Delhi Capitals has not only barely managed to keep itself alive in the race to playoffs but has also made things worse for Lucknow Super Giants after beating it by 19 runs in the IPL 2024 match here at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday.
Chasing 209, Ishant Sharma rocked Super Giants inside the PowerPlay, picking three wickets and leaving the Lucknow-based franchise struggling 4/44. The pacer got K.L. Rahul caught in the first over, Quinton de Kock in the next, followed by trapping Deepak Hooda in the front in his third over.
LSG still managed to get 59 runs in the first six overs, thanks to Nicholas Pooran taking down Axar Patel, who removed Marcus Stoinis off the first ball, for 20 runs in the fourth over.
While Pooran looked at ease hitting six fours and four sixes during his 27-ball 61, he couldn’t manage to gather support from the other end.
AS IT HAPPENED | DELHI CAPITALS VS LUCKNOW SUPER GIANTS
Arshad Khan then threatened to close the game with his 33-ball 58 but it wasn’t enough for LSG to get two points.
Put in to bat, Tristan Stubbs and Abishek Porel helped Capitals post their eighth 200-plus score at Arun Jaitley Stadium — joint most at any venue in a season.
Lucknow Super Giants Arshad Khan’s effort was not enough as the home team Delhi Capitals won by 19 runs. | Photo Credit: MOORTHY RV/The Hindu
Stubbs hit four sixes and three fours during his unbeaten 57 as Capitals smashed 72 runs in death overs, after LSG threatened to choke the scoring rate in the middle phase.
Stubbs scored his first boundary — a six — only off his 10th ball against Arshad. In the same over, he hit two more fours. His innings came at a time when Ravi Bishnoi (1/26) and spinners didn’t allow batters to score freely.
Wrist spinner Bishnoi was particularly accurate landing the ball at stumps and finished his quota in the 13th over itself - picking the crucial wicket of Porel, who hit 58 in 33 balls, helping Capitals cross the 100-run mark inside 10 overs.
It didn’t matter to the left-handed opener when DC lost its key batter Jake Fraser-McGurk for a two-ball duck in the first over of the innings to Arshad. Porel hit an upper cut for six against Mohsin to get off the mark off his third ball. He then smashed three fours and a six in the next over of Arshad.
Shai Hope, batting at number three, then joined the party, smacking Yudhvir Singh’s length balls for two fours - over mid off - and a six - over mid on.
Super Giants then switched to slow bouncers that initially worked well against Hope, who missed four pull shots in Mohsin’s over. Naveen-ul-Haq, who finished with 2/51 in his four overs, too started with a similar tactic but Abishek hit him for two sixes as DC raced to 73 runs inside PowerPlay.
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