Shimron Hetmyer and Rishabh Pant stitched an unbeaten 78-run partnership to take the Delhi Capitals close to the target, but not over the line.
Mohammed Siraj kept his calm to defend 14 runs off the last over as the Royal Challengers Bangalore beat the Delhi Capitals by just one run to win their fifth game of the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Delhi Capitals were down and out at the 14-over mark when they required 75 runs off the last six overs.
But after the sandstorm during the mid-innings break, it was Shimron Hetmyer-storm to arrive at the Narendra Modi Stadium as the destructive West Indies batsman started to make an improbable-looking win possible as he belted six one after the other.
Delhi Capitals didn't have a great start to their innings losing the wickets of Orange Cap holder Shikhar Dhawan and Steve Smith inside the powerplay. Prithvi Shaw and Rishabh Pant rebuilt the innings or a bit before the former edged a wide delivery from Harshal Pate straight into the hands of the wicket-keeper AB de Villiers.
After which, Pant and Marcus Stoinis had to rebuild again. This rebuilding phase went on for too long for the Capitals than they would have wanted and when they started going for their shots, the required rate was already above 12. Stoinis hit a couple of shots against Washington Sundar and Pant hit a couple of boundaries off Patel, but the Purple Cap holder got the crucial breakthrough for his side getting Stoinis out.
Then the storm in form of Hetmyer salvaged the equation for the men in blue as he was severe on the 6'8" tall pacer Kyle Jamieson hitting him for three sixes in the 18th over to bring the equation down to 25 runs off the last two overs. A boundary and a couple of doubles meant they got 11 runs off the 19th and needed 14th off the final, to be bowled by Mohammed Siraj.
Siraj had his tails up as the pacer landed one yorker after the other and DC could get only two runs of the first three balls. Now, Pant, who was struggling for his timing the whole of the innings, managed a couple again and DC now needed 10 runs off the final two deliveries.
A wide full toss and Pant managed to get the ball over the short third man fielder and a six was required off the last. Another wide yorker and Pant sliced it only grounded towards the boundary as the RCB pulled off a miraculous win by just one run.
By the virtue of this win, RCB were back on the top of the table with five wins out of the six games they have played, while the Delhi side faced their second loss of the 14th edition.
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