April 17, 2025: A sensational finish to a night filled with ups and downs saw the Delhi Capitals (DC) clinch a thrilling Super Over win against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in their sixth encounter of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Wednesday.
The hosts posted a competitive total of 188/5 in 20 overs, with key contributions coming from Abhishek Porel (49 off 37 balls), Tristan Stubbs (34* off 18 balls), and captain Axar Patel (34 off 14 balls). Rajasthan Royals fought back strongly in response, with Yashasvi Jaiswal and Nitish Rana both scoring half-centuries, taking their side close to the target.
However, it was pace sensation Mitchell Starc who turned the game in Delhi’s favour. The match ended in a dramatic Super Over after Rajasthan Royals were restricted to 188/5, setting a target of 12 runs in the Super Over. Starc bowled superbly under pressure, conceding just 8 runs in the Super Over, allowing DC to chase down the target with ease in just four balls, securing the victory.
In the post-match press conference, DC captain Axar Patel spoke at length about his team’s thrilling win, his leadership style, and his own form.
“As a captain, I’m enjoying my role,” Patel said. “I was doing all this for state cricket as well. I know what to do and what not to do. When you get the chance to run the team according to you, and if you get a chance to play the way you want to play cricket, that’s the best thing. I’m enjoying it on the field and off the field.”
Patel also joked about his involvement in the Super Over, saying, “Aisi situation mein main hi kyun Aage aajata hoon (Why do I always come forward in such situations)?” He added, “But these are the situations that show the character of the team. It was very good for me as a captain to see my team perform like this and clinch a win in such a situation.”
The captain was full of praise for Mitchell Starc’s remarkable bowling under pressure. “Getting the reverse swing is one thing, but executing it is very important,” Patel said. “He (Starc) was executing it really well under pressure. We already had discussions about the field placement during the team meetings. I just asked him to back himself.”
Patel also recalled his thoughts when Starc was brought on to bowl the 18th over, saying, “Today, when he came to bowl the 18th over, I thought that he was executing it correctly; he knew where to bowl. He is such a big player and a legend for Australia. He has a very clear mindset as to how he is going to execute his plans even in the death overs.”
Reflecting on his own batting form, Patel shared, “I’ve been batting well since a year and a half. I bat according to what the team requires. In this match, we were maintaining that left-right combination and that’s why I came out to bat a little late. It’s a team game, and as I said, I just do what the team needs.”
With this terrific victory, the Axar Patel-led side has moved to the top spot of the IPL 2025 points table with five wins and 10 points from six matches. DC will next face Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on Saturday, as they look to continue their winning momentum.