Delhi Capitals beats RR by 33 runs to go top of points table

By posting its eighth victory in 10 matches on Saturday, DC became the first to qualify for the playoffs and also regained the top spot on the points table.

Delhi Capitals players greet each other after winning against the Rajasthan Royals at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.

Delhi Capitals’ incisive bowling in powerplay flattened Rajasthan Royals’ chase and eventually proved decisive in the team’s resounding 33-run victory in the IPL in Abu Dhabi.

By posting its eighth victory in 10 matches on Saturday, DC not only became the first to qualify for the playoffs but also regained the top spot on the points table. RR, eyeing a victory to jump to the third spot, slipped to sixth after nine matches.

Chasing 155, RR’s skipper Sanju Samson (70 not out, 53 balls, 8x4, 1x6) played a lone hand. He hit all the boundaries of the innings and survived a dropped catch by Shikhar Dhawan on 57. The standout feature of Samson’s batting was how cleverly he nudged the ball behind the wickets and later, smashed one down the ground to collect a couple of boundaries - three of them off Kagiso Rabada’s over that fetched 14 runs.

 

READ : DC vs RR Highlights: Delhi Capitals beats Rajasthan Royals by 33 runs to go top of the table

Despite Samson’s valiant effort, RR never threatened DC after being 17 for three in the fifth over. Rishabh Pant had a hand in the dismissals of openers Liam Livingstone, Yashasvi Jaiswal and the dangerous David Miller. The departures of Mahipal Lomror and Riyan Parag made it 55/5 Thereafter, DC’s victory was never in doubt.

RR’s powerplay score of 21/3 was the lowest for the season, replacing Mumbai Indians’ 21/1 against Punjab Kings in Chennai.

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Earlier, DC struggled on a slow pitch after losing Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw in the powerplay. Shreyas and Pant rotated the strike well and went on to add 62 runs mainly because 43 runs came off the five overs bowled by spinners Tabraiz Shamsi and Rahul Tewatia after powerplay.

But in the space of 11 deliveries, Pant (24 off 24 balls) and Shreyas (43 off 32) departed to make it 90/4 in the 12th over. Shimron Hetmyer (28 off 16) looked in great touch before his intended slog ended in a catch. Soon Lalit Yadav, Axar Patel and R. Ashwin ensured that the final three overs produced 30 runs to give DC a fighting tally that eventually proved a winning one.