During an evening clash in Jaipur, the Delhi Capitals won the toss and opted to field first. The Rajasthani team had a slow start, with Yashasvi Jaiswal (scoring 5 off 7) unable to make much impact as he fell early to Mukesh Kumar.
Sanju Samson then took charge, aggressively attacking the Delhi bowlers and hitting three consecutive fours off Mukesh Kumar. Jos Buttler struggled initially, scoring 11 off 16 balls. However, Sanju Samson’s innings (15 off 14) came to an end against a delivery from Khaleel Ahmed. Riyan Parag then took over, launching a fierce assault on the Delhi bowlers, aiming for his fourth IPL 50. Ravichandran Ashwin (29 off 19) also contributed with some powerful strokes before being caught by Tristian Stubbs off Axar Patel’s delivery. Dhruv Jurel (20 off 12) partnered with Parag, adding 52 runs before falling to Anrich Nortje.
Nortje faced the wrath of Parag in the final over, conceding 25 runs alone. The Rajasthan Royals concluded their innings with a total of 185 for 5 in 20 overs, with Riyan Parag’s unbeaten 84 off 45 proving crucial.
In response, the Delhi Capitals, led by Australians Mitchell Marsh and David Warner, began aggressively. However, Nandre Burger dismissed Marsh (23 off 12) and then sent Ricky Bhui back for a duck in successive deliveries. David Warner countered the Royals’ attack with boundaries aplenty, forming a 50-run partnership with Rishabh Pant. However, Warner fell just short of his half-century, caught by Sandeep Sharma off Tristan Stubbs’ bowling at 49. Pant (28 off 26) fell victim to Yuzvendra Chahal’s spin, caught behind by Sanju Samson. Abhishek Porell (9 off 10) also fell to Chahal’s spin. Despite Stubbs’ late flurry of big hits, Avesh Khan bowled an excellent final over to secure victory for the Delhi Capitals. It was the ninth consecutive time in the IPL 2024 that the home team had the better of the visiting team.
Riyan Parag was awarded with the player of the match award for his heroics with the bat. With the youngsters they are backing, there’s no doubt that RR are likely to have their hands on the silverware this season. With their momentum soaring, the Royals are set to face the Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday, April 1st, 2024. Meanwhile, the Delhi Capitals will be eager to bounce back as they take on the Chennai Super Kings on Sunday, March 31st, 2024.
The Sportz Planet Desk,
Atharva Shetye.
