DC’s captain Axar Patel tipped his hat to the bowling unit, spotlighting Mitchell Starc, once the dust settled on Sunday’s tight clash. A gritty fightback swung momentum, paving the way for a five-wicket triumph against the Rajasthan Royals in IPL match. That lift at the death brought DC to 12 points off 13 outings, just enough to keep faint semifinal dreams breathing. One match remains, set for next weekend, where everything could still tilt.
Six overs in, the game tilted when Delhi’s bowlers tightened up fast. Rajasthan had looked unstoppable earlier, but lost momentum hard. Axar smiled while calling Starc a rookie, even though he isn’t really.
The last few crucial overs were steered by the left-arm quick from down under. Pressure built sharply, yet the young-seeming speedster held firm. Moments before, runs came easily for the opposition. Leadership on the field shifted quietly to the visiting pace unit.
Riyan Parag admits RR “didn’t capitalise” after defeat to Delhi Capitals
The Delhi captain tipped his hat to Rahul and Porel, kicking things off strong, and relieved tension further down later. Fifty-six came fast from Rahul, another fifty-one crept in through Porel; together they strung up one hundred and five across tense overs. Though quiet at first, their linkup changed pace when it mattered most.
“It’s obviously special to win at home. One thing has improved – earlier we used to lose wickets in clusters, but today we got a good opening stand, which helped the other batters,” Axar said after the match.
Starc, named player of the match, mentioned how Delhi regrouped once Rajasthan had controlled the early overs.
“We didn’t bowl too badly in the power play, but they batted really well. We brought things back later, and KL batted fantastically. To finish at home with a win is always nice,” Starc said, adding that adapting quickly to conditions was crucial on a ground with relatively short boundaries.
Rajasthan’s skipper Riyan Parag said they let a strong start slip away early on. Up until the 14th over, they were past 150, then things slowed right down when it mattered most.
“We were in a pretty good space after 14 overs. Once I got out, we didn’t capitalize and should have got around 210. Our bowling wasn’t up to the mark,” Parag admitted.
The captain of RR admitted they could point fingers only at their own squad for falling short in the playoff hunt.
Also Read: Mitchell Starc, openers keep Delhi’s campaign alive with crucial win; dent Rajasthan’s playoff push
“If you want to win a trophy, you have to compete in every game. We’re a way better team than we showed in the last four or five games. Coming from the break, skill-wise, energy-wise and execution-wise, we weren’t there. If we play like this, we shouldn’t be in the top four,” he said.
“We had the opportunity, we didn’t take it. If we don’t qualify, it’s our fault, nobody else’s.”
Fifty-something runs behind him now, KL Rahul found a quiet kind of pleased-in-the-moment feeling. He’d spent time shaping how fast he scores, aiming for what today’s game seems to ask. Not flashy. Just adjusted, step by step.
“This feels a little more special because I’ve scored 500 runs before too, but this year I wanted to improve my strike-rate and keep up with modern T20 cricket,” KL Rahul said.
“But I don’t think I’ve completely cracked it because this format always demands more. The coach and captain were very clear that they wanted me to play with a certain strike-rate.”
Fewer narrow losses at the start might’ve made Delhi’s run feel less tense, Rahul said. Still, he acknowledged how tight matches slipped away back then.
“If we had a few more wins, it would’ve felt even more special. We still have an outside chance, so we’re hoping to win the next game and maybe get some help from other teams as well,” he added.
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