Kuldeep Yadav’s pivotal 17th over and Mukesh Kumar’s timely wickets were crucial in Delhi Capitals’ (DC) 20-run victory over Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, keeping their playoff aspirations alive.
Kuldeep’s over was particularly decisive, allowing only four runs and taking two crucial wickets that shifted the game’s momentum in favor of DC. In the match’s final stages, DC surged to score 53 runs in the last three overs, while RR managed only 20, a differential that significantly contributed to their loss.
While chasing a formidable target of 222, RR started aggressively in the powerplay despite losing early wickets. Jos Buttler, coming in as an impact substitute, and Yashasvi Jaiswal started strong, but both batsmen were quickly dismissed, with Jaiswal out on the second ball of the innings by Khaleel Ahmed, and Buttler later bowled by Axar Patel.
RR skipper Sanju Samson entered with guns blazing, contributing to a 36-run stand with Riyan Parag and then a 59-run partnership with Shubham Dubey. Despite these efforts, the required run rate climbed, and strategic bowling in the death overs by DC, including Mukesh Kumar’s dismissal of the well-set Samson (86) who was caught by Shai Hope at the boundary, sealed RR’s fate.
The end of the game saw RR needing substantial hits, with Rovman Powell trying to mount a late charge with a six off Rasikh Dar Salam when the equation was 35 runs needed from 9 balls. However, Mukesh Kumar delivered a match-clinching yorker in the final overs, taking out Powell and confirming the victory for DC.
Earlier, DC had set a challenging target after being put to bat first, with Jake Fraser McGurk taking an aggressive stance from the start. McGurk’s quick-fire 50 off just a few overs set the tone for DC’s innings. Despite a middle-order stumble, the team managed to reach 221/8, aided by crucial innings from Abhishek Porel and later contributions from Tristan Stubbs and Gulbadin Naib.
Ravichandran Ashwin was the standout bowler for RR, taking three wickets and keeping the run rate in check, but it wasn’t enough to stave off a determined DC in their home ground.
This win breathes new life into DC’s campaign, demonstrating their capability to perform under pressure and maintain their chase for the playoffs in IPL 2024.
