Mitchell Starc bowled couple of incredible overs under pressure as Delhi Capitals pulled off a heist by stealing a thrilling Super Over win from Rajasthan Royals in their IPL showdown on Wednesday.
The ice-cold Starc (1/36 in 4 overs) held his nerve during a tense final over to defend nine runs as DC forced the game into a Super Over when it seemed Royals have all but won it.
The Australian left-arm pacer then bowled a tremendous Super Over, conceding just two boundaries. He was backed by two razor-sharp run-outs as RR managed only 11 runs.
KL Rahul and Tristan Stubbs then kept their nerves in check slamming a four and a six respectively to take the hosts to their first win at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
Chasing 189, Yashasvi Jaiswal (51 off 37) and 'local lad' Nitish Rana (51 off 28) had the Royals cruising, but DC's bowlers turned the tide with a roaring late surge, eventually tying the game at 188/4.
The late drama followed a solid batting effort by DC, built on Abishek Porel’s composed 49 and explosive cameos from skipper Axar Patel (34 off 14) and Tristan Stubbs (34 not out off 18), lifting them to a competitive 188/5 after being asked to bat.
Desperate for a win to reignite their campaign, Jaiswal came out all guns blazing as he clobbered two sixes off Mukesh Kumar before dismantling Mitchell Starc with two boundaries and a towering maximum, making his intent clear.
Sanju Samson joined the party even as Ashutosh Sharma spilled a regulation catch. The Royals' captain eventually retired hurt, after pulling his side.
With the chase humming along, Axar wicketless all season, broke the drought with a ripper that outfoxed Riyan Parag.
Jaiswal, however, looked invincible until Axar turned once more to his trusted match-winner Kuldeep Yadav (1/33 in 4 overs). The move worked. Delhi’s standout wrist-spinner struck gold, removing the set Jaiswal.
But Rana was in no mood to let up. The southpaw batted with precision, sending anything in his arc to the fence with ease.
His calculated aggression and clean ball-striking kept Royals firmly on course. But once Rana was trapped led before by Starc the script changed.
Earlier, if Porel and KL Rahul (38) laid a solid foundation with a 63-run stand, Axar's blistering 13-ball 34, along with Tristan Stubbs’ (34 not out off 18 balls) late surge, provided the final flourish in an innings where momentum swung like a pendulum between the two sides.
Sandeep Sharma (0/33) bowled beautifully through his spell, took pace off his deliveries. However, he lost his rhythm in the final over, leaking four wides and a no-ball.
Delhi Capitals got off to a fiery start, with Jake Fraser-McGurk (9) cracking back-to-back boundaries off Jofra Archer (2/32) to set the tone.
Young Porel lit up the stadium early on, taking the second over by storm. He tore into Tushar Deshpande, smashing 23 runs, including four elegant boundaries.
But the highlight was a sublime flick over deep backward square for a maximum that had the crowd roaring.
However, DC's momentum faltered as Fraser-McGurk's lean patch persisted. The Australian lofted a simple catch to Yashasvi Jaiswal at mid-off in the fourth over, gifting Rajasthan Royals a breakthrough.
Run outs came back to haunt Delhi again as a mix-up between Porel and the in-form Karun Nair (0) resulted in the latter's dismissal, abruptly halting the Capitals' early charge.
The Royals' bowlers tightened the noose during the middle overs, drying up the boundaries and building persistent pressure.
Yet, Porel found a steady ally in seasoned Rahul. The veteran batter brought a sense of calm amid storm, easing the pressure with two towering sixes -- one launched down the ground off Deshpande in the 7th, and another elegantly lifted over long-off against Mahesh Theekshana in the 11th.
Just when the hosts looked like having rebuild their innings, Archer was brought back skipper Sanju Samson. And the English pacer struck gold, dismissing Rahul with back of length delivery that found Shimron Hetmyer at deep midwicket.
The West Indian held on to a low catch, inches above the ground, swinging the momentum back in Rajasthan’s favour.
But DC skipper Axar, who hasn't had the best of tournaments exploded, smashing four boundaries and two maximums before Stubbs' clean strikes helped Delhi finish strong.
