In a Nutshell
Rajasthan Royals won the toss and put us in to bat first in this must-win clash. Soon, the rains affected this game, just like they had affected the reverse fixture. Thankfully, the showers didn’t stay for long, and the match progressed as an 18-over contest with 5-over powerplays. We went into the game with one change – Shahbaz Nadeem replaced Rahul Tewatia.
Our line-up boasted of three top-class young batsmen in Prithvi Shaw, Shreyas Iyer, and Rishabh Pant. All three of them put their hand up against the Royals. Prithvi Shaw timed them sweetly for his 47, Shreyas Iyer brought up his third consecutive fifty at the Kotla, and Rishabh Pant was at his brutal best scoring 69 runs off just 29 balls. The DD batsmen scored 196/6 in 17.1 overs. After another rain delay, RR were left with 151 runs to get in 12 overs.
Jos Buttler got off the blocks quick as lightning with an 18-ball half-century, bringing the Royals’ required run rate down significantly within five overs. Mishra claimed Buttler’s wicket and brought us back into the match. After that, it was a difficult task for the visitors. Still, they managed to get close, but our bowlers held their nerve to take this important victory by four runs.
Pant and Iyer Create Magic
We got off to the worst start possible, as Colin Munro was dismissed caught behind for a duck in the first over, off his first ball. But that didn’t deter Prithvi Shaw. He has been giving us great starts since he got into the eleven and he didn’t let that slip against Rajasthan. The third over produced 16 runs, all off Shaw’s bat. The next over produced 11 with Shreyas Iyer contributing as well. The fifth over saw 15 runs coming off it, with Shaw scoring two fours and a six off consecutive deliveries. DD were making a move on! We had scored 48/1 in the powerplay with Shaw on 37 off 18 balls, having already put four to the ropes and three over them.
Skipper Iyer teed off in the sixth over with two towering maximums. Overs three through six had produced an incredible 56 runs. After another cracking shot, a lofted inside-out over extra cover for six, Shaw got out for an excellent 47 off 25 balls.
47 (25). Bahut sahi khel gaye bhai!
— Delhi Daredevils (@DelhiDaredevils) May 2, 2018
Well played, @PrithviShaw. The Kotla loved it! ❤️
#DilDilli #Dhadkega #DDvRR pic.twitter.com/CIaIxBnVrY
Rishabh Pant walked in to join the skipper out in the middle. This pair has worked wonders earlier, and the DD fans were hoping for the same today. Pant and Iyer obliged in the most spectacular manner!
Iyer was putting the bad balls away in style, and Pant went all guns blazing. The hundred came up on the first ball of the 11th over. The next 2.5 overs added another 45 runs to the tally. At 145/2 after 13 overs, the stage was set for a massive total in this 18-over innings.
Shreyas Iyer was brilliant as usual, scoring his fourth fifty in five games.
Shreyas Iyer worked his magic tonight! 😎#DilDilli #Dhadkega #DDvRR pic.twitter.com/sWmrPCew6J
— Delhi Daredevils (@DelhiDaredevils) May 2, 2018
The middle of Rishabh Pant’s bat took a pounding on the night, as he unleashed a barrage of boundaries. He brought up his half-century off just 23 balls, and the onslaught didn’t stop there. A couple more blows later, he was dismissed for a power-packed 69 from 29 balls. The Pant-Iyer partnership had put up 92 runs in 7.1 overs.
A Vijay Shankar cameo (17 off 6 balls) powered us to 196/6 in 17.1 overs when the rains came down again. When play resumed, RR were put in to bat with a revised target of 151 in 12 overs.
Buttler Threatens, But DD Hold Nerve
Jos Buttler started off in top gear for the Royals, sending scares down the DD dugout. Avesh Khan was taken to the cleaners as Buttler scored 23 runs off the third over. Royals’ fifty came up just 19 balls into the innings. His own half-century came in just 18 balls. He had single-handedly brought the required run rate down from almost 15 runs to a little over 12 runs in the space of five overs.
The experienced Amit Mishra has foxed many a batsman throughout his career, and he did it again. Jos Buttler, who was threatening to take the game away from us, was stumped for 67 from just 26 balls. After his wicket, the required run rate had creeped back up to almost 15 runs, with 59 required from the final four overs.
In-form batsman Sanju Samson departed cheaply soon after. Stokes too went back to the dressing room after having scored just 1 run. RR now required 51 runs from 18 balls, a tall order.
D’Arcy Short smashed three maximums from the first three balls of the 10th over. Maxwell came back to claim his wicket, but the 18 runs could have been extremely damaging under the circumstances. After the 21-run over, the Rajasthan Royals needed 30 off the final two overs.
Plunkett conceded 15 off the penultimate over, leaving Boult 15 runs to defend from the last. Boult is having a tremendous VIVO IPL 2018, and he didn’t disappoint. DD took this vital victory by a slender margin of four runs. The Kotla was happy.
KOTLA RIGHT NOW! ❤️
— Delhi Daredevils (@DelhiDaredevils) May 2, 2018
DD WIN BY 4 RUNS (DLS method)!!#DilDilli #Dhadkega #DDvRR pic.twitter.com/5kMcHXivUv
The squad will have gained some confidence and momentum from this clash. The players are in a positive mindset with all must-wins ahead of them. The opportunity has arisen for a magical turnaround. Can the DD squad take it?
Brief Scores: Brief Scores: DD 196/6 in 17.1 overs (Rishabh Pant 69 off 29, Shreyas Iyer 50 off 35, Jaydev Unadkat 3/46, Shreyas Gopal 1/26); Rajasthan Royals 146/5 in 12 overs (Jos Buttler 67 off 26, D'Arcy Short 44 off 25, Trent Boult 2/26, Amit Mishra 1/12)
In a Nutshell
Rajasthan Royals won the toss and put us in to bat first in this must-win clash. Soon, the rains affected this game, just like they had affected the reverse fixture. Thankfully, the showers didn’t stay for long, and the match progressed as an 18-over contest with 5-over powerplays. We went into the game with one change – Shahbaz Nadeem replaced Rahul Tewatia.
Our line-up boasted of three top-class young batsmen in Prithvi Shaw, Shreyas Iyer, and Rishabh Pant. All three of them put their hand up against the Royals. Prithvi Shaw timed them sweetly for his 47, Shreyas Iyer brought up his third consecutive fifty at the Kotla, and Rishabh Pant was at his brutal best scoring 69 runs off just 29 balls. The DD batsmen scored 196/6 in 17.1 overs. After another rain delay, RR were left with 151 runs to get in 12 overs.
Jos Buttler got off the blocks quick as lightning with an 18-ball half-century, bringing the Royals’ required run rate down significantly within five overs. Mishra claimed Buttler’s wicket and brought us back into the match. After that, it was a difficult task for the visitors. Still, they managed to get close, but our bowlers held their nerve to take this important victory by four runs.
Pant and Iyer Create Magic
We got off to the worst start possible, as Colin Munro was dismissed caught behind for a duck in the first over, off his first ball. But that didn’t deter Prithvi Shaw. He has been giving us great starts since he got into the eleven and he didn’t let that slip against Rajasthan. The third over produced 16 runs, all off Shaw’s bat. The next over produced 11 with Shreyas Iyer contributing as well. The fifth over saw 15 runs coming off it, with Shaw scoring two fours and a six off consecutive deliveries. DD were making a move on! We had scored 48/1 in the powerplay with Shaw on 37 off 18 balls, having already put four to the ropes and three over them.
Skipper Iyer teed off in the sixth over with two towering maximums. Overs three through six had produced an incredible 56 runs. After another cracking shot, a lofted inside-out over extra cover for six, Shaw got out for an excellent 47 off 25 balls.
47 (25). Bahut sahi khel gaye bhai!
— Delhi Daredevils (@DelhiDaredevils) May 2, 2018
Well played, @PrithviShaw. The Kotla loved it! ❤️
#DilDilli #Dhadkega #DDvRR pic.twitter.com/CIaIxBnVrY
Rishabh Pant walked in to join the skipper out in the middle. This pair has worked wonders earlier, and the DD fans were hoping for the same today. Pant and Iyer obliged in the most spectacular manner!
Iyer was putting the bad balls away in style, and Pant went all guns blazing. The hundred came up on the first ball of the 11th over. The next 2.5 overs added another 45 runs to the tally. At 145/2 after 13 overs, the stage was set for a massive total in this 18-over innings.
Shreyas Iyer was brilliant as usual, scoring his fourth fifty in five games.
Shreyas Iyer worked his magic tonight! 😎#DilDilli #Dhadkega #DDvRR pic.twitter.com/sWmrPCew6J
— Delhi Daredevils (@DelhiDaredevils) May 2, 2018
The middle of Rishabh Pant’s bat took a pounding on the night, as he unleashed a barrage of boundaries. He brought up his half-century off just 23 balls, and the onslaught didn’t stop there. A couple more blows later, he was dismissed for a power-packed 69 from 29 balls. The Pant-Iyer partnership had put up 92 runs in 7.1 overs.
A Vijay Shankar cameo (17 off 6 balls) powered us to 196/6 in 17.1 overs when the rains came down again. When play resumed, RR were put in to bat with a revised target of 151 in 12 overs.
Buttler Threatens, But DD Hold Nerve
Jos Buttler started off in top gear for the Royals, sending scares down the DD dugout. Avesh Khan was taken to the cleaners as Buttler scored 23 runs off the third over. Royals’ fifty came up just 19 balls into the innings. His own half-century came in just 18 balls. He had single-handedly brought the required run rate down from almost 15 runs to a little over 12 runs in the space of five overs.
The experienced Amit Mishra has foxed many a batsman throughout his career, and he did it again. Jos Buttler, who was threatening to take the game away from us, was stumped for 67 from just 26 balls. After his wicket, the required run rate had creeped back up to almost 15 runs, with 59 required from the final four overs.
In-form batsman Sanju Samson departed cheaply soon after. Stokes too went back to the dressing room after having scored just 1 run. RR now required 51 runs from 18 balls, a tall order.
D’Arcy Short smashed three maximums from the first three balls of the 10th over. Maxwell came back to claim his wicket, but the 18 runs could have been extremely damaging under the circumstances. After the 21-run over, the Rajasthan Royals needed 30 off the final two overs.
Plunkett conceded 15 off the penultimate over, leaving Boult 15 runs to defend from the last. Boult is having a tremendous VIVO IPL 2018, and he didn’t disappoint. DD took this vital victory by a slender margin of four runs. The Kotla was happy.
KOTLA RIGHT NOW! ❤️
— Delhi Daredevils (@DelhiDaredevils) May 2, 2018
DD WIN BY 4 RUNS (DLS method)!!#DilDilli #Dhadkega #DDvRR pic.twitter.com/5kMcHXivUv
The squad will have gained some confidence and momentum from this clash. The players are in a positive mindset with all must-wins ahead of them. The opportunity has arisen for a magical turnaround. Can the DD squad take it?
Brief Scores: Brief Scores: DD 196/6 in 17.1 overs (Rishabh Pant 69 off 29, Shreyas Iyer 50 off 35, Jaydev Unadkat 3/46, Shreyas Gopal 1/26); Rajasthan Royals 146/5 in 12 overs (Jos Buttler 67 off 26, D'Arcy Short 44 off 25, Trent Boult 2/26, Amit Mishra 1/12)
