Match Details
Arya- Earlier in the day, it was Lucknow Super Giants skipper KL Rahul who won the toss and opted to bat. This was a well-sought out plan due to the extreme heat. The start was great for LSG as the opening duo of skipper KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock got them off to a flying start. They found the boundaries at regular intervals in the powerplay and ensured that they raced off to 42 in the 5th over before Shardul Thakur induced a false shot from QDK’s bat resulting in his dismissal.
Deepak Hooda came into join his skipper in the middle and he struck some delightful shots and was the attacking partner as Rahul decided to anchor the innings after the loss of De Kock’s wicket. Hooda timed the ball to perfection and looked in complete command of proceedings. Slowly his skipper started to up the ante and LSG was in a commanding position and looked well set to reach the 200 mark.
A sensational partnership of 95 runs came to an end when Shardul Thakur accounted for Deepak Hooda. It was a good yorker-length delivery on the stumps and Hooda somehow managed to dig out and squeeze that back to the bowler. It was a good return catch by Shardul to get the prized wicket of Hooda. Marcus Stoinis was the next man in and unlike most of the days, he struggled to get going.
Realising that Stoinis wasn’t timing the ball to well, Rahul decided to hover the strike and took the DC bowling attack apart during the final phase of his innings. He was eventually dismissed on 77 of 51 deliveries, an innings which was studded with 4 fours and 5 sixes. Stoinis managed to smash a six in the final over as DC reached 195 at the end of the 20 overs mark. Shardul Thakur was the only wicket-taker in the innings, finishing with figures of 3/40 in his 4 overs.
Arya- A score in above 190 had been chased down in this stadium twice before in the competition so Delhi Capitals would have surely fancied their chances when the run-chase began. The opening duo of Prithvi Shaw and David Warner who has been very productive in the tournament was dismissed early on which put a lot of pressure under the Capitals. Dushmantha Chameera prized out Prithvi Shaw with a brilliant short delivery while Mohsin Khan bagged the huge wicket of David Warner.
However, what transpired next was something blistering and a sight to behold for the cricket fans. Skipper Rishabh Pant took on Krunal Pandya in the 4th over and raced off to 22 in the first 6 deliveries. In the next over, it was Mitchell Marsh who took the attack to the KLSG bowlers. He started off in a sensational manner smoking boundaries and sixes at will. They raced off to a 51 runs partnership in just 16 deliveries to get them storming back into the game.
Mitchell Marsh was eventually dismissed by Krishnappa Gowtham just when he threatened to take the game away from LSG. He decided to walk but replays showed that there was no outside edge and he would have survived had he taken the review. It was a big moment in the game as Marsh was smashing the ball to all corners. DC lost Lalit Yadav early as Ravi Bishnoi castled him with a brilliant googly.
Pant never buoyed down and was joined by Rovman Powell in the middle. He started off in a blistering fashion and ensured that the required rate didn’t reach a stage where they needed to play catch up. After a good partnership between the duo, it was a brilliant delivery from Mohsin Khan which castled Rishabh Pant and again put DC under a bit of strife.
Mohsin Khan then went onto bag the wickets of Rovman Powell and Shardul Thakur in quick succession to finish with four wickets. Axar Patel tried valiantly and along with Kuldeep Yadav got his side within touching distance of the victory score. However it wasn't to be as DC eventually fell just short by 6 runs. They lose their 5th match in the competition and things are looking bleak for them.