SRH vs DC, IPL 2023: Axar Patel’s all-round show hands Delhi Capitals second win of season

Axar Patel hit a run-a-ball 34 before prising out the wickets of Mayank Agarwal and Aiden Markram as Sunrisers Hyderabad faltered in the 145-run chase.

Delhi Capitals won its second match in IPL 2023 and took its points tally to four for the season. | Photo Credit: NAGARA GOPAL

Delhi Capitals held its nerves to beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by seven runs in a thrilling IPL 2023 match at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Monday.

Washington Sundar’s cameo with the bat went in vain as Mukesh Kumar successfully defended 13 runs in the final over to help the Capitals pocket their second win of the season. 

Hyderabad needed nine runs from two balls with Washington on strike. However, Mukesh cramped the batsmen and did the job for his side to hand SRH its fifth loss of the season.

Henrich Klassen and Washington resurrected the run chase with a 41-run partnership after a middle-order collapse which had left it reeling at 85 for five.

But Anrich Nortje removing Klassen turned out to be the turning point. 

SRH found itself in a familiar situation as it was once again the batting that came a cropper with the top-order failing to give a good start and the middle-order batters guilty of not applying themselves and stitching partnerships.

The opening pair of Mayank Agarwal and Harry Brook failed to set the PowerPlay on fire as the latter departed early. The fall of Brook saw Rahul Tripathi walking in as an Impact Player in place of T. Natarajan.

Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav tied down the batsmen by bowling a stump-to-stump line.

Mayank decided to break the shackles against Mitchell Marsh when he hit through the extra cover region to fetch a boundary after 27 deliveries.

Just when SRH was rebuilding, Agarwal perished, one short of his half-century, off Axar.

IPL 2023 Points Table: Updated standings after SRH vs DC match

DC continued to pick wickets as the home side’s batting fell apart. Ishant Sharma returned to remove Tripathi before Kuldeep bolstered DC’s hopes for a win by packing off Abhishek Sharma.

Earlier, Opting to bat first, Delhi imploded midway against the spin of Washington as SRH with disciplined bowling didn’t allow the batsmen to dominate.

Mitchell Marsh got off the blocks quickly as the Australian punished Marco Jansen for 19 runs in his opening over, hammering four boundaries after the early fall of Phil Salt.

However, the introduction of Natarajan saw Delhi lose its second wicket inside the PowerPlay as the left-arm pacer trapped Marsh and broke the 38-run second-wicket stand, courtesy of a successful DRS review from Markram.

Sarfaraz Khan, who replaced an out-of-form Prithvi Shaw announced his arrival in style by lofting Jansen for a six over wide long-off and joined hands with his skipper to drive Delhi.

From 57 for the loss of two wickets, Delhi slipped to 62 for five in just an over as Washington shifted the momentum towards the home side. Manish Pandey and Axar Patel forged an important 69-run partnership in 59 deliveries which ultimately proved to be the difference.