It was a game won by Delhi Capitals in the Powerplay with both ball and bat. They struck early, taking four wickets in the first six overs, and then cruised to 52 without loss in their chase of 164. This dominant performance led to a seven-wicket win, handing Sunrisers Hyderabad their second consecutive defeat of the season. Mitchell Starc was the star of the game with his first five-wicket haul in T20 cricket. He was well supported by Kuldeep Yadav, who finished with three wickets. Faf du Plessis and the other DC batters made light work of the chase as they finished it in 16 overs, giving a major boost to their net run rate.
Starc tore through SRH’s top order with a fiery new-ball spell. With just a hint of movement, that was all he needed to wreak havoc. After Abhishek Sharma was run out, Starc struck thrice to expose SRH’s untested middle order. The left-arm pacer used all his experience, adapting to the conditions expertly. When the ball stopped moving, he relied on his cutters, deceiving Nitish Kumar Reddy. Ishan Kishan and Travis Head fell in a similar fashion, attempting to slash at Starc’s deliveries.
Aniket Verma then launched a ferocious counterattack alongside Heinrich Klaasen. The duo stitched together a blistering 77-run stand off just 40 balls for the fifth wicket, reviving the innings. However, SRH faltered again after Klaasen’s dismissal, with Kuldeep Yadav taking centre stage. He claimed three crucial wickets, including the prized scalp of Aniket, who smashed a brilliant 74 off 41 balls. Fittingly, Starc returned in the 19th over to wrap up the innings, putting Delhi Capitals in a prime position to chase down the target.
Du Plessis and Jake Fraser-McGurk made things easy for DC, providing a solid start in the run chase and ensuring they didn’t lose early wickets like they did in the last game. While du Plessis was striking the ball beautifully, Fraser-McGurk struggled for the majority of his innings. SRH had opportunities in the field, but they couldn’t take them. Du Plessis played his shots and reached his half-century in 26 balls. Fraser-McGurk scored 38 off 32 balls, but it was Abishek Porel’s innings of 34 off 18 balls, filled with eye-catching strokes, that took the Capitals to the finish line, with Tristan Stubbs also staying unbeaten till the end. For SRH, debutant Zeeshan Ansari was the lone standout performer, claiming three wickets.