Chasing 151 in 12 overs seemed like a herculean task for Rajasthan Royals in their Indian Premier League match against Delhi Daredevils at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium on Wednesday, 2 May. But opener Jos Buttler got the visitors off to a flyer with a blistering 26-ball 67 that included seven sixes and four boundaries.
Ajinkya Rahane’s Rajasthan went from requiring 68 runs off 30 balls to 15 in the final over; and a dropped catch by Delhi captain Shreyas Iyer left Rajasthan needing just a six off the last ball. But K Gowtham could only slice Trent Boult’s final delivery over cover for a single, handing Delhi Daredevils a much-needed 4-run win in the rain-affected match.
Due to a 90 minute delay after the toss, the match had been reduced to 18 overs a side game. Young Rishabh Pant cracked a blistering 69 while captain Shreyas Iyer (50) hit his fourth half-century of the season as Delhi Daredevils posted 196 for six in 17.1 overs before rain brought a premature end to their innings. Royals were set a revised target of 151 from 12 overs under Duckworth/Lewis method.
Daredevils have now moved up to sixth from eighth position with this win.
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Young Prithvi Shaw (47) was yet again in sublime touch and raised a 73-run stand with his captain for the second wicket after the side lost Colin Munro (0) in the fourth ball of the innings.
After Shaw's dismissal, Iyer and Rishabh Pant combined to punish the wayward Royals' bowlers, adding 92 runs for the third wicket in just 7.1 overs. Iyer hit his fourth fifty in last five matches as he consumed 35 balls for his 50, hitting three sixes and as many fours.
Pant hammered the Royals bowlers all around the park in his 29-ball knock, studded with seven fours and five sixes. With 375 runs in 9 matches, he also became the highest run-getter in the ongoing season of the IPL.
Jaydev Unadkat (3/46) removed both of them in the 15th over but by then Daredevils had put up enough runs on the board.
Vijay Shankar (17) came out with some lusty hits to help the hosts get close to 200-run mark.
Royals were off to a fiery start with Buttler going berserk. The England batsman smashed Avesh Khan for three sixes and a four and also punished Liam Plunkett as Royals collected 58 from four Power-play overs.
Buttler completed his fifty off just 18 balls when he lofted Amit Mishra for a six. As many as five bowlers were employed by Daredevils but all of them got severe punishment from Buttler.
It was Mishra who finally gave the breakthrough by having the Briton stumped in the seventh over. The Royals needed a big knock from Ben Stokes (1) but he could not do much.
Opener D'Arcy Short (44 off 25) was also dismissed but K Gowtham somehow kept the Royals in the hunt by striking a six and a four off Plunkett in the 11th over.
Royals needed 15 from the last over but Trent Boult yet again did the job, conceding only 10 runs.
Returning with figures of 2/26 in 3 overs, Trent Boult became the highest wicket-taker this season with 13 wickets.
Earlier, Shaw stroked the ball nicely as he picked the lengths quickly but ended up giving a caught-and-bowled chance on a turning ball to leg-break bowler Shreyas Gopal in the eighth over.
His 47 came off 25 balls as he punished the Royals bowlers with four fours and as many sixes.
After two quiet overs, Shaw began the fireworks as he creamed off 16 runs from Dhawal Kulkarni's over, hitting the paceman for two sixes and a four.
Kulkarni had a difficult chance in his follow through in the last ball of the over but could not hold on to it.
Shaw was in good touch and continued to find boundaries. The next bowler in his firing line was Unadkat, whom he smashed for two fours and a six.
Iyer joined the party by launching Gopal for two sixes. The first was off a full-length ball and the next was pitched short.
The spinner dismissed Shaw but conceded his fourth six of the innings when new man Pant launched him for a massive six over long-on.
Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes were the only bowlers who had managed to contain the rampaging Delhi batsmen a bit but Pant did not spare the West Indian when he bowled full and found the ball in the stands.
In no time, the two batsmen raised a 50-run stand, taking just 27 balls between them.
(With inputs from PTI)
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