HOW THE ROYAL ENCOUNTER BEGAN:
Our first fixture against the Rajasthan Royals was played at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. The boys were full of confidence after the home win against KXIP back at home. Our travelling fans on the Daikin #CoolestFanBus also made their presence felt and inspired our boys with their chants and roars. Skipper Iyer decided to field first after winning the toss. Chris Morris found his place in the starting XI for this match in place of Sandeep.
THE POWERPLAY: ACT 1
Ishant Sharma started the proceedings and bowled with intent in the first over, giving away just 5 runs. An outstanding direct hit from Kagiso Rabada gave us our first breakthrough as Samson was sent back to the RR hut without even facing a single delivery.
Turn ⬅️
— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) April 22, 2019
Aim 👀
Hit 🎯
Brilliant from @KagisoRabada25!#RRvDC #ThisIsNewDelhi #DelhiCapitals pic.twitter.com/s5lIJNfMo7
After three overs played, the Royals' scorecard read 18/1. However, Steve Smith and Ajinkya Rahane steadied the ship for the hosts.
We got a golden opportunity to get him out in the 5th over. He swept Axar's delivery straight to Ishant at short fine-leg but he could complete the catch. Rahane was batting at 16 off 17 deliveries then.
Later, he raced to his fifty in just 33 deliveries. Meanwhile, Steve Smith also settled in well.
RAHANE, SMITH TURN ON THE HEAT IN JAIPUR
At the end of 9 overs, the hosts were cruising at 81/1 as both Smith and Rahane kept finding boundaries. Breaking this partnership had become critical now.
The pitch was expected to be a little sluggish. However, the ball was coming nicely onto the bat and the spinners did not get any significant purchase. Skipper Iyer threw the ball to all our bowlers but the two batsmen just didn’t budge.
THREE WICKETS IN QUICK SUCCESSION
Smith raced to his fifty in 31 deliveries. However, the Aussie player was dismissed right after as he attempted a maximum on Axar's first delivery in the 14th over. Chris Morris took an excellent catch at the boundary line at long off. He won the VIVO Perfect Catch of the Match award for his fantastic effort.
The partnership between Smith and Rahane for the 2nd wicket was a massive 130 runs from 75 balls.
With quick wickets falling at the other end, Rahane showed a lot of character and got to his 100 in just 58 balls.
THE TARGET:
Rabada and Morris bowled well in the last few overs. The current purple cap holder also took two wickets in the final over. Rabada took his tally of wickets this season to 23.
Our bowlers fought back well in the last five overs as we restricted them to 191/6.
THE POWERPLAY: ACT 2
To chase 192, a brilliant start was required in the powerplay. Shaw kept getting the singles while Shikhar Dhawan smashed it to all sides of the park, giving us the perfect start.
Dhawan kept playing his shots and our scoreboard ticked swiftly. He got to his fourth fifty of the season in just 25 deliveries. The experienced player oozed with confidence. He then struck three fours in Kulkarni's 2nd over and our scoreboard read 59/0 at the end of six overs.
Our opening pair reached their first opening stand of 50+ runs this season. Prithvi Shaw played intelligently and rotated the strike with Dhawan at crucial intervals.
THE SCARE:
Unfortunately, we lost our first wicket in the 8th over in the form of Shikhar Dhawan.
Shreyas Iyer walked out to the middle and tried to be aggressive from the word go. Our skipper tried to hit Parag for a six in the 9th over. However, he did not time it and Ben Stokes took an easy catch at deep midwicket.
Halfway through the innings, we were at 81 for 2 and 111 runs were required from the last 10 overs. The belief was still there as Rishabh Pant and Prithvi Shaw were out in the middle.
THE CLIMAX
Our young guns played smartly in the middle overs. They were reading the situation really well. Pant got off to a strong start and clobbered Parag for two fours in the 11th over. By now, Shaw also began to step onto the gas and accelerate. Some smart running between the wickets also ensured that there were plenty of twos to keep up with the high required rate.
'Shaw'ing his class ❤️#RRvDC #ThisIsNewDelhi #DelhiCapitals #IPL #IPL2019 pic.twitter.com/wTxYgA4tLj
— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) April 22, 2019
We required 10 runs per over from the last 6 with 8 wickets in hand. Rajasthan's bowlers followed the strategy of taking the pace off the ball but our two youngsters were quick to react accordingly.
Rishabh Pant got his 2nd VIVO IPL fifty of IPL 2019 in just 26 balls. The highlight of the match has to be the maturity with which he batted.
There was a heart in mouth moment on the last ball of the 16th over. Archer's delivery hit the bails and they also lit up, but only momentarily. Luckily for us, the bails did not fall off and Shaw survived. Pant and Prithvi showed they have the patience and a plan. Eventually, their partnership was of 84 runs off 47 deliveries.
THE FINISH
There was a minor hiccup as Shaw returned to the hut in the 17th over after playing Gopal's tossed up delivery in the hands of Parag at long on.
Sherfane Rutherford walked out to the middle and played a small cameo of 11 runs. He hit Kulkarni for a six and a four. However, the Guyana all-rounder got out on the last delivery of the same over.
17 runs required from the last 2 overs. Archer's penultimate over fetched 11 runs for us as Pant heaved the last ball over long on for a six with us in the driving seat.
Unadkat came on to bowl the last over. Ingram took a single and Pant finished it off in style with a six towards midwicket.
With four sixes and 6 fours, Pant scored an unbeaten 78 runs from 36 deliveries at a strike rate of 216.66. It proved to be a match winning knock. The southpaw showed his sheer strength with many scintillating shots.
RISHABHHJDDKSLDJSHSHSNDJXSJEUDJEJDUJSHSHSHWHADJEJXRJRJDJDJ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #RRvDC #ThisIsNewDelhi #DelhiCapitals pic.twitter.com/FPlKzPLtEN
— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) April 22, 2019
We got our 7th win of the season and moved up to the pole position of the IPL table. We are level with CSK at 14 points and ahead of them thanks to a better run rate. Pant won the Super Striker of the match for his blitzkrieg of a knock. The 21-year-old deservedly won the Man of the Match award as well.
THE QUOTE
"Past few matches I have changed my mindset. It has been going good for my team." - Shikhar Dhawan
"The positivity is spreading throughout the team." - Shreyas Iyer
"I only focus on my process and trust my process." - Rishabh Pant
HOW THE ROYAL ENCOUNTER BEGAN:
Our first fixture against the Rajasthan Royals was played at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. The boys were full of confidence after the home win against KXIP back at home. Our travelling fans on the Daikin #CoolestFanBus also made their presence felt and inspired our boys with their chants and roars. Skipper Iyer decided to field first after winning the toss. Chris Morris found his place in the starting XI for this match in place of Sandeep.
THE POWERPLAY: ACT 1
Ishant Sharma started the proceedings and bowled with intent in the first over, giving away just 5 runs. An outstanding direct hit from Kagiso Rabada gave us our first breakthrough as Samson was sent back to the RR hut without even facing a single delivery.
Turn ⬅️
— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) April 22, 2019
Aim 👀
Hit 🎯
Brilliant from @KagisoRabada25!#RRvDC #ThisIsNewDelhi #DelhiCapitals pic.twitter.com/s5lIJNfMo7
After three overs played, the Royals' scorecard read 18/1. However, Steve Smith and Ajinkya Rahane steadied the ship for the hosts.
We got a golden opportunity to get him out in the 5th over. He swept Axar's delivery straight to Ishant at short fine-leg but he could complete the catch. Rahane was batting at 16 off 17 deliveries then.
Later, he raced to his fifty in just 33 deliveries. Meanwhile, Steve Smith also settled in well.
RAHANE, SMITH TURN ON THE HEAT IN JAIPUR
At the end of 9 overs, the hosts were cruising at 81/1 as both Smith and Rahane kept finding boundaries. Breaking this partnership had become critical now.
The pitch was expected to be a little sluggish. However, the ball was coming nicely onto the bat and the spinners did not get any significant purchase. Skipper Iyer threw the ball to all our bowlers but the two batsmen just didn’t budge.
THREE WICKETS IN QUICK SUCCESSION
Smith raced to his fifty in 31 deliveries. However, the Aussie player was dismissed right after as he attempted a maximum on Axar's first delivery in the 14th over. Chris Morris took an excellent catch at the boundary line at long off. He won the VIVO Perfect Catch of the Match award for his fantastic effort.
The partnership between Smith and Rahane for the 2nd wicket was a massive 130 runs from 75 balls.
With quick wickets falling at the other end, Rahane showed a lot of character and got to his 100 in just 58 balls.
THE TARGET:
Rabada and Morris bowled well in the last few overs. The current purple cap holder also took two wickets in the final over. Rabada took his tally of wickets this season to 23.
Our bowlers fought back well in the last five overs as we restricted them to 191/6.
THE POWERPLAY: ACT 2
To chase 192, a brilliant start was required in the powerplay. Shaw kept getting the singles while Shikhar Dhawan smashed it to all sides of the park, giving us the perfect start.
Dhawan kept playing his shots and our scoreboard ticked swiftly. He got to his fourth fifty of the season in just 25 deliveries. The experienced player oozed with confidence. He then struck three fours in Kulkarni's 2nd over and our scoreboard read 59/0 at the end of six overs.
Our opening pair reached their first opening stand of 50+ runs this season. Prithvi Shaw played intelligently and rotated the strike with Dhawan at crucial intervals.
THE SCARE:
Unfortunately, we lost our first wicket in the 8th over in the form of Shikhar Dhawan.
Shreyas Iyer walked out to the middle and tried to be aggressive from the word go. Our skipper tried to hit Parag for a six in the 9th over. However, he did not time it and Ben Stokes took an easy catch at deep midwicket.
Halfway through the innings, we were at 81 for 2 and 111 runs were required from the last 10 overs. The belief was still there as Rishabh Pant and Prithvi Shaw were out in the middle.
THE CLIMAX
Our young guns played smartly in the middle overs. They were reading the situation really well. Pant got off to a strong start and clobbered Parag for two fours in the 11th over. By now, Shaw also began to step onto the gas and accelerate. Some smart running between the wickets also ensured that there were plenty of twos to keep up with the high required rate.
'Shaw'ing his class ❤️#RRvDC #ThisIsNewDelhi #DelhiCapitals #IPL #IPL2019 pic.twitter.com/wTxYgA4tLj
— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) April 22, 2019
We required 10 runs per over from the last 6 with 8 wickets in hand. Rajasthan's bowlers followed the strategy of taking the pace off the ball but our two youngsters were quick to react accordingly.
Rishabh Pant got his 2nd VIVO IPL fifty of IPL 2019 in just 26 balls. The highlight of the match has to be the maturity with which he batted.
There was a heart in mouth moment on the last ball of the 16th over. Archer's delivery hit the bails and they also lit up, but only momentarily. Luckily for us, the bails did not fall off and Shaw survived. Pant and Prithvi showed they have the patience and a plan. Eventually, their partnership was of 84 runs off 47 deliveries.
THE FINISH
There was a minor hiccup as Shaw returned to the hut in the 17th over after playing Gopal's tossed up delivery in the hands of Parag at long on.
Sherfane Rutherford walked out to the middle and played a small cameo of 11 runs. He hit Kulkarni for a six and a four. However, the Guyana all-rounder got out on the last delivery of the same over.
17 runs required from the last 2 overs. Archer's penultimate over fetched 11 runs for us as Pant heaved the last ball over long on for a six with us in the driving seat.
Unadkat came on to bowl the last over. Ingram took a single and Pant finished it off in style with a six towards midwicket.
With four sixes and 6 fours, Pant scored an unbeaten 78 runs from 36 deliveries at a strike rate of 216.66. It proved to be a match winning knock. The southpaw showed his sheer strength with many scintillating shots.
RISHABHHJDDKSLDJSHSHSNDJXSJEUDJEJDUJSHSHSHWHADJEJXRJRJDJDJ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #RRvDC #ThisIsNewDelhi #DelhiCapitals pic.twitter.com/FPlKzPLtEN
— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) April 22, 2019
We got our 7th win of the season and moved up to the pole position of the IPL table. We are level with CSK at 14 points and ahead of them thanks to a better run rate. Pant won the Super Striker of the match for his blitzkrieg of a knock. The 21-year-old deservedly won the Man of the Match award as well.
THE QUOTE
"Past few matches I have changed my mindset. It has been going good for my team." - Shikhar Dhawan
"The positivity is spreading throughout the team." - Shreyas Iyer
"I only focus on my process and trust my process." - Rishabh Pant
