Delhi Capitals, SunRisers Hyderabad
DC beat SRH [Photo-IPLT20]

A brilliant batting effort backed up an equally good bowling performance has helped Delhi Capitals overcome Kane Williamson’s masterclass to book their spot in the 2020 IPL finals alongside defending champions, Mumbai Indians.

Defending 190, Delhi Capitals had the best possible start that they would have imagined. Kagiso Rabada cleaned up David Warner with an inswinging yorker to land a body-blow to the ‘Orange Army’ before Marcus Stoinis knocked over Priyam Garg (17 off 12 balls) besides claiming the dangerous Manish Pandey (21 off 14 balls) to leave SRH three down in the first powerplay.

Delhi Capitals, SunRisers Hyderabad
Kagiso Rabada cleaned up David Warner [Photo-IPLT20]
Jason Holder and Kane Williamson tried to weather the storm to take the total to 75 after 10 over. But with 115 still needed off the last 60, SunRisers Hyderabad needed the duo to shift gears.

Williamson smashed a six off Rabada in the 11th over before taking Axar Patel downtown for another six over his head in the next. Jason Holder (11 off 15 balls) tried to emulate Williamson but he failed to connect with the stroke and eventually holed out to Praveen Dubey at mid-wicket.

Delhi Capitals, SunRisers Hyderabad
Kane Williamson [Photo-IPLT20]
Williamson, however, continued to go along his merry way as he clipped Marcus Stoinis for another six in the next over to take the total past 100. The Kiwi skipper compiled his half-century in the next over and he celebrated that with a boundary towards third-man.

But with 77 needed off the last six overs, Williamson needed the likes of Abdul Samad to share some of the workload. And, Samad showed signs of it courtesy a disdainful pull-stroke, ferocious square-cut, and a hoike over wide point for a six and a couple of fours off Anrich Nortje to relieve some of the pressure.

The duo soon brought up their 50-run-stand in just 27 balls but SRH needed a sustained onslaught from the duo with the equation getting boiled down to 47 off the last 21. Williamson [67 off 45 balls] carved Stoinis for another boundary over point but his masterclass eventually came to an end as he holed out to Rabada at sweeper-cover.

Rashid Khan smashed Ashwin for a four and a six in the 18th over to bring the equation down to 30 off 12 balls. Abdul Samad backed it up with another six in the next over bowled by Kagiso Rabada but the fast bowler eventually had the last laugh as he dismissed Samad [33 off 16 balls] and Rashid on successive deliveries before following it up with the wicket of Shreevats Goswami to effectively kill the run-chase.

Shikhar Dhawan led the charge as Delhi Capitals hammered SunRisers Hyderabad to the tune of 3-189

Batting first, Delhi Capitals made a tactical punt where they slotted Marcus Stoinis at the top of the order.

And, the move almost backfired when Sandeep Sharma nearly strangled the Australian all-rounder into the trap set for him, only for Jason Holder to drop a tough chance at short mid-wicket. Stoinis (38 off 27 balls) responded by smashing five 4s and a six in the next 9 balls he faced off Sandeep and Jason Holder to race to 30 off just 16 balls.

Delhi Capitals, SunRisers Hyderabad
Marcus Stoinis and Shikhar Dhawan [Photo-IPLT20]
That dropped catch proved to be a fillip for the Delhi Capitals as boundaries continued to pour from both sides. Shikhar Dhawan smashed a couple of boundaries in the next over of Sandeep Sharma to bring up the 50-run-stand in just 29 balls.

David Warner introduced Shahbaz Nadeem in the attack to bowl the 6th over but clearly, the move didn’t work as Shikhar Dhawan smoked the SLA for a six and a four on the first two balls as DC raced to 0-65.

Delhi Capitals, SunRisers Hyderabad
Rashid Khan [Photo-IPLT20]
That the SunRisers Hyderabad were clearly rattled by the onslaught was testified in the very next over of Rashid Khan when the leg-spinner, in a reflex action, threw the ball at the batsman’s end, only to see it race past the boundary line.

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The onslaught was eventually ended by the superstar Rashid Khan, who knocked over Marcus Stoinis with a quick straighter delivery, which went on to dislodge the top of off-stump. Dhawan, however, continued to take the attack to Nadeem as he completed yet another half-century (off just 26 balls) with a slog sweep for a six.

While Shikhar Dhawan (78 off 50 balls) was going hammer and tongs, Shreyas Iyer struggled to keep pace with the southpaw and he was eventually dismissed for a 20-ball 21 while trying to up the ante in the 15th over.

Delhi Capitals, SunRisers Hyderabad
Shikhar Dhawan [Photo-IPLT20]
But Nadeem’s day continued to get from bad to worse. After being taken for nine runs in the 15th over, he proceeded to bowl another no-ball, eventually ending his spell that read: 0-48.

Delhi Capitals promoted Shimron Hetmyer ahead of Rishabh Pant and once again the move worked as the southpaw laid into SRH’s bowling-unit from the outset. After proceeding to hit T Natarajan for a six over covers, Hetmyer smashed Holder for consecutive boundaries before Dhawan nonchalantly flicked the West Indian for another four to bring up his 600-run mark for the season.

Hetmyer (42* off 22 balls) followed it up with another four on the last delivery to take 18 runs from the 18th over, taking the total to 2-176. But Dhawan’s dismissal in the penultimate bowler by Sandeep Sharma and a brilliant final over by T Natarajan (7 runs) ensured that DC managed just 13 runs in the last 12 balls to eventually finish at 3-189.

 

Here’s how Twitter reacted to DC’s win over SRH-

 

https://twitter.com/cricvizanalyst/status/1325445748507414528?s=19

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