Cricket
Follow highlights from match 9 of TATA IPL 2024 between RR and DC here.
Updated : Mar 28, 2024, 11:37 PM IST
The Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Delhi Capitals (DC) are set to face off on March 28 at the iconic Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. This highly anticipated match will mark the second encounter for both teams in the IPL 2024 season.
Rajasthan is entering the match on the back of a thrilling victory against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on March 24. Batting first, RR posted an impressive total of 193/4, with captain Sanju Samson leading the charge with a brilliant knock of 82 runs off 52 balls. Contributions from Riyan Parag (43 off 29 balls) and Dhruv Jurel (20 off 12 balls) further bolstered the team's score. Rajasthan's bowlers then put up a strong performance to restrict LSG to 173/6, securing a 20-run win.
Meanwhile, Delhi Capitals witnessed the return of skipper Rishabh Pant in their opening match. After a 15-month hiatus from professional cricket, Pant made a solid start by scoring 18 runs off 13 balls before falling to Harshal Patel. Despite no individual standout performances with the bat, DC managed to post a competitive total of 174/9 through collective team effort. However, their bowlers were unable to defend the target as Punjab Kings (PBKS) chased it down in 19.2 overs.
17 runs were required off the final over, with Avesh Khan taking the ball. He began with a well-executed yorker, allowing Stubbs to score just one run. The next delivery was another yorker, leaving Axar unable to make contact. Axar managed to secure a single to long off on the third ball. Stubbs then faced a length ball, but could only manage an inside edge to the on side, resulting in just one run. In the end, only four runs were scored off the over.
RR 185/5 (20)
DC 173/5 (20)
Burger is now in his third over. Warner manages to get an inside edge, resulting in a boundary! Shot! Warner strikes it cleanly this time, pulling the ball over midwicket for a magnificent six. Burger is skillfully extracting pace off the wicket. Unfortunately, Pant is struggling to time his shots against him.
Burger strikes! Marsh is dismissed, bowled out by a length ball as he fails to defend it properly, resulting in the ball crashing into the stumps.
Another Wicket! Bhui is caught out by a short ball that catches him off guard, causing him to glove it straight to the keeper.
Nortje is set to bowl the final over. Parag manages to hit a thick outside edge, sending the ball between the keeper and the third man fielder for a boundary. He follows it up with another boundary, pulling the ball through mid-wicket. Then, a powerful shot sees the ball sailing over covers for a six. Parag continues his impressive display with another boundary through third man, followed by a massive six over mid-wicket. The over concludes with a single.
Kuldeep is set to bowl his final over. A boundary! Jurel goes after a wide delivery, managing to get an under edge that sends the ball racing to the fence through third man. He follows it up by pulling the next delivery to long on for a couple of runs. And a six! Parag smashes the final delivery for another maximum.
Kuldeep is now in his third over. A fantastic shot from Parag as he smashes a six off a rare short ball from Kuldeep. The partnership between the two players reaches fifty runs with a wide ball. However, Parag is left stunned as he is deceived by Kuldeep's wrong one, causing the ball to turn away from him.
Kuldeep continues his spell with two singles off the first two balls. A stumping appeal is made against Ashwin as the ball slides down his leg side. Pant swiftly removes the bails as Ashwin leans forward, but he is deemed safe and remains comfortably inside the crease. And then, a magnificent SIX! Ashwin confidently steps out and smashes the ball over cow corner with sheer power and precision.
Kuldeep Yadav has entered the attack. Parag manages to score a single on the first ball. Buttler attempts a reverse sweep, but is unsuccessful and Pant appeals for LBW. The umpire initially denies the appeal, leaving Kuldeep unsure. However, Pant decides to challenge the decision. Upon review, ball tracking confirms three reds, resulting in Buttler being dismissed.
Samson expertly guides the ball with a thick outside edge, narrowly avoiding the fielder at gully, resulting in a well-deserved four runs. Mukesh responds with a bouncer, only for Samson to skillfully pull the ball towards midwicket for yet another boundary. A perfectly pitched length ball is met by Samson's powerful punch, sending it soaring past point for another four runs.
On the second ball, Jaiswal hit the ball in the air, just clearing mid-on for a single. Buttler then defended a back-of-length delivery towards the leg side for a dot ball. Khaleel bowled slightly full on the pads, allowing Buttler to clip it towards fine leg for a double. The next delivery was pushed towards mid-off, resulting in a quick single for the batters.
Rajasthan Royals (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson(w/c), Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, Sandeep Sharma, Avesh Khan
Delhi Capitals (Playing XI): David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Ricky Bhui, Rishabh Pant(w/c), Tristan Stubbs, Axar Patel, Sumit Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Anrich Nortje, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar
Rishabh Pant: We'll bowl first. The wicket looks fine and we want to use it, there might be some dew in the 2nd innings. Feels good to play 100 matches for the same franchise, but every game is important for me. Most of the concerns are regarding injury, but these are things you can't control. Two changes for us - Ishant hasn't recovered, Shai Hope has a back spasm. Anrich Nortje and Mukesh Kumar come in.
Sanju Samson: We would have bowled first, dew could come in the second innings. Both pitches have an even covering of grass, but the last match was an afternoon game. All the 10 teams are geared up and prepared well, we just need to follow the process and not think too much, then we will be fine. Same team for us.
Following a promising start in the 2016 and 2017 seasons, where he scored 198 runs in 10 innings and 366 runs in 14 games, respectively, Rishabh Pant made a significant impact on the cricketing world with his breakthrough 2018 season. During this season, Pant showcased his talent by scoring an impressive 684 runs in 14 matches, boasting an average of 52.62 and a remarkable strike rate of 173.60.
Pant has been the top run-scorer for Delhi since the team's establishment in 2008, surpassing renowned players such as David Warner (2,433 runs in 84 matches) and Virender Sehwag (2,382 runs in 87 matches) to claim the top spot in the list of highest run-getters.
In his 99 matches played for DC thus far, Rishabh Pant has amassed an impressive total of 2,856 runs at an average of 34.40 and a striking rate of 147.90. Pant has achieved a century and 15 fifties in 98 innings, with his highest score being 128 not out.
A bond beyond #YehHaiNayiDilli #IPL2024 pic.twitter.com/Rd4JzCL0os
— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) March 27, 2024
Anrich Nortje has joined the Delhi Capitals camp and is expected to play in today's match as the team seeks their first win of the season. In addition, Ishant Sharma and Mukesh Kumar have both recovered from their injuries and are available for selection.
One of the pivotal matchups in the Rajasthan Royals versus Delhi Capitals game will be between Sanju Samson and DC's left-arm spinners, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel. Sanju has historically been successful in attacking left-arm spinners, but his scoring rate against them has decreased over the past three years.
Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals have faced off in a total of 27 IPL matches. Delhi Capitals have emerged victorious in 13 of those encounters, while Rajasthan Royals have won 14. The highest total scored by Delhi against Rajasthan is 207, whereas Rajasthan's highest score against Delhi stands at 222.
RR: Sanju Samson (c), Jos Buttler, Shubham Dubey, Shimron Hetmyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Riyan Parag, Rovman Powell, Kunal Singh Rathore, Ravichandran Ashwin, Donovan Ferreira, Avesh Khan, Trent Boult, Nandre Burger, Yuzvendra Chahal, Prasidh Krishna, Navdeep Saini, Sandeep Sharma, Kuldeep Sen, Abid Mushtaq, Tanush Kotian
DC: David Warner, Abishek Porel, Ricky Bhui, Yash Dhull, Shai Hope, Prithvi Shaw, Tristan Stubbs, Kumar Kushagra, Swastik Chikara, Ishant Sharma, Jhye Richardson, Rasikh Dar Salam, Vicky Ostwal, Anrich Nortje, Mukesh Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Praveen Dubey, Khaleel Ahmed, Sumit Kumar, Axar Patel, Mitchell Marsh, Lalit Yadav, Rishabh Pant (c), Jake Fraser-McGurk