Fast bowler Mitchell Starc inspired table-toppers Delhi Capitals to a tense victory in the super over against Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League on Wednesday.
Starc forced the game into the super over with a brilliant eight-run 20th over as Rajasthan finished at 188-4 in reply to Delhi’s 188-5.
Two run-outs in Starc’s super over limited Rajasthan to 11-2 before Lokesh Rahul and Tristan Stubbs smashed Sandeep Sharma’s first four balls for 13 runs and took Delhi on top of the points table with five wins from six games.
Rajasthan has plenty to catch-up as they dropped to No. 8 with just two wins from seven games.
Rajasthan slips against Starc
Rajasthan seemed to have controlled the chase until Starc nailed a perfect yorker to half century-maker Nitish Rana (51) in the 18th over and had the left-hander plumb leg before wicket.
Starc bowled four more yorkers in the final over and with two needed on the final ball, Dhruv Jurel drove Starc to mid-wicket but got run out while going for the winning run.
Rajasthan had an injury scare when their captain Sanju Samson walked off with a side strain after he had provided a brisk start with Yashasvi Jaiswal (51).
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Samson clutched his left side in pain after hitting three sixes and two boundaries in his 19-ball knock of 31 balls as he walked off in the sixth over with Rajasthan cruising to 61-0.
Delhi captain Axar Patel finally got his first wicket of the season when he clean bowled Riyan Parag for 12 and Jaiswal holed out at long-on soon after completing his third half century of the season.
Patel should have dismissed Rana on 20 in the 15th over but Stubbs dropped a sitter at long-on before Rana eased the target by smashing Kuldeep Yadav for a six and a four in the next over.
However, Starc turned the tide in his return spell with flurry of yorkers and pushed the game into the super over.
Delhi prospers in death overs
Opening batter Abishek Porel smashed fast bowler Tushar Deshpande for four boundaries and a six in the second over but Jake Fraser-McGurk’s poor season continued when he holed out in Jofra Archer’s second over after scoring nine off six balls.
Rahul and Porel put on 63 runs off 57 balls, but the slowness of the wicket didn’t allow them to accelerate against either spin or pace.
Rahul was eventually dismissed in the 13th over when he pulled Archer to mid-wicket where Shimron Hetmyer took a good low catch and Porel got dismissed by Wanindu Hasaranga when he holed out at long-off after scoring 49 off 37 balls as Delhi slipped to 4-105.
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But Patel and Stubbs provided late flurry by contributing 34 runs each. Axar countercharged against Hasaranga and smashed 34 off 14 balls while Stubbs, dropped on 18 off Hasaranga, consumed 18 balls for his unbeaten 34 as the last three overs provided Delhi 42 runs.