With tonight's performance, Delhi Capitals become the first team to win 10 points this season. They move on the top of the table. There is a good tussel going between Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals to make the top position of the points table their's this season. Rajasthan Royals were listless yet again and they have now slipped to seventh on the points table. They haven't won anything after their two initial wins at Sharjah ealier in the season.
Tomorrow being Saturday, we will have two matches. The afternoon match is between Kings XI Punjan and Kolkata Knight Riders and then in the eveing Chennai Super Kings take on Royal Challengers Bangalore.
That concludes this coveage. Join us tomorrow. Goodnight.
R Ashwin: One of the important thing in this bowling attack is that most bowlers can bowl at any moment. It is sort of a role where you can put your hand up and be brave about it. Credit goes to the backroom staff. I am in a very good space mentally and physically and it really shows. Really enjoying myself in both those spaces. I just need to take it out to practice once the planning is done and then go out and express myself. I did use the carrom ball in the powerplay once or twice. It is just about how much you want to use it in the powerplay when you're ahead of the game. I got a brilliant catch and getting that Jos (Buttler) wicket was important. But the ball was soaking wet after the powerplay and the sweat didn't help either. (On his injury) In a lot of positions my body is taking over psychologically. I just don't want to land awkwardly and put weight on it. But it is important that I look after myself and not stretch it.
Player of the Match
For bowling a match winning spell of 4-0-22-2, Delhi Capital's R Ashwin is the Player of the Match.
Shreyas Iyer: I'm really happy with the way we came out in the second innings. We thought it was an under par score but it was stopping on the wicket and the bowlers executed their plans really well. We were also going to bowl first with the dew factor, but thankfully it went in our favour. I am enjoying captaincy because the players make it really easy, especially the bowlers. Even the way the support staff is managing the team meetings is commendable. I think the mixture in our team is really good and we have worked really hard on this. The boys have shared their thoughts pre-tour and their strengths and weaknesses. I am happy with how we are progressing and hoping to maintain the momentum. We can't take anything lightly and need to come with our plans, execute them well.
Steven Smith: We are not playing good enough over the 40 overs, and not executing when the pressure is coming on and you can't win many games that way. The bowlers did a good job, and I don't think the wicket was as good as it has been here, a bit stoppy tonight, and we gave away 10-15 extra runs. We have to remain positive, turn things around quickly. At the moment it doesn't seem to be going our way. I'm not batting too well either. I did feel good tonight with the bat but didn't get hold of one that I feel like I should have. Stokes hasn't had a lot of practice, he gets out of quarantine tomorrow, so we'll see if he plays the day after tomorrow.
Result
Delhi Capitals win by 46 runs.
RR 138 all-out after 19.4 overs.
Rabada to bowl the last over. Tewatia is on strike.
19.1 WICKET! Rahul Tewatia b Rabada 38(29)
Short and slow ball outside off stump. Tewatia goes for wild swing. The ball takes the inside edge and goes on to hit the stumps.
Varun Aaron is the last man in.
19.2 Fuller delivery and Aaron plays the ball to leg side for a single.
19.3 Short ball and Tyagi slaps the ball to deep midwicket for a single.
19.4 WICKET! Aaron c Pant b Rabada 1(2)
Short ball and Aaron plays the ball soft hands. The ball lobs in the air and Pant takes the catch to end RR's inning.
RR 135/8 after 19 overs.
Nortje to bowl. Tewatia is on strike.
18.1 Short ball on middle stump. Tewatia blocks the ball.
18.2 Short ball on middle stump. Tewatia pushes the ball to cover.
18.2 WIDE! Poor ball from Northje as he bowls down the leg side.
18.3 Short ball on leg stump. Tewatia plays the ball to fine leg for 2 runs.
18.3 WIDE! Short ball as the ball flies over the bowler's head.
18.4 Fuller delivery wide outside off stump. Tewatia slaps the ball to sweeper cover.
18.5 FOUR! Short ball and Tewatia pulls to send the ball to square leg for a boundary.
18.6 Slow yorker and Tewatia plays the ball to off side for a single.
RR 129/8 after 18 overs.
Harshal Patel to bowl. Tewatia is on strike .
17.1 Short ball. Tewatia guides the ball to short third man for a single.
17.2 WICKET! Shreyas Gopal c Hetmyer b Harshal Patel 2(3)
Short delivery and Gopal slaps the ball to sweeper cover. Shimron Hetmyer takes another stunning catch running in from the deep diving forwad. The umpire goes to the third umpire to check if the catch is clean. The Soft Signal is OUT. The third umpire gives that as OUT.
Kartik Tyagi is the new batsman.
17.3 Fuller delivery and Tyagi plays the ball to leg side for a single.
17.4 SIX! Fuller delivery outside off. Tewatai slaps the ball over extra cover for a maximum.
17.5 Short ball. Tewatia pulls the ball to deep midwicket for a single.
17.6 Short ball outside off. Tyagi leaves the ball for the keeper.
RR 120/7 after 17 overs.
Nortje to bowl. Tewatia is on strike.
16.1 Fuller delivery and Tewatia slaps the ball to extra cover.
16.2 SIX! Fuller delivery and Tewatai swings his bat to send the ball flying over long on for a maximum.
16.3 FOUR! Short delivery and Tewatia guides the ball down to third man for a boundary.
16.4 Short ball and Tewatia plays the ball to backward square leg for a single.
16.5 Short ball outside off. Gopal creams the ball through backward point for a single.
16.6 Short ball and Tewatia swings his bat. The ball goes to fine leg for a single.
RR 107/7 after 16 overs.
Harshal Patel to bowl. Tewatia is on strike.
15.1 Short ball outside off. Tewatia plays the ball back to the bowler.
15.2 Fuller delivery and Tewatia plays the ball in the air on the off side. Rabada running backward puts in a dive to take the catch but misses.
15.2 WIDE! Poor ball from Patel as he bowls down the leg side.
15.3 Fuller delivery and Gopal plays the ball to leg side for a single.
15.4 Short and slow ball. Tewatia goes for wildl swing but misses.
15.5 Short ball and Tewatia plays the ball to deep midwicket for 2 runs.
15.6 Low full toss outside off. Tewatia plays the ball down to long off for a single.
RR 101/7 after 15 overs.
Rabada is back in the attack. Archer is on strike.
14.1 Fuller delivery and Archer flicks the ball to fine leg for a single.
14.2 Fuller dleivery outside off. Tewatia plays the ball down to third man for a single.
14.3 1 Leg Bye! Fuller delivery and the ball raps on the pads. Archer takes a single.
NO BALL! As Rabada has overstepped.
Tewatia to face the FREE HIT!
14.4 FOUR! Full toss outside off. Tewatia slaps the ball down to long off for a boundary.
14.5 Short ball on middle stump. Tewatia plays the ball down to third man for a single.
14.6 WICKET! Jofra Archer c Shreyas Iyer b Rabada 2(4)
Fuller delivery. Archer plays the ball high in the air. Iyer gets under the ball and takes a good catch.
Shreyas Gopal is the new batsman.
14.6 Short ball and Tewatia plays the ball down to third man for a single.
RR 90/6 after 14 overs.
Axar Patel to bowl. Tewatia is on strike.
13.1 Short ball outside off stump. Tewatia plays the ball back to the bowler.
13.2 Fuller delivery and Tewatia pushes the ball back to Axar.
13.3 Short bal outside off. Tewatia pushes the ball to cover.
13.4 Fuller delivery and Tewatia pushes the ball to long on for a single.
13.5 WICKET! Tye c Rabada b Axar 6(6)
Short ball and Tye pulls. The ball is flying to deep midwicket. Rabada puts in a brilliant dive and takes a stunning catch.
Jofra Archer is the new batsman.
13.6 Short delivery and Archer plays the ball to leg side for a single.
RR 89/5 after 13 overs.
Stoinis to bowl. Jaiswal is on strike.
12.1 WICKET! Jaiswal b Stoinis 34(36)
Slow fuller delivery on leg stump. The ball hits the pads and goes on to hit uproot the off stump.
AJ Tye is the new batsman.
12.2 Short ball outside off stump. Tye hits the ball down the ground. Stoinis stops the ball.
12.3 Slower ball and Tye goes for wild swing but misses.
12.4 Fuller delivery and Tye drives the ball to cover.
12.5 SIX! Fuller delivery on middle stump. Tye just stands in his crease and smacks the ball over the bowler's head for a maximum.
12.5 WIDE! Poor ball from Stoinis as he bowls down the leg side.
12.6 Slow short ball. Tye goes for pull but misses. The ball goes to the keeper.
RR 82/4 after 12 overs.
Ashwin to bowl his last over. Jaiswal is on strike.
11.1 Fuller delivery and Jaiswal plays the ball just past Ashwin for a single.
11.2 WICKET! Lomror c Axar b Ashwin 1(2)
Fuller delivery. Lomror looks to play the ball on the leg side. The ball takes thick outside edge. The ball goes to cover and Axar Patel takes an easy catch.
Rahul Tewatia is on strike.
11.3 Fuller delivery and Tewatia plays the ball to leg side for a single.
11.4 FOUR! Fuller delivery outside off. Jaiswal goes on one knee and sweeps the ball along thee ground to square leg for a boundary.
11.5 Fuller delivery and Jaiswal blocks.
11.6 Fuller delivery and Jaiswal works the ball to leg side for a single.
RR 75/3 after 11 overs.
Marcus Stoinis to bowl. Jaiswal is on strike.
10.1 SIX! Fuller delivery on middle and off stump. Jaiswal whacks the ball over deep midwicket to send the ball out of the park.
10.2 Fuller delivery on leg stump. Jaiswal plays the ball down to long on for a single.
10.3 WICKET! Samson c Hetmyer b Stoinis 5(9)
Slow fuller delivery on middle stump. Samson goes for wild swing. He has not timed his shot well. The ball goes high in the air. Hetmyer settles under the ball and takes a good catch.
Mahipal Lomror is the new batsman.
10.4 Short ball on middle stump. Jaiswal pulls the ball to midwicket for a single.
10.5 Fuller delivery and Lomror pushes the ball to mid off for a single.
10.6 Fuller delivery and Jaiswal flicks the ball to deep midwicket for a single.
RR 65/2 after 10 overs.
Axar Patel to bowl. Samson is on strike.
9.1 Fuller delivery outside off stump. Samson plays the ball to off side for a single.
9.2 Fuller delivery and Jaiswal plays the ball to deep midwicket for a single.
9.3 Short ball and Samson pushes the ball to point.
9.4 Fuller delivery and Samson sweeps the ball to fine leg for 3 runs.
9.5 Fuller delivery and Jaiswal plays the ball to leg side for a single.
9.6 Fuller delivery and Samson plays the ball to short fine.
RR 59/2 after 9 overs.
Anrich Nortje to bowl. Smith is on strike.
8.1 WICKET! Smith c Hetmyer b Nortje 24(17)
Fuller delivery on middle stump. Smith flicks the ball from his pads. The ball is flying to deep midwicket. Shimron Hetmyer dives forward and takes a good catch.
Sanju Samson is the new batsman.
8.2 Fuller delivery fired on the pads. The ball hits the pads and goes to the keeper. There is loud appeal for LBW but the umpire turns down the appeal.
8.3 Fuller delivery and Samson plays the ball to off side.
8.4 1 Leg Bye! Short ball and the ball hits on the thigh pads. Samson takes a quick single.
8.5 Short ball on middle stump. Jaiswal works the ball to fine leg for a single.
8.6 Short ball outside off stump. Samson works the ball down to third man for a single.
RR 56/1 after 8 overs.
Harshal Patel to bowl. Jaiswal is on strike.
7.1 Short ball and Jaiswal tucks the ball to midwicket for a single.
7.2 Short delivery and Smith plays the ball off his hips to leg side for 2 runs.
7.3 Good length delivery outside off stump. Smith pushes the ball through off side and takes a single.
7.4 Good length delivery outside off. Jaiswal plays the ball to leg side and takes a single.
7.5 Good short slower ball. Smith leaves the ball for the keeper.
7.6 Short ball outside off. Smith plays the ball to deep midwicket for a single.
RR 50/1 after 7 overs.
Ashwin to bowl. Smith is on strike.
6.1 WIDE! Poor ball by Ashwin as he bowls down the leg side.
6.1 Fuller delivery and Smith pushes the ball coming on front foot.
6.2 FOUR! Short ball outside off stump. Smith pulls the ball to send it down to deep midwicket for a boundary.
6.3 Short ball and Smith plays the ball to midwicket for a single.
6.4 Fuller delivery fired on middle stump. Jaiswal plays a late cut and gets a single.
6.5 Fuller delivery and Smith plays the ball to leg side for a single.
6.6 Short ball and Jaiswal plays the ball to leg side for a single.
RR 44/1 after 6 overs.
Harshal Patel to bowl. Jaiswal is on strike.
5.1 Length delivery and Jaiwal goes for late cut but misses.
5.2 SIX! Short ball and Jaiswal pulls the ball to send it flying over square leg for a maximum.
5.3 Short ball on middle and leg stump. Jaiswal plays the ball to short fine for a single.
5.4 Short ball outside off side. Smith punches the ball to cover.
5.5 Short ball and Jaiswal plays the ball a backfoot punch.
5.6 Short ball on middle stump. The ball hits on the thigh pads.
RR 33/1 after 5 overs.
R Ashwin to bowl. Jaiswal is on strike.
4.1 Fuller delivery and Jaiswal plays the ball to mid off for a single.
4.2 Fuller delivery and Smith plays the ball to leg side for a single.
4.3 Short ball and Jaiswal goes for cut but misses.
4.4 Fuller delivery and Jaiswal slaps the ball to cover.
4.5 Fuller delivery and Jaiswal plays the ball to leg side for a single.
4.6 Short ball and Smith plays the ball to cover.
RR 30/1 after 4 overs.
Rabada to bowl. Smith is on strike.
3.1 WIDE! Poor ball from Rabada as he bowls down the leg side.
3.1 Good length delivery and Smith plays the ball to off side for a single.
3.2 Fuller delivery outside off stump. Jaiswal pushes the ball to cover.
3.3 Short ball outside off stump. Jaiswal goes on the top of the bounce and works the ball down to third man for a single.
3.3 WIDE! Poor ball from Rabada as he bowls down the leg side.
3.4 Fuller delivery and Smith pushes the ball to mid on.
3.5 SIX! Fuller delivery on middle stump. Smith flicks the ball over backward square leg for a maximum.
3.6 FOUR! Short ball and Smith pulls the ball to send the ball past the fielder at short fine for a boundary.
RR 16/1 after 3 overs.
R Ashwin to bowl. Buttler is on strike.
2.1 Short ball and Buttler plays the ball down to long on for a single.
2.2 Fuller delivery and Jaiswal plays the ball to leg side for a single.
2.3 WICKET! Buttler c Dhawan b Ashwin 13(8)
Stunning diving catch from Dhawan. Short delivery and Buttler pulls the ball. The ball is going to backward square leg. Dhawan puts in a dive and takes a stunning catch.
Steve Smith is the new batsman.
2.4 Fuller delivery and Smith pushes the ball to leg side for a single.
2.5 Fuller delivery and Jaiswal plays the ball to leg side.
2.6 Fuller delivery and Jaiswal plays the ball to off side.
RR 13/0 after 2 overs.
Anrich Nortje to bowl. Buttler is on strike.
1.1 Short ball on leg stump. Buttler plays the ball to leg side for 2 runs.
1.2 Fuller delivery on off stump. Buttler plays the ball to mid on for a single.
1.3 Good short ball. Jaiswal goes for cut but the ball goes past the outside edge of the bat.
1.4 Short delivery on middle stump. Jaiswal blocks the ball.
1.5 Good short ball. Jaiswal ducks to let the ball fly to the keeper.
1.6 Good ball on middle stump. Jaiswal pokes his bat but the ball beats the outside edge and flies to the keeper.
RR 10/0 after 1 over.
Kagiso Rabada to bowl the first over. Jaiswal is on strike.
0.1 Short ball and Jaiswal leaves the ball for the keeper.
0.2 Short ball outside off stump. Jaiswal plays the ball to off side and takes a single.
0.3 Fuller delivery fired on leg stump. Buttler plays the ball to point.
0.4 FOUR! Fuller delivery fired on leg stump. Buttler works the ball to fine leg for a bounadry.
0.5 FOUR! Short ball and Buttler pulls the ball to send it to backward square leg for a boundary.
0.6 Fuller delivery outside off. Buttler drives the ball to mid off for a single.
So, RR's chase is about to begin. DC players are back on the field and in a huddle. And outcome Yashavsi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler to open the inning for RR.
DC 184/8 after 20 overs.
Archer to bowl the last over of the inning. Harshal is on strike.
19.1 Low full toss and Harshal plays the ball to extra cover for a single.
19.2 Pitched up delivery and Rabad wants to play the ball to off side but misses.
19.3 Full length delivery and Rabada plays the ball to long on for a single.
19.4 WICKET! Harshal Patel c Rahul Tewatia b Jofra Archer 16(15)
Slower ball and Harshal plays a big shot. He has not timed his shot well. The ball goes to long off and Rahul Tewatia takes an easy catch.
R. Ashwin is the new batsman.
19.5 Length delivery and Rabada plays the ball to cover for a cover for a single.
19.6 Short delivery. Ashwin goes for big shot but misses.
DC 181/7 after 19 overs.
Tye to bowl. Axar is on strike.
18.1 FOUR! Fuller delivery outside off stump. Axar slaps the ball straight back past the bowler down to long off for a boundary.
18.1 WIDE! Tye bowls way outside off stump.
18.2 Short ball outside off stump. Axar plays the ball to leg side for a single.
18.3 Low full toss outside off stump. Harshal plays the ball to long off. The ball goes on on bounce to the fielder. The batsman takes a single.
18.3 NO BALL! and FOUR! Head high full toss. Axar goes for pull but misses. Buttler fails to collect the ball and the ball goes down the ground for a boundary.
FREE HIT!
18.4 SIX! Fuller delivery and Axar smacks the ball over the bowler's head for a maximum.
18.5 FOUR! Short ball outside off stump. Axar plays the ball to deep midwicket for a boundary.
18.6 WICKET! Axar c Buttler b Tye 17(8)
Fuller delivery wide outside off stump. Axar goes after the ball. He gets a faint edge and the ball goes to Buttler who makes no mistake.
DC 159/6 after 18 overs.
Archer is back in the attack. Axar Patel is on strike.
17.1 Full toss outside off stump. Patel slaps the ball to cover point for a single.
17.2 Fuller delivery outside off stump. Patel drives the ball through cover for 2 runs.
17.3 Fuller dleivery outside off stump. Patel plays the ball to backward point for a single.
17.3 WIDE! Poor ball by Archer as he bowls down the leg side.
17.4 Fuller delivery. Axar slaps the ball to mid off for a single.
17.5 Short ball. Harshal ducks to let the ball fly to the keeper.
17.6 FOUR! Fuller delivery outside off. Harshal Patel drives theball over cover for a boundary.
DC 149/6 after 17 overs.
Kartik Tyagi to bowl his last over. Hetmyer is on strike.
16.1 1 Leg Bye! Fuller delivery on leg stump. The ball raps on the pads and goes to leg side. The batsman takes a run.
16.2 Fuller delivery outside off stump. Patel drives the ball to off side.
16.3 Fuller delivery and Patel drives the ball to off side for a single.
16.4 SIX! Full toss outside off stump. Hetmyer hammers the ball over Jofra Archer at long off for a maximum.
16.5 SIX! Fuller delivery and Hetmyer swings his bat. This time the ball flies over long on for another maximum.
16.6 WICKET! Hetmyer c Rahul Tewatia b Kartik Tyagi 45(24)
Slow fuller deivery outside off stump. Hetmyer mishits. The ball flies to Rahul Tewatia at long on and he takes a good catch.
DC 134/5 after 16 overs.
Tye to bowl. Hetmyer is on strike.
15.1 Fuller delivery wide outside off stump. Hetmyer swings his bat for a big shot but the ball goes past him to the keeper.
15.2 FOUR! Short delivery outside off stump. Heymyer slaps the ball to long on for a boundary.
15.3 SIX! Fuller delivery outside off stump. Hetmyer hammers the ball over extra cover for a maximum.
15.4 Fuller delivery on middle stump. Hetmyer plays the ball down to fine leg for a single.
15.5 Fuller delivery on middle stump. Patel plays the ball to leg side for a single.
15.6 Fuller deivery outside off stump. Hetymyer plays the ball to cover for a run.
DC 122/5 after 15 overs.
Kartik Tyagi to bowl his third over. Hetmyer is on strike.
14.1 Short ball on off stump. Hetmyer works the ball to midwikcet for a single.
14.2 Fuller delivery on middle stump. Patel drives the ball through cover and takes 2 runs.
14.3 Fuller delivery fired on middle stump. Patel works the ball down to third man for a single.
14.4 SIX! Short ball on leg stump. Hetmyer pulls the ball over fine leg for a maximum.
14.5 Fuller delivery outside off stump. Hetmyer goes to play the ball through off side but misses.
14.6 1 Leg Bye! Fuller delivery on leg stump. The ball hits the pads and goes to leg side. Hetmyer takes a single.
DC 111/5 after 14 overs.
Tewatia to bowl out. Stoinis is on strike.
13.1 Short ball outside off stump. Stoinis comes down the track to attack the ball. The bal raps the pads and goes to off side. The batsman takes a single.
13.2 Short ball outside off stump. Hetmhyer slaps the ball to sweeper-cover for a single.
13.3 WICKET! Stoinis c Smith b Rahul Tewatia 39(30)
Short ball way outside off stump. Stoinis plays a needless shot. He slices the ball and it lobs to Steve Smith at cover.
Harshal Patel is the new batsman.
13.4 Fuller delivery and Patel blocks.
13.5 Fuller delivery and Patel plays the ball through off side for 2 runs.
13.6 Fuller delivery and he pushes the ball straight back to Tewatia.
DC 107/4 after 13 overs.
Tye to bowl. Stoinis is on strike.
12.1 Short ball outside off stump. Stoinis leaves the ball for the keeper.
12.2 Short delivery outside off stump. Stoinis cuts the ball to third man for a single.
12.3 SIX! Hetmyer hits the ball out of the park. Short ball on middle and off. Hetmyer pulls the ball for a maximum.
12.4 Fuller delivery outside off stump. Hetmyer plays the ball to off side and takes a single.
12.5 Fuller delivery outside off stump. Stoinis plays the ball through off side for 2 runs.
12.6 Fuller delivery fired on the toes. Stoinis flicks the ball to leg side for a single.
DC 95/4 after 12 overs.
Tewatia to bowl his third over. Hetmyer is on strike.
11.1 Short delivery and Hetmyer plays the ball to point.
11.2 Short delivery outside off stump. Hetmyer plays the ball to cover.
11.3 Fuller delivery outside off stump. Hetmyer slaps the ball through point for a single.
11.4 Short ball on leg stump. Stoinis slaps the ball down to long off for a single.
11.5 Short delivery outside off stump. Hetmyer pulls the ball to send it down to long on for a single.
11.6 Fuller delivery outside off stump. Stoinis plays the ball down to long on for a single.
DC 92/4 after 11 overs.
Kartik Tyagi to bowl. Hetmyer is on strike.
10.1 Short delivery on off stump. Hetmyer goes on the backfoot and plays the ball to midwicket for a single.
10.2 Short delivery outside off stump. Stoinis pulls the ball to deep midwicket for a single.
10.3 Short ball. Hetmyer goes for pull but he doesn't time the shot well. The ball goes to short fine as Hetmyer takes a single.
10.4 Fuller delivery and Stoinis pushes the ball down to long on for a single.
10.5 Slow short ball. Hetmyer pulls the ball and it goes to leg side as the batsman completes a single.
10.6 Fuller delivery fired on the stumps. Stoinis presets full face of his bat to push the ball back to the bowler.
DC 87/4 after 10 overs.
Tewatia continues. Pant is on strike.
9.1 Short delivery outside off stump. Pant slaps the ball to sweeper cover for a single.
9.2 WICKET! Pant run out (Vohra/Rahul Tewatia) 5(9)
Fuller delivery. Stoinis plays the ball to midwicket. Pant starts running from the non-striker's end. He is halfway down the track when he realizes that Stoinis is not even running. An easy runout for RR.
Shimron Hetmyer is the new batsman. Stoinis is on strike.
9.3 SIX! Fuller delivery and Stoinis lifts the ball over the bowler's head for a maximum.
9.4 Fuller delivery and Stoinis drives the ball down to long off for a single.
9.5 Short ball and Hetmyer plays the ball through off side for a single.
9.6 Fuller delivery and Stoinis pushes the ball to off side.
DC 78/3 after 9 overs.
Shreyas Gopal will continue. Stoinis is on strike.
8.1 Short delivery on leg stump. Stoinis pushes the ball to mid on .
8.2 Fuller delivery outside off stump. Stoinis drives the ball to cover.
8.3 SIX! Short delivery and Stoinis smacks the ball over deep extra cover.
8.4 Short delivery and Stoinis goes on the backfoot to play the ball. Gopal dives and stops the ball.
8.5 Short ball and Stoinis plays the ball down to long on for a single.
8.6 Short ball outside off stump.Pant slaps the ball through off side for a single.
DC 70/3 after 8 overs.
Rahul Tewatia to bowl. Stoinis is on strike.
7.1 Quicker delivery wide outside off stump. Stoinis plays the ball to deep cover for a single.
7.2 Fuller delivery outside off stump. Pant goes for cut but misses.
7.3 Fuller delivery outside off stump. Pant goes for cut. The ball takes the outside edge and goes down to fine leg as Pant takes a single.
7.4 Fuller delivery and Stoinis plays the ball to midwicket.
7.4 Fuller delivery on leg stump. Stoinis gets a leading edge and the ball goes to off side.
7.5 WIDE! Poor ball from Tewatia as he bowl down the leg side.
7.6 Fuller delivery and Stoinis plays the ball to midwicket for a run.
DC 66/3 after 7 overs.
Shreyas Gopal to bowl. Stoinis is on strike.
6.1 Short delivery and Stoinis plays the ball to leg side.
6.2 Fuller delivery on middle stump. Stoinis drives the ball down to long off for a single.
6.3 Short delivery outside off stump. Pant whacks the ball through off side for a single.
6.4 SIX! Short delivery. Stoinis goes on the backfoot and hammers the ball over deep midwicket for a maximum.
6.5 SIX! Short ball. Stoinis goes on the backfoot and smacks the ball over deep midwkicket for a maximum.
6.6 Short ball and Stoinis plays the ball to midwicket for a single.
DC 51/3 after 6 overs.
AJ Tye to bowl. Iyer is on strike.
5.1 Good length delivery on off stump. Iyer pushes the ball to cover.
5.2 FOUR! Fuller delivery outside off stump. Iyer punches the ball going on the backfoot and the ball races through cover for a boundary.
5.3 Fuller deliverey and Iyer flciks the ball to leg side for a single.
5.3 WIDE! Short and going down the leg side.
5.4 Fuller delivery outside off stump. Pant cuts the ball through backward point for a single.
5.5 WICKET! Shreyas Iyer run out (Jaiswal) 22(18)
Big mixup between Iyer and Pant. Jaiswal gets a direct hit and Iyer is short of his ground.
Marcus Stoinis is the new batsman.
5.6 Short delivery outside off stump. Stoinis pushes the ball to cover for a single.
DC 43/2 after 5 overs.
Archer continues to bowl. Shaw is on strike.
4.1 FOUR! Short delivery and Shaw pulls to send the ball to deep midwicket for a boundary.
4.2 WICKET! Prithvi Shaw c and b Jofra Archer 19(10)
Short ball. Shaw goes for another big shot. He doesn't connect well. The ball balloons high in the air. Archer settles under the ball and takes a good catch.
Rishabh Pant is the new batsman. Iyer is on strike.
4.3 Fuller delivery outside off stump. Iyer plays the ball to off side and takes a single.
4.4 Fuller delivery outside off stump. Pant pushes the ball to cover.
4.5 Short ball on middle stump. Pant goes on the backfoot to block the ball.
4.6 Good short ball. Pant ducks and leaves the ball for the keeper.
DC 38/1 after 4 overs.
Kartik Tyagi to bowl. Iyer is on strike.
3.1 Short delivery around off stump. Iyer flicks the ball to midwicket.
3.2 Good length delivery outside off stump. Iyer pokes his bat and the ball just beats the outside edge of his bat on its way to the keeper.
3.3 Fuller delivery outside off stump. Iyer drives the ball through cover for 2 runs.
3.4 FOUR! Half-volley and Iyer cuts the ball as it flies past the fielder at point for a boundary.
3.5 Good short ball outside off stump. Iyer leaves the ball for the keeper.
3.5 WIDE! Short delivery way outside off stump.
3.6 Short delivery. Iyer goes behind the ball and plays it to off side.
DC 31.1 after 3 overs.
Aaron continues to bowl. Iyer is on strike.
2.1 Good length delivery and Iyer plays the ball with soft hands.
2.2 Short delivery on leg stump. Iyer goes on the back foot to play the ball to cover. There is some "yes" "no" between Iyer and Shaw for a single but finally they decide against it.
2.3 FOUR! Short delivery on middle and leg. Iyer makes room and cuts the ball through backward point for a boundary.
NO BALL! Varun Aaron has overstepped.
FREE HIT!
2.3 FOUR! Short ball and Iyer whacks the ball to deep midwicket for a boundary.
2.4 Short ball and Iyer plays the ball to extra cover for a single.
2.5 DROPPED! Short ball outside off stump. Shaw goes for wild swing. The ball takes the lower end of the bat and goes to fine leg. Ankit Rajpoot makes a mess of the chance.
2.6 SIX! Fuller delivery and Shaw slams the ball straight back over the bowler's head for a maximum.
DC 13/1 after 2 overs.
Jofra Archer to bowl. Shaw is on strike.
1.1 FOUR! Fuller delivery outside off stump. Shaw drives the ball through cover for a boundary.
1.2 Fuller delivery on leg stump. Shaw pushes the ball to cover and takes a single.
1.3 WICKET! Dhawan c Jaiswal b Jofra Archer 5(4)
Poor shot from Shikhar Dhawan and his poor form this season continues. Fuller delivery and Dhawan plays the ball. It flies straight into the hands of Yashasvi Jaiswal at short midwicket.
Shreyas Iyer is the new batsman.
1.4 Good short ball outside off stump. Iyer leaves the ball for the keeper.
1.5 Leg cutter and Iyer plays the ball to leg side for a single.
1.6 Good bouncer from Archer. Shaw looks to work the ball to third man but misses.
DC 7/0 after 1 over.
Varun Aaron to bowl the first over for RR. On strike is Prithvi Shaw.
0.1 Fuller delivery outside off stump. Shaw pushes the ball to cover.
0.2 Fuller delivery on middle stump. Shaw plays the ball over the fielder at mid on and takes a single.
0.3 Short delivery on leg stump. The ball hits the pads.
0.4 Fuller delivery on middle and leg stump. Dhawan works the ball down to third man for a single.
0.5 Short delivery outside off stump. Shaw goes for pull. The ball goes to short fine as Shaw takes a single.
0.6 FOUR! First boundary of the match. Slow fuller delivery. Dhawan flicks the ball to send it down to square leg for a boundary.
The two umpires make their way to the middle. RR players are in a huddle. And out walk Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dahwan to open the innings for DC.
RR Playing XI
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler(w), Steven Smith(c), Sanju Samson, Mahipal Lomror, Rahul Tewatia, Jofra Archer, Andrew Tye, Shreyas Gopal, Kartik Tyagi, Varun Aaron
DC Playing XI
Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer(c), Rishabh Pant(w), Marcus Stoinis, Shimron Hetmyer, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje
Steve Smith: We are gonna have a bowl. Looks a good surface and we want to chase it down. We are confident about our set-up and we need to get off a better start with the bat. We made two changes. Ankit Rajpoot and Tom Curran out and Andrew Tye and Varun Aaron in.
Shreyas Iyer: I guess there could be little bit of turn and anything can happen. We are going with the same team. Everyone is looking forward to cementing their place and all the players have great potential to win games and I'm really proud of my team.
Toss
Rajasthan Royals captain Steve Smith wins the toss and opts to bowl.
Pitch Report
Good hard track. The pitch has bounce. Scoring runs will be easy. Another high scoring fixture on cards. Difficult night for the bowlers.
Impact player for DC
Marcus Stoinis: He has become the perfect all-rounder for DC. He bowls economical spells and gets big runs down the order at a brisk pace. Stoinis will need to continue his form and lift the team in tough situations.
Impact player for RR
Ben Stokes: There's a lot of buzz around Stokes's return to cricket but he could be rusty as he hasn’t played competitive cricket for months. He is a genuine match-winner and makes an impact with the bat, ball and in the field. His presence makes RR a more confident side.
DC Threats: DC are on a winning run and expectations are high. They'll have a tough challenge against RR who have been exceptional in Sharjah.
DC Opportunities: DC have eight points. A win in this fixture will make them the first team to reach double digits this season. They will also be in pole position for a play-off spot.
DC Weaknesses: Shikhar Dhawan's form is a minor concern. Dhawan averages only 25.40 when compared with Shreyas Iyer's average of 45.25, Prithvi Shaw's 35.80, Rishabh Pant's 42.75 and Marcus Stoinis's 41.00. Dhawan needs to improve his impact on matches.
DC Strengths: DC’s bowling looks pretty strong. Kagiso Rabada leads the bowling charts with 12 wickets. He has been well supported by Anrich Nortje with seven wickets. R Ashwin is a seasoned campaigner and Marcus Stoinis is a powerful all-rounder who can win matches on his own. A huge spin asset in Sandeep Lamichhane has been left on the bench.
The SWOT analysis for DC
RR Threats: Before the start of the season, there was a buzz that this team might repeat the heroics of 2008. Unfortunately, that has not been the case. Their performances look flat. Another loss and the negatives will pile up. Their play-off hopes will also take a beating.
RR Opportunities: RR return to Sharjah. This is the ground where they've recorded multiple victories. That should give confidence to the players. The small boundaries will help big hitters like Buttler, Smith, Samson and Stokes.
RR Weaknesses: The bowling is an area of grave concern. RR’s star bowler Archer has taken only five wickets so far. Rahul Tewatia and Shreyas Gopal have got four each. Tom Curran got three. Smith hasn't figured out who among Jaydev Unadkat, Kartik Tyagi and Ankit Rajpoot should be in the playing XI.
RR Strengths: With Jos Buttler getting a fifty in RR’s previous match – albeit in a losing cause – the batting seems to be slowly taking some shape. Sanju Samson and Steve Smith have hit fifties in Sharjah. RR’s batting and bowling will have a big boost from the return of Ben Stokes. Lower down the order, Jofra Archer has got quick runs.
The SWOT analysis for RR
Form Guide (last five matches)
Rajasthan Royals: L-L-L-W-W
Delhi Capitals: W-W-L-W-W
Rajasthan Royals may have had the history of dominating Delhi Capitals over the years but this season Shreyas Iyer led DC has emerged as one of the strongest teams of the league. They have had everthing going in their favour at the moment. DC's form guide says it all.
Head to Head
Matches Played: 20
Rajasthan Royals: 11
Delhi Capitals: 9
Rajasthan Royals have emerged as winner on most occassions against Delhi Capitals over the years. Steve Smith's men -- who are a bit short of confidence at the moment -- would want to take inspiration from these numbers.
Rajasthan Royals lost their previous match against Mumbai Indians by 57 runs. Delhi Capitals defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore by 59 runs in their previous match. Natuurally the mood in the two camps will be contrasting.
Rajasthan Royals are seventh on the points table with just two wins from five matches. Their opponents this evening, Delhi Capitals have four wins from five matches and are second in the league standing. The two teams have have contrasting sets of fortune this season. The two wins that Rajasthan Royals have recorded this season came in Sharjah and tonight they are back in Sharjah. Will the Sharjah factor work in their favour and help them reverse the tide. Only time will tell.
Good evening and welcome to the coverage of match 23 of the Indian Premier League. Tonight Rajasthan Royals face Delhi Capitals in Sharjah.
Delhi Capitals squad:
Shreyas Iyer (c), Ravichandran Ashwin, Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Shimron Hetmyer, Kagiso Rabada, Ajinkya Rahane, Amit Mishra, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ishant Sharma, Axar Patel, Sandeep Lamichhane, Keemo Paul, Daniel Sams, Mohit Sharma, Anrich Nortje, Alex Carey (wk), Avesh Khan, Tushar Deshpande, Harshal Patel, Marcus Stoinis, Lalit Yadav.
Rajasthan Royals squad:
Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Sanju Samson, Andrew Tye, Kartik Tyagi, Steven Smith (c), Ankit Rajpoot, Shreyas Gopal, Rahul Tewatia, Jaydev Unadkat, Mayank Markande, Mahipal Lomror, Oshane Thomas, Riyan Parag, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Anuj Rawat, Akash Singh, David Miller, Manan Vohra, Shashank Singh, Varun Aaron, Tom Curran, Robin Uthappa, Aniruddha Joshi, Jofra Archer.
Delhi Capitals' performance so far
Led by Shreyas Iyer, Delhihave been a well-oiled machine, boosting a solid bowling unit which is well supported by the batsmen.
While skipper Iyer has been in good form, opener Prithvi Shaw and Rishabh Pant have done their job well. Marcus Stonis too have produced two smashing fifties so far.
On the bowling front, Kagiso Rabada has looked ominous with 12 wickets to emerge as the best bowler in the IPL so far. South African pacer Anrich Nortje too has delivered when the team needed him to.
How Rajasthan Royals performed so far
TheRoyalswere off to a flying start, winning both their games at Sharjah but they have struggled to adjust to the bigger grounds of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, slipping to three successive defeats.
Now back to the Sharjah Cricket Stadium,Rajasthanwill take inspiration from their two big wins here to turn things around against a dominant Delhi.
Struggling to figure out their best eleven,RajasthanRoyalswill need to come up with some quick-fix measures to snap their three-match losing streak when they take on a formidable Delhi Capitals unit in an IPL match.
Good evening and welcome to the coverage of match 23of the Indian Premier League. Tonight, Rajasthan Royalsface Delhi Capitals at Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
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