IPL 2025 | Rain washes out SRH vs DC clash; ends Hyderabad’s play-off hopes despite fiery bowling display

HYDERABAD: Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) were eliminated from the play-offs race after their Indian Premier League fixture against Delhi Capitals (DC) was called off due to heavy rain after Delhi Capitals limped to 133/7 after a top-order collapse against Sunrisers Hyderabad in their IPL clash in Hyderabad on Monday.

Pat Cummins-led SRH pace attack ran through the DC batting line-up to limit the visitors to 133/7 before rain dashed the slim hopes of the home team.

Both teams shared a point each for the abandoned game. With 13 points from 11 games, DC remain in contention for a top-four spot.

After reaching the final last year, it was a season to forget for SRH who could not replicate their ballistic run of 2024 with the bat.

Having collected only seven points from 11 matches, SRH will now be playing for pride. Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals were already eliminated from the competition.

Before rain lashed the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, the hosts put up a clinical effort with the ball and were on course for only their fourth win of the season until rain arrived, creating large puddles of water on the outfield.

The match officials decided to call off the game at 11.10 pm local time.

The shot selection of Delhi Capitals' batters contributed to their downfall after being put in to bat.

They were left reeling at 29 for five in 7.1 overs with captain Cummins causing the maximum damage.

Cummins had Karun Nair caught behind on the very first ball of the match with a good length ball around the off-stump. It was a rather loose shot from the DC batter first up. Faf du Plessis departed in Cummins' following over, a failed attempt to put the relentless Australian away for a boundary. Not getting any loose ball from Cummins, the South African went for a pull on the charge only to be caught by the wicket-keeper.

Cummins' third victim was Abhishek Porel who was caught after mistiming a flick. Harshal Patel and Jaydev Unadkat then got into the act by dismissing Axar Patel and K L Rahul respectively.

The in-form Rahul went for a drive on the up but ended up edging it to Ishan Kishan behind the stumps.

It was one way traffic until Tristian Stubbs (41 not out off 36) and impact player Ashutosh Sharma (41 off 26) combined to take DC to a respectable total. They shared a 66-run stand off 45 balls. Sharma was able to break the shackles by depositing leg-spinner Zeeshan Ansari for a couple of sixes over long-on in the 15th over.

Stubbs did not look as comfortable as Sharma in the middle but managed to provide much needed support to the latter.

The South African could find only four boundaries with the last one coming off the final ball of the innings.

Toss

SRH won the toss and opted to bowl against DC in the 55th match of the IPL at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.

“We haven’t had a complete game yet. Need to get the basics right. Support has been amazing, but we haven’t had the results here,” says Pat Cummins.

“We would have bowled first as well. We are at the last phase of the tournament and we know we have to win matches. All players have contributed but we need to carry the momentum when we do well. We are going with the same combination,” says Axar Patel

SRH, who are ninth on the points table and are still mathematically in the playoff contention, will look to give it their all to keep the hopes alive.

For the Delhi side, currently at the fifth position on the points table, the win will have massive playoff implications after they just won two of their last six matches.

Playing XIs

Delhi Capitals: Abishek Porel, Faf du Plessis, Karun Nair, KL Rahul (wk), Axar Patel (c), Tristan Stubbs, Vipraj Nigam, Mitchell Starc, Dushmantha Chameera, Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan

Sunrises Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Sachin Baby, Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Abhinav Manohar, Pat Cummins (c), Harshal Patel, Zeeshan Ansari, Eshan Malinga, Jaydev Unadkat

(With inputs defrom PTI)