got off to a rapid start, with opener Abhishek Porel taking the initiative. He was particularly aggressive against Tushar Deshpande, scoring 23 runs in the second over.
However, the momentum shifted when Jake Fraser-McGurk was dismissed for 9 by Jofra Archer, and Karun Nair quickly followed suit without scoring.
Undeterred, Porel formed a crucial 63-run partnership with KL Rahul, who contributed a steady 38 before falling to Archer, marking the bowler's second wicket of the innings.
Porel narrowly missed out on a half-century, getting out for 49 runs off 37 balls, which included five fours and a six, after being dismissed by Wanindu Hasaranga.
The Capitals gained further momentum through their captain, Axar Patel, who scored 34 runs off just 14 balls, hitting four fours and two sixes before being caught out by Maheesh Theekshana.
Alongside Stubbs, Axar added a vital 41 runs to the total, keeping the scoring rate high. Stubbs played a key role in the final overs, finishing not out on 34 runs from 18 balls, which featured two boundaries and two sixes.
In the last over, he targeted Sandeep Sharma, scoring 12 runs himself as the bowler conceded a total of 19 runs, allowing DC to finish strongly.
Stubbs also formed an unbroken 42-run partnership with Ashutosh Sharma (15*), ensuring Delhi ended with a competitive score. For the Royals, Archer was the standout bowler with figures of 2/32, while Hasaranga and Theekshana each took one wicket.
