Delhi Capitals (DC) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by 59 runs in Match 19 of the Dream11 Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium yesterday and moved to the top of the points table.
Prithvi Shaw got off to a flying start as the right-hander three fours in the first over bowled by Isuru Udana and while birthday-boy Washington Sundar bowled a tight second over, Shikhar Dhawan and Shaw targeted Navdeep Saini in the next over.
Dhawan hit a four and followed it by three while Shaw creamed a six over extra covers as DC moved past 30.
Dhawan and Shaw then took on Yuzvendra Chahal in the fifth over as DC brought up their 50. The DC openers scored 18 runs, with the left-hander hitting a four and Shaw adding a four and a six each to his tally.
The final over the powerplay, bowled by Sundar, went for 10 runs as DC completed the powerplay with 63 runs on the board.
But Mohammed Siraj, playing his first game of the IPL 2020, broke the Shaw-Dhawan stand, dismissing the right-hander for 42 in the seventh over.
A couple of overs later, RCB struck for the second time in the match as Dhawan holed out in the deep off Udana’s bowling. Soon after that, DC lost the wicket of their captain – Shreyas Iyer – as Moeen Ali struck in his first over after Devdutt Padikkal hold on to a fine catch near the boundary rope.
DC moved past 100 in the 13th over before Marcus Stoinis counter attacked. The Australian all-rounder hit two fours and as many sixes in the first 12 deliveries he faced before being hit on the glove by a Saini beamer in the 15th over. He then got a reprieve in the same over as DC surpassed 130-run mark.
In the next over, the Stoinis-Pant pair completed the 50-run partnership and in the 16th over, hit a four each before Pant hit a six in the same over.
Siraj broke the 89-run stand between Pant and Stoinis in the penultimate over, dismissing Pant for 37. Stoinis, meanwhile, brought up his second 50 of the season in the same over to take DC past 180. The final over bowled by Udana went for 12 runs as DC eventually posted 196/4 on the board.
In the chase, Aaron Finch got an early life as Kagiso Rabada dropped a catch off his own bowling before an edge fell just short of Dhawan in the slip in the first over. There was more to this lucky streak as Finch got another reprieve as Dhawan could not hold on to a sharp chance off Anrich Nortje’s bowling.
DC introduced spin in the third over and the move paid dividends straight away as Ravichandran Ashwin dismissed Devdutt Padikkalm, Stoinis taking the catch at deep mid-wicket.
Finch departed in the next over as Axar Patel had him caught behind the wicket for 13.
Kohli, could have been run-out in the sixth over bowled by Nortje, but Ashwin missed the direct hit and Kohli survived. DC, though managed to get another big wicket in the same over as Nortje dismissed the ever-so-dangerous AB de Villiers after Dhawan held on to a skier.
While Moeen Ali and Kohli added 33 runs together, DC did not concede any easy runs. The partnership was broken by Axar as he dismissed Moeen Ali out for 11 in the 12th over to complete his fine bowling effort, conceding just 18 runs from four overs and picking up two wickets.
Rabada, then struck big and got the wicket of Kohli in the 14th over of the chase after the RCB skipper under-edged one to the DC wicketkeeper Pant. Sundar was the next man to go, Rabada picking up his second wicket of the match.
The right-arm pacer, bowling the 18th over and his final of the night, disturbed the timber to dismiss Shivam Dube. Rabada picked up his fourth wicket after Iyer.
Nortje then added one more wicket to his tally before DC closed out the game, restricting RCB to 137/9, and sealing their second biggest win of the IPL 2020.
Brief Scores: Delhi Capitals 196/4 (Marcus Stoinis 53*, Prithvi Shaw 42*; Mohammed Siraj 2/34) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore 137/9 (Virat Kohli 43, Washington Sundar 17; Kagiso Rabada 4/24) by 59 runs
