Delhi, Apr 16 (UNI) A blazing late assault by skipper Axar Patel and Tristan Stubbs, aided by a below-par fielding effort from Rajasthan Royals, helped Delhi Capitals post a formidable 188 for five in their 20 overs in Match 32 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) here on Wednesday.
Opting to bowl after winning the toss, Rajasthan began brightly, removing the dangerous Jake Fraser-McGurk (9) early, as he miscued a heave off Jofra Archer to Yashasvi Jaiswal. Moments later, confusion between Abishek Porel and Karun Nair led to the latter being run out for a duck without facing a ball, putting DC at 34/2.
Porel (49 off 37) and K L Rahul (38 off 32) steadied the innings with a fluent stand, but both batsmen fell just as they looked set for more. Rahul perished pulling Archer to Shimron Hetmyer at deep mid-wicket, while Porel was caught at long-off off Wanindu Hasaranga after surviving a drop on the previous delivery.
With Delhi at 105/4 in the 14th over, it was left to Axar and Stubbs to provide a final flourish, and they did so in spectacular style.
Axar slammed 34 off just 14 balls (4x4, 2x6), taking Maheesh Theekshana apart with 14 runs in four balls, including a huge six and two crisp boundaries. Stubbs, meanwhile, was clinical at the death, smashing an unbeaten 34 off 18 deliveries. He unleashed a punishing sequence against Sandeep Sharma in the final over—clipping a four past fine leg, launching a massive six over long-on, and surviving a sitter dropped by Theekshana that summed up Rajasthan's night in the field.
Sandeep, despite an excellent first three overs, leaked 16 in his final, with Theekshana’s dropped catch and an earlier wide review adding to RR's woes. Stubbs' clever scoop and pull shots in the 18th and 19th overs further dented the Rajasthan's momentum, while Ashutosh Sharma (15* off 11) chipped in with cheeky boundaries off Archer.
Rajasthan bowlers, despite flashes of brilliance, failed to maintain pressure in the latter stages. Archer returned 2/32, including the key wickets of Fraser-McGurk and Rahul. Hasaranga (1/38) and Theekshana (1/40) had a wicket each but were guilty of inconsistency and poor fielding support.
Stubbs was dropped twice, once by Riyan Parag at long-on and again by Theekshana in the final over, while Ashutosh cashed in with clever strokes against pace and spin alike.
Delhi plundered 83 runs in the final 6.1 overs, shifting gears spectacularly from 105/4 to 188/5, riding on Rajasthan's fielding lapses and some audacious stroke play.
With dew expected to come into play, RR will need 189 runs to win under lights at the Arun Jaitely Stadium. UNI BDN SS