Delhi clinch an important victory in a must win game as they target the playoff spots, Rajasthan put themselves in a tough spot.
Delhi Daredevils (DD) defeated Rajasthan Royals (RR) by 4 runs in a rain affected match to keep their hopes of making the playoff spots alive. After rain delayed the start of the match, the game was reduced to an 18 over contest and Delhi went on to score 196 in 17.1 overs before the rains made yet another appearance. Rajasthan’s innings were further reduced to just 12 overs with a target of 151 to win.
Rajasthan openers D’Arcy Short and Jos Buttler got their team off to a great start as they added 82 runs for the first wicket. However, Amit Mishra provided the breakthrough for DD, dismissing Buttler (67) in the 7th over. Boult then landed Rajasthan a double blow when he sent back both Samson (3) and Stokes (1) in the very same over. Maxwell came into the attack and dismissed Short (44) in the 10th over, but only after the batsman hit him for three consecutive sixes. Boult then did well in the very last over effecting the run out of Tripathi and giving away just 10 runs to help Delhi clinch an important victory.
Earlier in the game, Delhi who were sent in to bat first, lost opener Colin Munro to the very first ball he faced. Prithvi Shaw (47) and Shreyas Iyer (50) went on to steady the innings with a 73 run partnership before Shaw threw away his wicket softly to Shreyas Gopal. Pant then came in and went on to score 69 in just 29 deliveries in a ‘Man of the Match’ performance before Unadkat accounted for both him and Iyer in the very same over. Vijay Shankar added 17 from just 6 balls to help his team reach a very competitive total.
Catch all the highlights from the game here.
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Turning point
A whirlwind knock from youngster Rishabh Pant was without doubt the turning point of today’s game. Coming in to bat when Delhi were just 2-74 in the 7th over, Pant went on to add 69 in just 29 deliveries as he teamed up with skipper Iyer (50 off 35) taking his team’s total up to 172 in just 14 overs.
Best Dismissal
The best dismissal came from the last ball bowled in the first innings by Jofra Archer. Coming in to bowl the final over, Archer sent in one of those lethal Yorkers that he has built a reputation for. Maxwell was unable to spot the ball in time as it zipped past him to crash onto his back pad.
Batsman of the Match
This is a tough choice as both Pant and Buttler contributed with very similar scintillating knocks for their teams. Buttler scored 67 from 26 balls and Pant reached 69 off just 29. However, it was Pant’s knock that proved the more decisive of the two as his team went on to clinch the victory.
Bowler of the Match
Trent Boult is our undisputed bowler of the match. He picked up the purple cap after dismissing both Sanju Samson and Ben Stokes off the first and last ball of the 9th over respectively. He also came in to bowl the decisive final over of the game when RR required just 15 runs to win. Boult gave away just 10 runs in it, helping his team to a much needed victory.
Captain’s views
Shreyas Iyer (DD captain), “Really important win, coming in this situation. Was a heart throbbing match. The bowlers kept their nerve and came back strong. The start Shaw is giving is amazing for Daredevils. Personally, Pant coming in, giving that extra strike-rate, and if he plays till the end the score can be totally different. We also know that it's important for us to win all the games. We've been believing in each other and Ricky Ponting is really positive. No one is thinking negatively. It's really difficult to bowl in these conditions, plus the small grounds, so we try to slow things down if the bowler is going for runs.”
Ajinkya Rahane (RR captain), “Definitely disappointed. Buttler was amazing, but we could've batted better. 151 off 12 was difficult but we did magnificently with the bat nonetheless. The wicket was pretty good, ball was coming onto the bat, but our bowlers' execution wasn't good. We're still in the tournament, so we've got to believe. Buttler, we know how dangerous he is. Jos in form is good for us. We believe we can win all the games for now. All games are knockouts for us. It's all in the minds now. Character and attitude will be important.”
What’s next
Delhi Daredevils next travel to Hyderabad where they will face second placed Sunrisers in the second game on Saturday. The Rajasthan Royals will next be seen in action in Indore where they take on Kings XI Punjab on Sunday.
Points table
With this victory Delhi moved up to sixth on the table keeping their hopes alive of reaching the playoff spots. Rajasthan continue to remain sixth on the table after their fifth loss this season. Check out the updated points table here.