Delhi Capitals vs Rajasthan Royals, Full score card

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Match 56, Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, 07 May, 2024

Delhi Capitals

DC

221/8

(20.0) ov

Rajasthan Royals

RR

201/8

(20.0) ov

Delhi Capitals beat Rajasthan Royals by 20 runs

Player Of The Match

Kuldeep Yadav,
Delhi Capitals
Delhi Capitals
Summary
Scorecard
Commentary
News
Rajasthan Royals
Delhi Capitals

Rajasthan Royals • 201/8 (20.0 overs)

S Samson 86 (46)

R Parag 27 (22)

K Yadav 2/25 (4)

M Kumar 2/30 (3)

Delhi Capitals • 221/8 (20.0 overs)

A Porel 65 (36)

J Fraser-McGurk 50 (20)

R Ashwin 3/24 (4)

S Sharma 1/42 (4)

Commentary

Right then, that's all from yet another entertaining game in the 17th edition of the Indian T20 League. With this win, Delhi have toppled Lucknow and have climbed to the fifth spot. This result in Delhi sets up the rest of the week perfectly. Next up on Wednesday, the 8th of May, the 2024 Indian T20 League heads down south to Hyderabad where Hyderabad will lock horns with Lucknow. The first ball will be bowled at 7.30 pm IST (2 pm GMT), but you can join us earlier for the build-up. See you then. Cheers!

Kuldeep Yadav is the PLAYER FOR THE MATCH for his brilliance with the ball. He says that the 18th over was very important and he focused on his lines and lengths against the power hitters. Adds that he had a plan for Donovan Ferreira and it was all about varying the pace. Mentions that he bowled a couple of seam-up balls to try and see what the batters were doing. Feels that he doesn't think too much because high-scoring games put pressure on the bowlers. Reckons that to read the batters intent is a big factor for any bowler.

The skipper of Delhi, Rishabh Pant says that the way pacers executed the yorkers is a positive. Mentions that the way pacers have progressed is nice to see. Shares that they try to learn from every game and it is about the process regardless of the result. Tells that he took a chance by bowling Kuldeep in the 18th over and thought that Powell would struggle against him. Further adds that he is glad that Kuldeep delivered. Reckons that the score they got was par and wanted to delay the decision with the Impact Player for as much as possible.

Time for the presentation ceremony...

Mukesh Kumar is up for a chat. He says that he wanted to bowl dots in the final over. Adds that he always backs his strengths and is confident in using different variations. Feels that it was a 210-220 run pitch and says that it was important to win this game.

The captain of Rajasthan, Sanju Samson says that they had it in their hands and it was an achievable target. Adds that his team is doing both things well and feels that the target was 10 runs high. Reckons that he wanted the last couple of overs to go better while bowling. Says that they have lost three games but all have been tight and feels that they should be able to comeback strongly. Credits Stubbs for taking on Sandeep Sharma and Chahal in the death overs.

Earlier in the game, after calling it right, Sanju Samson opted to follow the prevailing trend of captains choosing to bowl first in Delhi, despite teams batting first emerging victorious in the previous three games. As he has done all season, Jake Fraser threw caution to the wind right from the outset and blazed his way to a 19-ball fifty. Despite losing Shai Hope first and then Axar Patel, Abishek Porel ensured that the Delhi innings did not lose steam and soon brought up his first fifty of the season. However, with Porel and Rishabh Pant departing in quick succession and with Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal applying pressure, it appeared that Delhi might struggle to capitalise on the latter part of the innings. Tristan Stubbs stepped up to the plate, and with valuable contributions from Gulbadin Naib, Rasikh Dar, and Kuldeep Yadav, Delhi ended with 221 on the board, the lowest first-innings total at Delhi this season. For Rajasthan, Ravichandran Ashwin was the pick of the bowlers, with figures of 3 for 24 from his four overs. Trent Boult, Sandeep Sharma and Yuzvendra Chahal had wicket apiece but were on the expensive side.

Yet another run chase where Rajasthan seemed to have had the game under control but just could not get the job done. With 222 runs to get, Rajasthan were dealt an early blow in the form of Yashasvi Jaiswal. While Jos Buttler struggled during his short stay at the crease, Sanju Samson made his intentions clear straightaway and gave his side the Powerplay they were after. Samson and Parag batted sensibly against the Delhi spin duo and kept the scoreboard ticking. Parag perished in his quest to take Rasikh Dar on, resulting in the arrival of Shubham Dubey. Samson soon turned the heat on as he struck boundaries with regularity and found an able alley in Shubham Dubey. Rajasthan lost Samson at an inopportune time to a brilliant catch at the fence by Shai Hope, a decision that was referred to the third umpire and it could have gone either way, but they still had two power-hitters, Donovan Ferreira and Rovman Powell left in the shed. Donovan could not do much and it left Powell with too much to do, who perished in the final over.

Delhi returns to winning ways with a hard-fought win! A 20-run victory for Rishabh Pant and Co. and that helps them grab two crucial points. Delhi join the mid-table muddle where Chennai, Hyderabad, and Lucknow sit with 12 points, albeit Delhi have played one game more than others. Despite having a daunting total, Delhi needed a strong start with the ball. Khaleel Ahmed gave them just that before Axar Patel got into the act. Having leaked more runs than they would have liked in the first six overs, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav pulled it back a bit by stringing dots. Delhi were not allowed to breathe freely as Samson took them to the cleaners and put them under the pump. Despite dismissing the two set batters, the game was far from over. Rishabh Pant held Kuldeep Yadav back for one over and handed him the ball in the 18th over. It proved to be a turning point in the game as Kuldeep went bang, bang in that over to turn the tide in his side's favor. Rasikh Dar and Mukesh Kumar then held their nerves and closed out the game for Delhi.

Runs Scored 8 Runs

Score after 20 overs : 201/8

T Boult2 (3)

A Khan7 (3)

M Kumar3-0-30-2

19.60

Delhi wins the game by 20 runs! Mukesh Kumar goes full and on the sticks. Trent Boult digs it out back to the bowler.

19.51

Sticks to the good length and keeps it on middle. Avesh Khan pulls it to long on and runs a single.

19.44

FOUR! GOOD SHOT! A juicy full toss outside off. Avesh Khan slaps it past mid off. The ball bounces off to the fence for four runs. 200 on the board now for Rajasthan but it would be in a losing cause.

19.32

On a length and over off. Avesh Khan pulls it to deep mid-wicket and runs a brace. Now Mukesh Kumar just needs to make sure he bowls all legal deliveries.

Avesh Khan is in at number 10.

19.2W

OUT! CASTLED! That should do it for Delhi! He nails the yorker on the off pole. Rovman Powell tries to pick it up and send it over the fence but gets beaten completely. The ball crashes into the off stump and Powell has to walk back.

19.11

On a length and on middle. Trent Boult gets the inner edge and the ball hits his body. It dies down on the track and the batters run a single.

Delhi have been penalised for slow over rate and therefore, they will be allowed only 4 fielders outside the 30-yard circle for the last over. Mukesh Kumar has been handed the task of bowling the final over.

Runs Scored 8 Runs

Score after 19 overs : 193/7

R Powell13 (9)

T Boult1 (1)

R Dar3-0-36-1

18.60

Too full and wide outside off again. Rovman Powell misses this one too and he reviews for a wide ball. The replays convince the third umpire to stay with the onfield decision and that ends a brilliant over by Rasikh Dar. Rajasthan need 29 runs off the last 6 balls.

18.50

Full and wide outside off. Rovman Powell tries to swing his blade but gets beaten. Rishabh Pant has taken the review to check for an edge but the replays show that there is no connection between the bat and the ball.

18.46

SIX! FETCH IT! Rasikh Dar bowls a juicy full toss outside off. Rovman Powell gets low and launches it with power to the second tier beyond the long off fence. He gets six runs and is finally finding his timing.

18.31

Rasikh Dar nails the wide yorker outside off. Trent Boult guides it to deep point and takes an easy single.

18.21

On a length outside off. Rovman Powell hits it with immense power and pierces covers. The fielder in the deep does well to stop it and release it quickly keeping the batters to a single.

18.10

Full and outside off. Rovman Powell swings his blade but he doesn't find the connection.

Trent Boult comes out to bat now. It will be the Impact Player, Rasikh Dar to bowl the penultimate over.

Runs Scored 4 Runs

Score after 18 overs : 185/7

R Ashwin2 (3)

R Powell6 (4)

K Yadav4-0-25-2

17.6W

OUT! TAKEN! Kuldeep Yadav ends his spell with another wicket! He tosses it up outside off. Ravichandran Ashwin dances down the track but he has to reach for the ball. He gets the connection off the toe end of his blade and sends it to Shai Hope at long on. He takes a nice catch and Ravichandran Ashwin too departs quickly.

17.51

Almost a yorker now on the off pole. Rovman Powell digs it out to long off and takes a single.

17.41

Pitched up on middle. Ravichandran Ashwin nudges it off on the leg side and runs one more.

17.31

Floated full around off. Rovman Powell clips it to deep mid-wicket and the batters cross for one more.

17.21

Tossed up around off. Ravichandran Ashwin pushes it to covers and runs a quick single.

Ravichandran Ashwin walks in next.

Commentary

We are back for the chase. The umpires are on the field. The fielders from Delhi have taken their respective positions as well. Rajasthan have brought in Jos Buttler as their impact player and he will open the innings along with Yashasvi Jaiswal. Yuzvendra Chahal has been substituted out. Khaleel Ahmed has the new ball in hand and is raring to go. Let's go...

... THE RUN CHASE …

Right then, that was it from an exciting first innings. We saw some explosive batting at the top from Jake Fraser-McGurk and Abishek Porel where it looked like Delhi would be crossing the 250-run mark. However, Ravichandran Ashwin turned out to be the star for Rajasthan and put a halt to the runs with his three wickets. The game again had a twist for us in the form of Tristan Stubbs who made sure that Delhi crossed the 200-run mark and the cameos of Rasikh Dar and Kuldeep Yadav pushed the score to 221. The spotlight now falls upon the batters from Rajasthan who will have a lot of work to do. Take a short break but join us back for the run chase.

Ravichandran Ashwin is in for a chat. He says that sometimes you have nights like these where you a wicket off a full toss in the first over and sometimes you don't. Adds that he is not complaining as at times, he bowled better deliveries but did not get wickets. Shares that he has been working on a few things and trying different releases and angles. Feels that 220 is about par but they need to bat well. Reckons that the Powerplay and overs from Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav will be crucial.

Rajasthan had no answer for the shots that the opening batters played. After getting hit for many boundaries in the first 4 overs, they turned to the veteran Ravichandran Ashwin who rewarded them with the wicket of Jake Fraser-McGurk. After that, Sandeep Sharma sent Hope walking back to the dugout courtesy of his quick reflexes. Ashwin again worked his magic to get rid of Axar Patel and Porel with his spin partner, Yuzvendra Chahal sending Pant back to the dugout. At that moment, they started creeping back in the game and created pressure on the new batters. The bowlers seemed to be behind the eight-ball mark in the initial phases of the game but the spinners took up the responsibility and bowled tightly. Chahal became the first Indian bowler to get 350 T20 wickets and Ashwin ended his spell with three big wickets to his name. The bowlers were again hit for boundaries in the slog overs. Trent Boult got one in the 19th over but the runs didn’t stop coming for the opponents. Sandeep Sharma got the big wicket of Stubbs who had dealt a lot of damage to them.

As expected, it turned out to be a good batting track and after being asked to bat first, Delhi made full use of their Powerplay. They had a dream start to their innings with Jake Fraser-McGurk and Abishek Porel unleashing an array of shots on the bowlers for the first 5 overs. JFM was the aggressor and smashed a 19-ball fifty again this season. After his dismissal, it was Shai Hope who didn’t have luck in his favor as he was caught short of his crease. Porel and Rishabh Pant too put up a fine stand until both of them were dismissed against spin in a matter of one over. Then, the boundaries stopped coming for them and the bowlers created some pressure. Tristan Stubbs helped his team with some quick runs towards the end of the innings and gave the fans a lot to cheer for before being dismissed in the final over of the innings. They end up with 221 on the board and it is the lowest score on this venue while batting first this season. Their bowlers will have to plan well and take timely wickets to turn the match in their favour.

The heroics of Tristan Stubbs, Rasikh Dar, and Kuldeep Yadav towards the end of the innings made sure that Delhi ended their innings at 221. It is a bit short of what they would have expected but a lot better than the target they were looking at a couple of quiet overs after the Strategic Break.

Runs Scored 18 Runs

Score after 20 overs : 221/8

R Dar9 (3)

K Yadav5 (2)

S Sharma4-0-42-1

19.61W

RUN OUT! They had to go for the second run and it is a run out to end the innings! Slower and into the wicket, on off, Rasikh Dar does not the time pull shot well and it goes to the right of deep mid-wicket. With it being the last ball, Rasikh Dar returns for the second but Riyan Parag is quick to release the throw toward the batting end. Sanju Samson collects and does the rest to catch Rasikh way short. Delhi end with 221 on the board!

19.51

Just short! Lands it on a fullish length, outside off, Kuldeep Yadav goes for the reverse paddle but plays it from the back of his bat. It comes off the cue-end of the bat and it drops just short of the diving Yuzvendra Chahal at short third. The ball rolls behind off as it through the hands of Chahal for a single.

19.44

FOUR! How did Kuldeep Yadav get that away? A valiant effort though from Donovan Ferreira. Sandeep rolls his fingers over the ball and bowls it on a length, outside off, Kuldeep Yadav walks across to the off side and swats it aerially towards deep backward square leg. Donovan Ferreira runs to his left and stretches his left hand but fails to cut it off.

Kuldeep Yadav is the new batter in.

19.3W

OUT! PLUMB IN FRONT! Sandeep Sharma gets the yorker right and gets his man! End of an onslaught from Stubbs. Sandeep serves a searing yorker, right at the base of the off stump, Tristan Stubbs stays deep in his crease and shapes up to flick it away off his toes. The ball sneaks past the inside edge and traps Stubbs right in front of the stumps. No bat is involved and it is three reds on Ball Tracking with the ball crashing into the middle and off stump.

19.26

SIX! Hit flat and hit for half a dozen! Sandeep drags his length back and bowls it outside off, Tristan Stubbs picks the length early and picks the bones out of that. Flat bats it down the ground and gets it over the long off fence for six more.

19.16

SIX! Carved away and Tristan Stubbs made that look easy! Sandeep Sharma goes searching for the yorker, outside off but ends up serving a low full toss, Tristan Stubbs shuffles across and takes it from a low height. Hits it over wide long off for a maximum.

Sandeep Sharma has been handed the ball to bowl the final over of the innings.

Runs Scored 14 Runs

Score after 19 overs : 203/6

R Dar8 (2)

T Stubbs29 (17)

T Boult4-0-48-1

18.64

FOUR! Same shot, same result! Instant impact from the Impact Player, back-to-back boundaries! Trent Boult bowls a bumper at pace, on off, Rasikh Dar shuffles across his stumps and goes for the scoop again. Fetches it from over his head and glides it over the keeper for four crucial runs.

18.54

FOUR! Rasikh Dar is up and running! This is on a length, just outside off, Rasikh Dar walks across his stumps and employs the scoop. Executes it well and gets between the keeper and short fine leg for a boundary.

Delhi bring in their impact player as Rasikh Dar walks out to bat now replacing Abishek Porel.

18.4W

OUT! TAKEN! Slower and wider does the trick for Trent Boult! Stays over the wicket and angles it away from the batter with no real pace behind it and it is outside off, on a good length, Gulbadin Naib is made to reach out as he looks to thrash it through the off side. Gets a thickish outside edge that flies straight to Ravichandran Ashwin at short third who reverse cups it near his face.

18.31

Boult goes full and straight, at the stumps, Tristan Stubbs fails to clip it away. Gets an inside edge that goes back onto his pads and rolls away on the leg side for one.

18.24

FOUR! Short and punished! Boult takes pace off and tries to dig it in short, on off, Tristan Stubbs gets this one at a good height, rides the bounce well and pulls it in front of square on the leg side for a boundary.

18.11

On a fullish length, on off, Gulbadin Naib gets his bat out in front and knocks it down to long on for a single.

Runs Scored 21 Runs

Score after 18 overs : 189/5

T Stubbs24 (15)

G Naib18 (13)

Y Chahal4-0-48-1

17.66

SIX! BOOM! Belted away! 21 runs off the over and this has come just at the right time for Delhi. It is quicker from Chahal but a bit too full, outside off, Tristan Stubbs reaches out in front and gets underneath it nicely. Nails the sweep shot over deep square leg for half a dozen.

17.52

Drags his length back and bowls it on off, Tristan Stubbs drags the pull wide of long on for a couple of runs more. 15 runs off the over so far.

17.44

FOUR! Two in two! Stubbs has out thought the bowler on both occasions. Chahal loops it up, on a fullish length, near the tramline on off, Tristan Stubbs moves across to the off side nice and early and sweeps it wide of square leg for four more runs.

17.34

FOUR! Tristan Stubbs gets funky and gets the reward! Fuller and quicker, on middle, Tristan Stubbs is aware that there is no deep on the off side square of the wicket. Pulls out the reverse sweep and hits it over cover-point for a boundary.

17.21

Slower through the air and it is fuller as well, on off Gulbadin Naib drills it on the bounce to long off for one.

17.14

FOUR! In the gap! Flat by Chahal, on a nagging length, on off, Gulbadin Naib drags the hit and he is able to generate power behind it. Hits it to the right of long on for a much-needed boundary.

Runs Scored 4 Runs

Score after 17 overs : 168/5

G Naib13 (11)

T Stubbs8 (11)

S Sharma3-0-24-0

16.61

Superb stuff from Sandeep Sharma. Just 4 runs off the over. Goes full and at pace, at the batter, Gulbadin Naib clears his front leg and swipes it through square leg for just a single.

16.50

Another beautifully disguised slower bouncer. This is around off and middle, Gulbadin Naib waits and waits for the ball to come to him but gets undone by the lack of pace and fails to connect the pull shot.

Rajasthan Royals
Delhi Capitals
Batter R B 4s 6s SR
Y Jaiswal

c A Patel b K Ahmed

4 2 1 0 200
19 17 2 1 111.76
S Samson

c S Hope b M Kumar

86 46 8 6 186.95
R Parag

b R Dar

27 22 1 3 122.72
S Dubey

c T Stubbs b K Ahmed

25 12 2 2 208.33
R Powell

b M Kumar

13 10 1 1 130
D Ferreira

lbw b K Yadav

1 3 0 0 33.33
R Ashwin

c S Hope b K Yadav

2 3 0 0 66.66
T Boult

not out

2 3 0 0 66.66
A Khan

not out

7 3 1 0 233.33
Extras

(b 0,lb 4,w 10,nb 1,Penalty 0)

15
Total 20.0 (RR: 10.05)
201/8

Did not bat: S Sharma,

Fall of wickets:

(Y Jaiswal, 0.2 ov) (J Buttler, 5.5 ov) (R Parag, 11 ov) (S Samson, 15.4 ov) (S Dubey, 16.4 ov) (D Ferreira, 17.1 ov) (R Ashwin, 18 ov) (R Powell, 19.2 ov)
Bowler O M R W ER
K Ahmed
4 0 47 2 11.75
I Sharma
3 0 34 0 11.33
M Kumar
3 0 30 2 10.00
A Patel
3 0 25 1 8.33
K Yadav
4 0 25 2 6.25
3 0 36 1 12.00
Batter R B 4s 6s SR
J Fraser-McGurk

c D Ferreira b R Ashwin

50 20 7 3 250

c S Sharma b R Ashwin

65 36 7 3 180.55
S Hope

run out (S Sharma)

1 1 0 0 100
A Patel

c R Parag b R Ashwin

15 10 1 1 150
R Pant

c T Boult b Y Chahal

15 13 0 1 115.38
T Stubbs

lbw b S Sharma

41 20 3 3 205
G Naib

c R Ashwin b T Boult

19 15 1 1 126.66

run out (S Dubey / S Samson)

9 3 2 0 300
K Yadav

not out

5 2 1 0 250
Extras

(b 0,lb 0,w 1,nb 0,Penalty 0)

1
Total 20.0 (RR: 11.05)
221/8

Did not bat: M Kumar, I Sharma, K Ahmed

Fall of wickets:

(J Fraser-McGurk, 4.2 ov) (S Hope, 5.1 ov) (A Patel, 9.2 ov) (A Porel, 12.4 ov) (R Pant, 13.5 ov) (G Naib, 18.4 ov) (T Stubbs, 19.3 ov) (R Dar, 20 ov)
Bowler O M R W ER
T Boult
4 0 48 1 12.00
S Sharma
4 0 42 1 10.50
A Khan
2 0 42 0 21.00
R Ashwin
4 0 24 3 6.00
R Parag
2 0 17 0 8.50
4 0 48 1 12.00
Rajasthan Royals
Delhi Capitals

Commentary

Right then, that's all from yet another entertaining game in the 17th edition of the Indian T20 League. With this win, Delhi have toppled Lucknow and have climbed to the fifth spot. This result in Delhi sets up the rest of the week perfectly. Next up on Wednesday, the 8th of May, the 2024 Indian T20 League heads down south to Hyderabad where Hyderabad will lock horns with Lucknow. The first ball will be bowled at 7.30 pm IST (2 pm GMT), but you can join us earlier for the build-up. See you then. Cheers!

Kuldeep Yadav is the PLAYER FOR THE MATCH for his brilliance with the ball. He says that the 18th over was very important and he focused on his lines and lengths against the power hitters. Adds that he had a plan for Donovan Ferreira and it was all about varying the pace. Mentions that he bowled a couple of seam-up balls to try and see what the batters were doing. Feels that he doesn't think too much because high-scoring games put pressure on the bowlers. Reckons that to read the batters intent is a big factor for any bowler.

The skipper of Delhi, Rishabh Pant says that the way pacers executed the yorkers is a positive. Mentions that the way pacers have progressed is nice to see. Shares that they try to learn from every game and it is about the process regardless of the result. Tells that he took a chance by bowling Kuldeep in the 18th over and thought that Powell would struggle against him. Further adds that he is glad that Kuldeep delivered. Reckons that the score they got was par and wanted to delay the decision with the Impact Player for as much as possible.

Time for the presentation ceremony...

Mukesh Kumar is up for a chat. He says that he wanted to bowl dots in the final over. Adds that he always backs his strengths and is confident in using different variations. Feels that it was a 210-220 run pitch and says that it was important to win this game.

The captain of Rajasthan, Sanju Samson says that they had it in their hands and it was an achievable target. Adds that his team is doing both things well and feels that the target was 10 runs high. Reckons that he wanted the last couple of overs to go better while bowling. Says that they have lost three games but all have been tight and feels that they should be able to comeback strongly. Credits Stubbs for taking on Sandeep Sharma and Chahal in the death overs.

Earlier in the game, after calling it right, Sanju Samson opted to follow the prevailing trend of captains choosing to bowl first in Delhi, despite teams batting first emerging victorious in the previous three games. As he has done all season, Jake Fraser threw caution to the wind right from the outset and blazed his way to a 19-ball fifty. Despite losing Shai Hope first and then Axar Patel, Abishek Porel ensured that the Delhi innings did not lose steam and soon brought up his first fifty of the season. However, with Porel and Rishabh Pant departing in quick succession and with Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal applying pressure, it appeared that Delhi might struggle to capitalise on the latter part of the innings. Tristan Stubbs stepped up to the plate, and with valuable contributions from Gulbadin Naib, Rasikh Dar, and Kuldeep Yadav, Delhi ended with 221 on the board, the lowest first-innings total at Delhi this season. For Rajasthan, Ravichandran Ashwin was the pick of the bowlers, with figures of 3 for 24 from his four overs. Trent Boult, Sandeep Sharma and Yuzvendra Chahal had wicket apiece but were on the expensive side.

Yet another run chase where Rajasthan seemed to have had the game under control but just could not get the job done. With 222 runs to get, Rajasthan were dealt an early blow in the form of Yashasvi Jaiswal. While Jos Buttler struggled during his short stay at the crease, Sanju Samson made his intentions clear straightaway and gave his side the Powerplay they were after. Samson and Parag batted sensibly against the Delhi spin duo and kept the scoreboard ticking. Parag perished in his quest to take Rasikh Dar on, resulting in the arrival of Shubham Dubey. Samson soon turned the heat on as he struck boundaries with regularity and found an able alley in Shubham Dubey. Rajasthan lost Samson at an inopportune time to a brilliant catch at the fence by Shai Hope, a decision that was referred to the third umpire and it could have gone either way, but they still had two power-hitters, Donovan Ferreira and Rovman Powell left in the shed. Donovan could not do much and it left Powell with too much to do, who perished in the final over.

Delhi returns to winning ways with a hard-fought win! A 20-run victory for Rishabh Pant and Co. and that helps them grab two crucial points. Delhi join the mid-table muddle where Chennai, Hyderabad, and Lucknow sit with 12 points, albeit Delhi have played one game more than others. Despite having a daunting total, Delhi needed a strong start with the ball. Khaleel Ahmed gave them just that before Axar Patel got into the act. Having leaked more runs than they would have liked in the first six overs, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav pulled it back a bit by stringing dots. Delhi were not allowed to breathe freely as Samson took them to the cleaners and put them under the pump. Despite dismissing the two set batters, the game was far from over. Rishabh Pant held Kuldeep Yadav back for one over and handed him the ball in the 18th over. It proved to be a turning point in the game as Kuldeep went bang, bang in that over to turn the tide in his side's favor. Rasikh Dar and Mukesh Kumar then held their nerves and closed out the game for Delhi.

Runs Scored 8 Runs

Score after 20 overs : 201/8

T Boult2 (3)

A Khan7 (3)

M Kumar3-0-30-2

19.60

Delhi wins the game by 20 runs! Mukesh Kumar goes full and on the sticks. Trent Boult digs it out back to the bowler.

19.51

Sticks to the good length and keeps it on middle. Avesh Khan pulls it to long on and runs a single.

19.44

FOUR! GOOD SHOT! A juicy full toss outside off. Avesh Khan slaps it past mid off. The ball bounces off to the fence for four runs. 200 on the board now for Rajasthan but it would be in a losing cause.

19.32

On a length and over off. Avesh Khan pulls it to deep mid-wicket and runs a brace. Now Mukesh Kumar just needs to make sure he bowls all legal deliveries.

Avesh Khan is in at number 10.

19.2W

OUT! CASTLED! That should do it for Delhi! He nails the yorker on the off pole. Rovman Powell tries to pick it up and send it over the fence but gets beaten completely. The ball crashes into the off stump and Powell has to walk back.

19.11

On a length and on middle. Trent Boult gets the inner edge and the ball hits his body. It dies down on the track and the batters run a single.

Delhi have been penalised for slow over rate and therefore, they will be allowed only 4 fielders outside the 30-yard circle for the last over. Mukesh Kumar has been handed the task of bowling the final over.

Runs Scored 8 Runs

Score after 19 overs : 193/7

R Powell13 (9)

T Boult1 (1)

R Dar3-0-36-1

18.60

Too full and wide outside off again. Rovman Powell misses this one too and he reviews for a wide ball. The replays convince the third umpire to stay with the onfield decision and that ends a brilliant over by Rasikh Dar. Rajasthan need 29 runs off the last 6 balls.

18.50

Full and wide outside off. Rovman Powell tries to swing his blade but gets beaten. Rishabh Pant has taken the review to check for an edge but the replays show that there is no connection between the bat and the ball.

18.46

SIX! FETCH IT! Rasikh Dar bowls a juicy full toss outside off. Rovman Powell gets low and launches it with power to the second tier beyond the long off fence. He gets six runs and is finally finding his timing.

18.31

Rasikh Dar nails the wide yorker outside off. Trent Boult guides it to deep point and takes an easy single.

18.21

On a length outside off. Rovman Powell hits it with immense power and pierces covers. The fielder in the deep does well to stop it and release it quickly keeping the batters to a single.

18.10

Full and outside off. Rovman Powell swings his blade but he doesn't find the connection.

Trent Boult comes out to bat now. It will be the Impact Player, Rasikh Dar to bowl the penultimate over.

Runs Scored 4 Runs

Score after 18 overs : 185/7

R Ashwin2 (3)

R Powell6 (4)

K Yadav4-0-25-2

17.6W

OUT! TAKEN! Kuldeep Yadav ends his spell with another wicket! He tosses it up outside off. Ravichandran Ashwin dances down the track but he has to reach for the ball. He gets the connection off the toe end of his blade and sends it to Shai Hope at long on. He takes a nice catch and Ravichandran Ashwin too departs quickly.

17.51

Almost a yorker now on the off pole. Rovman Powell digs it out to long off and takes a single.

17.41

Pitched up on middle. Ravichandran Ashwin nudges it off on the leg side and runs one more.

17.31

Floated full around off. Rovman Powell clips it to deep mid-wicket and the batters cross for one more.

17.21

Tossed up around off. Ravichandran Ashwin pushes it to covers and runs a quick single.

Ravichandran Ashwin walks in next.

17.1W

OUT! LBW! CONFIDENT REVIEW! Kuldeep Yadav bowls it full and turns in on the batter. Donovan Ferreira is pushed to his back foot and hit on the pads. Kuldeep Yadav is convinced and Rishabh Pant reviews it. UltraEdge shows that there is no spike and ball tracking confirms the wicket with three reds. Donovan Ferreira has to depart without making his mark. The pressure is back on Rajasthan.

Kuldeep Yadav (3-0-21-0) returns to the attack.

Runs Scored 11 Runs

Score after 17 overs : 181/5

D Ferreira1 (2)

R Powell4 (2)

K Ahmed4-0-47-2

16.61

Sticks to the good length and keeps it around off. Donovan Ferreira punches it past cover and runs a single to end the over.

16.50

Quick and on a length outside off. Donovan Ferreira tries to find the gap on the off side but gets the inner edge. The ball rolls to the left of the keeper.

Donovan Ferreira is in at number 7.

16.4W

OUT! TAKEN! Khaleel Ahmed gets a big one! He bangs it short and over off. Shubham Dubey tries to pull it but the ball was rising on him quickly. He mistimes his shot and the ball flies off to Tristan Stubbs at long on who takes a fine catch under pressure.

16.30

Beaten! Slower one, on the hard length and over off. Shubham Dubey again tries to pull it but is beaten by the lack of pace.

16.24

FOUR! PULLED AWAY! Khaleel Ahmed now shortens his length and keeps it outside off. Shubham Dubey pulls it with great power and finds the gap near the cow corner. The ball meets the cushions and he gets four runs more.

16.16

SIX! BANG! Khaleel Ahmed goes full and outside off. Shubham Dubey takes out his foot and lofts it over long off. The ball lands in the stands and gets himself six more runs.

Runs Scored 11 Runs

Score after 16 overs : 170/4

R Powell4 (2)

S Dubey15 (8)

M Kumar2-0-22-1

15.64lb

FOUR LEG BYES! Mukesh Kumar delivers it on a length and on the pads. Rovman Powell tries to flick it off but the ball hits the thigh pads and rolls off to the fence for four extra runs.

15.54

FOUR! OFF THE MARK! Mukesh Kumar hits the hard length and keeps it on the pads. Rovman Powell nudges it off past square leg and the fielder in the deep fails to cut it off. He gets four runs and is off the mark in style.

Rovman Powell is the new man in.

15.4W

OUT! TAKEN! HOPE HAS TAKEN A STUNNER! Mukesh Kumar serves it on a length and on middle. Sanju Samson slaps it down the ground and it almost clears the fence. Shai Hope cuts it off and takes a brilliant catch to his left while balancing himself inside the fence. The replays show that he was close to the cushions but didn't touch them. Sanju Samson isn't happy with that but he has to depart.

Is that out? Shai Hope is claiming it and this is a big, big moment in the game. Drama unfolding at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Sanju Samson who had started to walk off, returned after looking at the replays on the big screen. However, the third umpire deems that Hope is fine and at no point, did his feet touch the boundary cushions. Samson isn't pleased with the decision but he has to make the long walk back into the hut.

15.31

Full and wide outside off. Shubham Dubey reaches for it and carves it over point. The ball lands safely and the batters run one.

15.31wd

Errs in line now. He serves it on the hard length but wide outside off. Shubham Dubey leaves it alone and the umpire signals a wide.

15.21

A dipping yorker now, and he nails it. Sanju Samson drives it to long off and runs a single.

15.10

Slower short ball over middle. Sanju Samson tries to pull it away but gets beaten by the lack of pace.

Runs Scored 11 Runs

Score after 15 overs : 159/3

S Samson85 (43)

S Dubey14 (7)

K Ahmed3-0-36-1

14.61

In the air...but safe! Keeps it on a back of a length, around off, Sanju Samson goes deep in his crease and tries to flat bat it down the ground. Slices it off the upper half of the bat but it lands safely in front of the rushing wide long off fielder. A single taken by Samson to retain the strike.

14.50

Slower and serves it on a back of a length, outside off, Sanju Samson hangs back and punches it without much timing at extra cover to Gulbadin Naib. A big ball coming up.

14.40

Well bowled! At 139.6 kph, digs it in short, around off, Sanju Samson goes deep in his crease and swings for the pull but the ball gets big on him and sails over the bat.

14.41wd

WIDE! And again! Four wides on the trot! Tries to go full but the length stays the same, well beyond the wide guideline on off. 11 runs off the over with three balls to go.

14.41wd

WIDE! Khaleel isn't getting his radar right here. He seems to be put off by the movement by Sanju Samson near the off-stump and slants it well away on off for a wide.

14.41wd

WIDE! On a short length but slips it beyond the tramline on off in an attempt to keep it away from Sanju Samson who shuffled across the off side. Wide given.

14.41wd

WIDE! Bangs it into the deck, slower as well, on off, the ball sails over the head of Sanju Samson for a wide.

14.31

Lands it on a fullish length with a hint of tail back in, on middle, Shubham Dubey swipes it through mid-wicket for one.

14.21

Slower and shorter, outside off, Sanju Samson hops and slaps it square to deep point for a single. The 50-run stand comes up off 22 balls.

14.14

FOUR! Expertly played! Nails the yorker does Khaleel, outside off, Sanju Samson stays deep in his crease and glides it to the left of deep point with an open bat face for a boundary.

Strategic Break! Rajasthan is building another strong partnership here and Sanju Samson is at the helm of it. He has been amazing in this game and with the power-hitting of Shubham Dubey, this partnership can very well help them to score some quick runs. Delhi had managed to put them under pressure with the help of their spinners but the batters managed to release it quickly. They should now hunt for a couple of quick wickets and bring new batters to the middle. With just 6 more overs left in the game, it will go down to the wire. Stay tuned with us.

Runs Scored 17 Runs

Score after 14 overs : 148/3

S Dubey13 (6)

S Samson79 (38)

I Sharma3-0-34-0

13.66

SIX! Shubham Dubey gets into the six-hitting act! Big finish to the over for Rajasthan. Ishant tries to bang into the deck and it is slower as well, on off and middle, Shubham Dubey gets this one into the arc and it comes at a nice height. Leaves nothing in the tank and spanks it over wide long on for a 95-metre maximum. Back-to-back productive overs for Rajasthan, 35 runs off the last 12 balls.

13.61wd

WIDE! Slower but the line is down leg, on a length. Shubham Dubey swings and misses. Wide given.

13.54

FOUR! Shubham Dubey does not miss out this time! The runs need to come from both ends for Rajasthan's cause. Delivers it on a good length but the line is around middle and leg, Shubham Dubey smears it and it races towards the deep backward square leg fence for four more.

13.41

Fuller in length, outside off, Sanju Samson gets low to carve this in front of square on the off side. Ends up hitting it straight on the bounce towards long off for one.

13.34

FOUR! Just over! Into the wicket, slower and near the tramline on off, Sanju Samson reaches out and lifts his front leg to slap it over extra cover. Gets enough bat on it to clear the leaping Axar Patel there for a boundary..

13.20

Pitches it up to the batter, on off, Sanju Samson creams the drive but fails to get it past extra cover.

13.11

Missed out! At the hips on a back of a length, Shubham Dubey gets more bat on it than he intended as he looks to glance it away. The batters cross as the ball rolls to fine leg.

Runs Scored 18 Runs

Score after 13 overs : 131/3

S Dubey2 (3)

S Samson74 (35)

R Dar2-0-28-1

12.61

Yes, he can. Comes from around the wicket and bowls it on a back of a length, punched down to long off for one by Shubham Dubey. Just 2 runs off the last three balls after the first three went for 16.

12.51

Fuller in length, on off, Sanju Samson drills it down to long off for a single. Can Dar get out of the over well here?

12.40

Dar steams in from over the wicket as Rishabh Pant comes up to the stumps and lands it on a good length, Sanju Samson swishes to go through the off side but misses.

12.36

SIX! Stand and deliver stuff! 16 runs off the first three balls. Can Samson make this a massive over? On a back of a length, on off, Sanju Samson stands tall and slaps it flat and hard. Hits it to the right of long off for half a dozen.

12.24

FOUR! A maximum followed by a boundary! On a back of a length, outside off, Sanju Samson backs away for the cut but he is a bit late on the shot. Gets it off the toe-end of the bat and it races past short third for a boundary.

12.16

SIX! That has gone many a mile! Rasikh Dar takes pace off and bowls it on a length, outside off, Sanju Samson picks the change of pace and pounces all over it. Smokes it over long on for a 99-metre maximum.

Runs Scored 10 Runs

Score after 12 overs : 113/3

S Dubey1 (2)

S Samson57 (30)

K Yadav3-0-21-0

11.60

Too full and aimed on the toes. Shubham Dubey misses his flick and gets hit on the pads. There is a stifled appeal but the umpire is unmoved. Looks like it was going down the leg side.

11.51

Floated full on leg. Sanju Samson punches it to long on for another single.

11.41

Looped full outside off. Shubham Dubey drives it back to the bowler and Kuldeep Yadav fails to stop it. That allows the batters to run one.

11.31

A bit short and on off. Sanju Samson rocks back and punches it to long off for a single.

11.26

SIX! DISPATCHED! FIFTY FOR THE SKIPPER! Kuldeep Yadav tosses it full and keeps it on off. Sanju Samson clears his foot and swings his blade hard. The ball connects well and the ball flies off into the stands for a biggie.

11.21nb

NO BALL! Uh oh! Kuldeep Yadav has knocked the bails over at the bowling end while loading up. Shorter and quicker, at the stumps, Sanju Samson pulls it straight to mid-wicket. Free Hit coming up.

11.10

Dishes out a googly, short and on off, Sanju Samson reads it well and pushes it to cover.

Runs Scored 10 Runs

Score after 11 overs : 103/3

R Parag27 (22)

S Samson49 (25)

R Dar1-0-10-1

10.6W

OUT! BOWLED'EM! First with the bat and now with the ball, the Impact Player, Rasikh Dar is making a real impact. Executes the back-of-the-hand slower delivery, on a good length, top of off, Riyan Parag swings blindly as he looks to hack it across the line. Parag fails to pick the variation and gets undone by the lack of pace. The ball comes back in off the deck a bit and clips the top of the off stump to knock the bail over.

Shubham Dubey is the new batter in.

10.61wd

WIDE! Looks to go full and wide but slips it beyond the tramline on off. Left alone by Riyan Parag for a wide.

10.51

Bowls the back-of-the-hand slower delivery, fuller in length, around off, Sanju Samson hits it along the ground to long off for one.

10.41

Hits the deck hard and bowls it around off, Riyan Parag pats it with a straight bat to long on for one more run.

10.36

SIX! Dispatched with disdain! Lands it on a back of a length, on off, Riyan Parag picks it up nice and early and smacks it over wide long on for a biggie.

10.20

Beaten! Serves with a scrambled seam, on a good length, outside off, Riyan Parag goes for the cut but the ball skids through to beat the bat.

10.11

Bowls it on a length, Sanju Samson punches it down to long on for a single.

Runs Scored 7 Runs

Score after 10 overs : 93/2

R Parag20 (18)

S Samson47 (23)

A Patel3-0-25-1

9.60

Flatter and fuller on the sticks. Riyan Parag leans ahead and blocks it confidently. Another tight over by Axar Patel.

9.51

Short again into the batter. Sanju Samson punches it to long off from his back foot and takes a safe single.

9.41

A bit short over middle now. Riyan Parag punches it to long on and hustles away for an easy single.

9.34

FOUR! INNOVATIVE! Axar Patel tosses it up around leg. Riyan Parag switches hands and reverse hits it over backward point. The ball bounces away to the fence for four runs.

9.20

Slow and full on middle. Riyan Parag hangs back and blocks it out watchfully.

9.11

Into the pitch and angled in on leg. Sanju Samson punches it to cover and runs a quick one.

Runs Scored 8 Runs

Score after 9 overs : 86/2

R Parag15 (14)

S Samson45 (21)

K Yadav2-0-11-0

8.66

SIX! POWERFUL! Kuldeep Yadav goes flatter and fuller outside off. Riyan Parag gets low and he launches it over extra covers. The ball lands in the crowd and he ends the over with a biggie to release some pressure off the team.

8.51

Tossed full on leg. Sanju Samson drives it to long on and runs another single.

8.41

Another quick one 114 kph and on off. Riyan Parag punches it to deep point for a single.

8.30

Floated full again wide outside off. Riyan Parag leaves it alone yet again.

8.20

Pitched up and flirting with the wide line outside off. Riyan Parag leaves it alone and the umpire says it is a legal delivery.

8.10

Quick and full outside off. Riyan Parag pushes it to the fielder at cover.

It will be Kuldeep Yadav to continue.

Runs Scored 8 Runs

Score after 8 overs : 78/2

R Parag8 (9)

S Samson44 (20)

A Patel2-0-18-1

7.61

In the air....safe! Axar Patel drops it a bit short and over off. Riyan Parag gets a leading edge as the ball holds in the surface. Sends the ball flying towards mid off. It lands safe and he takes a quick single as well.

7.50

Fullish and outside off. Riyan Parag punches it only to find the fielder at cover.

7.46

SIX! UP, UP AND AWAY! A bit short and on off by Axar Patel. Riyan Parag gets under it and lofts it straight down the ground. The timing was a bit off but enough to send the ball over the long off fence for a biggie.

7.30

A bit short and outside off. Riyan Parag guides it to the fielder at point. That is good bowling.

7.20

Pitched up around off. Riyan Parag pushes it back to Axar Patel.

7.11

Full and angled into the batter. Sanju Samson punches it to long off to begin the over with a single.

Runs Scored 3 Runs

Score after 7 overs : 70/2

R Parag1 (4)

S Samson43 (19)

K Yadav1-0-3-0

6.60

Quicker and short, outside off. Riyan Parag plays it late but finds the fielder at short third. That is a good over by Kuldeep Yadav.

6.50

Back of a length and outside off. Riyan Parag tries to cut it but he gets it off the bottom part of the bat, sending the ball to the fielder at backward point.

6.41

Short and into the pads. Sanju Samson nudges it off towards deep mid-wicket for one more run.

6.31

Serves it on a full length, outside off. Riyan Parag drives it through point and gets another single.

6.21

Pitched up again around off. Sanju Samson drives it to long off and runs a single to get to the other end.

6.10

Peach! Full and just outside off. Sanju Samson rocks back but gets beaten by the bounce.

Strategic break! Despite losing Yashasvi Jaiswal early, this is a good start for Rajasthan. Jos Buttler could not kick on, but Sanju Samson has raced off the blocks quickly. Two of the in-form batters are out in the middle for the visitors, and how they play the Delhi spinners will be pivotal in deciding the outcome of this game. Delhi will be relieved that the drop of Jos Buttler did not cost them much and will look to squeeze in some quiet overs through Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav. It will be Kuldeep to bowl after the break.

Runs Scored 10 Runs

Score after 6 overs : 67/2

R Parag0 (1)

S Samson41 (16)

A Patel1-0-10-1

5.60

Flatter and full on the off stump. Riyan Parag leans ahead and pushes it to the fielder at cover. Brilliant over to end the Powerplay. Rajasthan are at 67/2.

Riyan Parag walks out to the middle.

5.5W

OUT! CHOPPED ON! Axar Patel flights it full, just outside off. Jos Buttler tries to replicate his previous shot. The ball stays low and he gets an inside edge. The ball deflects onto leg stump and Axar Patel gets the last laugh. That is brave bowling from the left-armer.

5.46

SIX! BANG! Axar Patel tosses it up and on the off pole. Jos Buttler clears his front foot and lofts it over long on. The ball lands beyond the fence and he gets half a dozen more runs.

5.30

Fuller now, around middle. Jos Buttler punches it out this time to point.

5.20

Short again, on off. Jos Buttler is cramped for room and punches it to the fielder at cover.

5.14

FOUR! Stand and deliver! Axar Patel drops it a bit short and around off. Jos Buttler hangs back and lofts it over extra cover. The ball bounces and crosses the fence for four runs.

Runs Scored 15 Runs

Score after 5 overs : 57/1

S Samson41 (16)

J Buttler9 (12)

M Kumar1-0-15-0

4.64

FOUR! Timed to perfection! What could have been a successful over for Mukesh Kumar and Delhi has gone for 15 runs and ended up being a fruitful over for Rajasthan. Mukesh errs in length and slips in a full toss, on middle, Sanju Samson drives it with a straight bat to the left of mid on for yet another boundary.

4.54

FOUR! The boundaries continue to flow for the skipper of Rajasthan! Back of a length, slanting in at the hips, Sanju Samson whips it aerially but in the vacant deep square leg region for a boundary.

4.46

SIX! Thumped down the ground! Hurls it on a back of a length, on off, Sanju Samson picks up the length early and gets into a low position. Launches it over long on for six more runs.

4.30

Keeps hitting the deck hard, on off, Sanju Samson hangs back and works it to mid off.

4.20

Lands it on a back of a length, on off, Sanju Samson punches it down to mid on.

4.11

DROPPED! Would you believe it? One of the safest pair of hands, Tristan Stubbs puts it down! Jos Buttler gets a life. Mukesh bowls it on a length, around off, Jos Buttler swings to smack it down the ground. It comes right off the toe-end of the bat and it goes very high in the night sky towards cover. Tristan Stubbs settles under it early and attempts a reverse cup catch. The ball bursts through his hands Stubbs fails to grab it on the second attempt and rolls down on the deck off his body. How costly will this prove for Delhi?

Runs Scored 15 Runs

Score after 4 overs : 42/1

S Samson27 (11)

J Buttler8 (11)

I Sharma2-0-17-0

3.66

SIX! Sanju Samson finishes the over in the best possible fashion. 18-run over followed by a 15-run over. Back of a length, on middle and leg, Sanju Samson stands tall and dispatches it over wide long on for half a dozen.

3.54

FOUR! Easy pickings! Too straight from Ishant, sliding on the pads, on a length, Sanju Samson flicks it behind square for an easy boundary.

3.40

More like it by Ishant Sharma! With an upright seam and hits the deck hard, on the off-stump line, Sanju Samson tries to use the pace and glide it past short third. The ball nips back in a touch and gets the extra bounce to whizz past the bat. Ishant seems to have heard something but Rishabh hasn't and Delhi do not take the review.

3.34

FOUR! Poor delivery and it gets the treatment! Width on offer on off and it is slower as well, short in length, Sanju Samson waits on it and pumps it through covers for a boundary.

3.21

Bowls a dipping slower delivery, full toss, on middle, Jos Buttler is through his shot a bit early and inside halves the swipe to deep backward square leg for one.

3.10

This is at 141.4 kph, on a good length, on off, Jos Buttler hits it on the bounce towards mid off.

Runs Scored 18 Runs

Score after 3 overs : 27/1

S Samson13 (7)

J Buttler7 (9)

K Ahmed2-0-25-1

2.64

FOUR! Excellent timing! Khaleel did not do much wrong there as this was closer to the off pole, on a good length, Sanju Samson relies on timing and threads it through covers for a boundary. Khaleel could not quite follow up his first over and this went for 18 runs.

2.51

Nearly! Takes pace off and bowls it on a back of a length, outside off, Jos Buttler hangs back and shapes up to slap it down the ground. Gets the timing wrong and it lobs low to the left of Khaleel Ahmed. The ball evades Khaleel and goes past the stumps for a run.

2.44

FOUR! Gets it through! Serves it fuller in length as he switches back to over the wicket, around the wicket, Jos Buttler looks to hit it down the ground. The bat turns in his hand on impact but still manages to get it past the diving Mukesh Kumar at mid on for his first boundary.

2.31

Comes from around the wicket and bowls it short and wide on off, Sanju Samson cuts it without much timing to deep point for one.

2.26

SIX! Sanju Samson goes big! 200th maximum of Samson's Indian T20 League career. Length delivery, on off and middle, Sanju Samson takes no half measures as he swings through the line and deposits it over long on for a biggie.

2.11

Tailing sharply back in from over the wicket, on a fuller length, at the stumps, Jos Buttler gets his bat out in front of the pads and whips it hurriedly towards mid on for a single.

2.11wd

WIDE! Khaleel angles it away from the batter, on a good length, Jos Buttler swings and misses. Wide given by the umpire as it went beyond the tramline.

Runs Scored 2 Runs

Score after 2 overs : 9/1

J Buttler1 (6)

S Samson2 (4)

I Sharma1-0-2-0

1.61

This is a bit short and outside off, Jos Buttler moves to the off side and pats it wide of point. Gets off the mark with a single off his 6th ball.

1.50

Beaten! Pressure building on Jos Buttler as he is struggling to get Ishant away here. In the channel on off,  a hint of inward movement, on off, Jos Buttler has a tentative push at the delivery and he is lucky not to nick this one behind.

1.40

Three dots on the trot! Closer to the off-stump line and tucks the batter up for room, on a good length, Jos Buttler gets on top of the bounce and punches it well but fails to get it past cover.

1.30

This is on a back of a length, on off, Jos Buttler walks across to turn this one in front of square on the leg side but picks out the man at mid-wicket.

1.20

Shaping into the right-hander, on a good length, on off, Jos Buttler waits on the back foot and covers the line of the ball to stab it down the deck.

1.11

Starts well does Ishant as he bowls it at 126.4 kph, on a hard length, on off. The ball jags back in but Sanju Samson adjusts well as he hops back and steers it wide of point for a single.

Ishant Sharma to operate from the opposite end.

Runs Scored 7 Runs

Score after 1 overs : 7/1

J Buttler0 (1)

S Samson1 (3)

K Ahmed1-0-7-1

0.60

PItches it right up to the batter in search of swing, on off, Jos Buttler presents a straight bat and knocks it down to mid off for a dot.

0.51

Khaleel steams with two slips in place, on a good length, going across, outside off, Sanju Samson dabs it square to deep point for a single.

0.40

Angles it across the right-hander, on a back of a length, outside off, Sanju Samson reaches out to play the cut shot but the ball skids through to sneak under the bat. Samson thinks it should be a wide and challenges the decision. The replays confirm that it is within the tramline on off. Rajasthan burn an early review.

0.30

Gets the ball to shape back in, full and around off, Sanju Samson gets on the front foot and pushes it with a straight bat to mid off.

0.31wd

WIDE! And again! Full and swinging away, well outside the wide tramline on off. Rishabh Pant does well to dive low to his right and grabs it almost off the toes of Shai Hope at first slip.

0.31wd

WIDE! Khaleel fails to control the swing and sprays a full delivery, way outside off. Left alone by Sanju Samson for a wide.

The skipper, Sanju Samson walks in to bat at number 3 with a lot of work to do.

0.2W

OUT! IN THE AIR AND GONE! Khaleel Ahmed with the early strike for Delhi! Four and out for Yashasvi Jaiswal. Pulls his length back as this is on a back of a length, on off, Jaiswal stays put in the crease and shapes up to play it with a horizontal bat back over the bowler's head. The ball comes off the toe end of the bat and skies high in the air towards the mid off region. Axar Patel runs back and across to his left to complete the catch.

0.14

FOUR! Yashasvi Jaiswal almost takes out his partner at the other end. Gets a boundary and Rajasthan are away! Khaleel goes full and gets a hint of away movement, on off and middle, Jaiswal drives it with a straight bat straight back towards Jos Buttler. Buttler fails to get out of the way quickly. The ball deflects off his body and goes away from the fielder at mid on who was sprinting across to his right to cut it off.

Commentary

We are back for the chase. The umpires are on the field. The fielders from Delhi have taken their respective positions as well. Rajasthan have brought in Jos Buttler as their impact player and he will open the innings along with Yashasvi Jaiswal. Yuzvendra Chahal has been substituted out. Khaleel Ahmed has the new ball in hand and is raring to go. Let's go...

... THE RUN CHASE …

Right then, that was it from an exciting first innings. We saw some explosive batting at the top from Jake Fraser-McGurk and Abishek Porel where it looked like Delhi would be crossing the 250-run mark. However, Ravichandran Ashwin turned out to be the star for Rajasthan and put a halt to the runs with his three wickets. The game again had a twist for us in the form of Tristan Stubbs who made sure that Delhi crossed the 200-run mark and the cameos of Rasikh Dar and Kuldeep Yadav pushed the score to 221. The spotlight now falls upon the batters from Rajasthan who will have a lot of work to do. Take a short break but join us back for the run chase.

Ravichandran Ashwin is in for a chat. He says that sometimes you have nights like these where you a wicket off a full toss in the first over and sometimes you don't. Adds that he is not complaining as at times, he bowled better deliveries but did not get wickets. Shares that he has been working on a few things and trying different releases and angles. Feels that 220 is about par but they need to bat well. Reckons that the Powerplay and overs from Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav will be crucial.

Rajasthan had no answer for the shots that the opening batters played. After getting hit for many boundaries in the first 4 overs, they turned to the veteran Ravichandran Ashwin who rewarded them with the wicket of Jake Fraser-McGurk. After that, Sandeep Sharma sent Hope walking back to the dugout courtesy of his quick reflexes. Ashwin again worked his magic to get rid of Axar Patel and Porel with his spin partner, Yuzvendra Chahal sending Pant back to the dugout. At that moment, they started creeping back in the game and created pressure on the new batters. The bowlers seemed to be behind the eight-ball mark in the initial phases of the game but the spinners took up the responsibility and bowled tightly. Chahal became the first Indian bowler to get 350 T20 wickets and Ashwin ended his spell with three big wickets to his name. The bowlers were again hit for boundaries in the slog overs. Trent Boult got one in the 19th over but the runs didn’t stop coming for the opponents. Sandeep Sharma got the big wicket of Stubbs who had dealt a lot of damage to them.

As expected, it turned out to be a good batting track and after being asked to bat first, Delhi made full use of their Powerplay. They had a dream start to their innings with Jake Fraser-McGurk and Abishek Porel unleashing an array of shots on the bowlers for the first 5 overs. JFM was the aggressor and smashed a 19-ball fifty again this season. After his dismissal, it was Shai Hope who didn’t have luck in his favor as he was caught short of his crease. Porel and Rishabh Pant too put up a fine stand until both of them were dismissed against spin in a matter of one over. Then, the boundaries stopped coming for them and the bowlers created some pressure. Tristan Stubbs helped his team with some quick runs towards the end of the innings and gave the fans a lot to cheer for before being dismissed in the final over of the innings. They end up with 221 on the board and it is the lowest score on this venue while batting first this season. Their bowlers will have to plan well and take timely wickets to turn the match in their favour.

The heroics of Tristan Stubbs, Rasikh Dar, and Kuldeep Yadav towards the end of the innings made sure that Delhi ended their innings at 221. It is a bit short of what they would have expected but a lot better than the target they were looking at a couple of quiet overs after the Strategic Break.

Runs Scored 18 Runs

Score after 20 overs : 221/8

R Dar9 (3)

K Yadav5 (2)

S Sharma4-0-42-1

19.61W

RUN OUT! They had to go for the second run and it is a run out to end the innings! Slower and into the wicket, on off, Rasikh Dar does not the time pull shot well and it goes to the right of deep mid-wicket. With it being the last ball, Rasikh Dar returns for the second but Riyan Parag is quick to release the throw toward the batting end. Sanju Samson collects and does the rest to catch Rasikh way short. Delhi end with 221 on the board!

19.51

Just short! Lands it on a fullish length, outside off, Kuldeep Yadav goes for the reverse paddle but plays it from the back of his bat. It comes off the cue-end of the bat and it drops just short of the diving Yuzvendra Chahal at short third. The ball rolls behind off as it through the hands of Chahal for a single.

19.44

FOUR! How did Kuldeep Yadav get that away? A valiant effort though from Donovan Ferreira. Sandeep rolls his fingers over the ball and bowls it on a length, outside off, Kuldeep Yadav walks across to the off side and swats it aerially towards deep backward square leg. Donovan Ferreira runs to his left and stretches his left hand but fails to cut it off.

Kuldeep Yadav is the new batter in.

19.3W

OUT! PLUMB IN FRONT! Sandeep Sharma gets the yorker right and gets his man! End of an onslaught from Stubbs. Sandeep serves a searing yorker, right at the base of the off stump, Tristan Stubbs stays deep in his crease and shapes up to flick it away off his toes. The ball sneaks past the inside edge and traps Stubbs right in front of the stumps. No bat is involved and it is three reds on Ball Tracking with the ball crashing into the middle and off stump.

19.26

SIX! Hit flat and hit for half a dozen! Sandeep drags his length back and bowls it outside off, Tristan Stubbs picks the length early and picks the bones out of that. Flat bats it down the ground and gets it over the long off fence for six more.

19.16

SIX! Carved away and Tristan Stubbs made that look easy! Sandeep Sharma goes searching for the yorker, outside off but ends up serving a low full toss, Tristan Stubbs shuffles across and takes it from a low height. Hits it over wide long off for a maximum.

Sandeep Sharma has been handed the ball to bowl the final over of the innings.

Runs Scored 14 Runs

Score after 19 overs : 203/6

R Dar8 (2)

T Stubbs29 (17)

T Boult4-0-48-1

18.64

FOUR! Same shot, same result! Instant impact from the Impact Player, back-to-back boundaries! Trent Boult bowls a bumper at pace, on off, Rasikh Dar shuffles across his stumps and goes for the scoop again. Fetches it from over his head and glides it over the keeper for four crucial runs.

18.54

FOUR! Rasikh Dar is up and running! This is on a length, just outside off, Rasikh Dar walks across his stumps and employs the scoop. Executes it well and gets between the keeper and short fine leg for a boundary.

Delhi bring in their impact player as Rasikh Dar walks out to bat now replacing Abishek Porel.

18.4W

OUT! TAKEN! Slower and wider does the trick for Trent Boult! Stays over the wicket and angles it away from the batter with no real pace behind it and it is outside off, on a good length, Gulbadin Naib is made to reach out as he looks to thrash it through the off side. Gets a thickish outside edge that flies straight to Ravichandran Ashwin at short third who reverse cups it near his face.

18.31

Boult goes full and straight, at the stumps, Tristan Stubbs fails to clip it away. Gets an inside edge that goes back onto his pads and rolls away on the leg side for one.

18.24

FOUR! Short and punished! Boult takes pace off and tries to dig it in short, on off, Tristan Stubbs gets this one at a good height, rides the bounce well and pulls it in front of square on the leg side for a boundary.

18.11

On a fullish length, on off, Gulbadin Naib gets his bat out in front and knocks it down to long on for a single.

Runs Scored 21 Runs

Score after 18 overs : 189/5

T Stubbs24 (15)

G Naib18 (13)

Y Chahal4-0-48-1

17.66

SIX! BOOM! Belted away! 21 runs off the over and this has come just at the right time for Delhi. It is quicker from Chahal but a bit too full, outside off, Tristan Stubbs reaches out in front and gets underneath it nicely. Nails the sweep shot over deep square leg for half a dozen.

17.52

Drags his length back and bowls it on off, Tristan Stubbs drags the pull wide of long on for a couple of runs more. 15 runs off the over so far.

17.44

FOUR! Two in two! Stubbs has out thought the bowler on both occasions. Chahal loops it up, on a fullish length, near the tramline on off, Tristan Stubbs moves across to the off side nice and early and sweeps it wide of square leg for four more runs.

17.34

FOUR! Tristan Stubbs gets funky and gets the reward! Fuller and quicker, on middle, Tristan Stubbs is aware that there is no deep on the off side square of the wicket. Pulls out the reverse sweep and hits it over cover-point for a boundary.

17.21

Slower through the air and it is fuller as well, on off Gulbadin Naib drills it on the bounce to long off for one.

17.14

FOUR! In the gap! Flat by Chahal, on a nagging length, on off, Gulbadin Naib drags the hit and he is able to generate power behind it. Hits it to the right of long on for a much-needed boundary.

Runs Scored 4 Runs

Score after 17 overs : 168/5

G Naib13 (11)

T Stubbs8 (11)

S Sharma3-0-24-0

16.61

Superb stuff from Sandeep Sharma. Just 4 runs off the over. Goes full and at pace, at the batter, Gulbadin Naib clears his front leg and swipes it through square leg for just a single.

16.50

Another beautifully disguised slower bouncer. This is around off and middle, Gulbadin Naib waits and waits for the ball to come to him but gets undone by the lack of pace and fails to connect the pull shot.

16.40

Does not offer any pace and bangs it into the wicket, outside off, Gulbadin Naib lets it go for a wide on height but the umpire deems it a fair delivery.

16.31

Sees the batter back away and tucks him up for room as he follows him with a full delivery, Tristan Stubbs clips it through mid-wicket. Three singles so far.

16.21

Slower and on middle, on a good length, Gulbadin Naib waits and punches it with a straight bat to long on for a run.

16.11

Digs it into the wicket, slower as well, Tristan Stubbs hops back and drags the pull to wide long on for a single.

Runs Scored 8 Runs

Score after 16 overs : 164/5

T Stubbs6 (9)

G Naib11 (7)

Y Chahal3-0-27-1

15.61

Fuller and around middle, Tristan Stubbs works it off the inner half of the bat to deep mid-wicket for one more run. After a six off the first ball, Delhi fail to convert it into a big over as only two runs came off the next five balls.

15.50

Much straighter this time, around middle, Tristan Stubbs goes back in his crease and punches it well but can't get it past cover. Three dots on the trot.

15.40

Drops it short and on off, Tristan Stubbs punches it straight to cover.

15.30

Pushes it through, on a nagging length, Tristan Stubbs misses the flick and gets pinged on the front pad.

15.21

Drops it short and on leg, Gulbadin Naib goes on the back foot and nudges it through square leg for a single.

15.16

SIX! Gulbadin Naib with the first six of his Indian T20 League career! Tosses it up but errs in length does Chahal as it is too full, on middle, Gulbadin Naib plants his foot forward and tonks it over long on for a maximum.

Strategic break! Abishek Porel and Rishabh Pant have fallen in quick succession, leaving two relatively new batters, Gulbadin Naib and Tristan Stubbs, to provide the finishing kick for Delhi. Given the start they had, the hosts will be disappointed if they do not get to 220. Rajasthan have pulled things back nicely through their spin duo, but with Ashwin done for the night, Chahal's remaining two overs will be crucial if his side has to finish well with the ball.

Runs Scored 5 Runs

Score after 15 overs : 156/5

G Naib4 (5)

T Stubbs5 (5)

R Ashwin4-0-24-3

14.61

Thats tight bowling. Goes full and on middle. Gulbadin Naib flicks it to mid-wicket and ends the over with one run. The boundaries seemed to have dried up for Delhi.

14.50

Quicker and full on middle. Gulbadin Naib covers the line and blocks it out watchfully.

14.41

Tossed up on middle. Tristan Stubbs drives it to long off for an easy one run.

14.31

Flatter now aimed at off. Gulbadin Naib punches it towards long off and jogs to take a single.

14.21

Pitched up around middle. Tristan Stubbs leans in and drives it to mid on to rotate the strike.

14.11

Ashwin bowls this a bit short and keeps it on the pads. Gulbadin Naib nudges it towards mid-wicket and runs a single.

Runs Scored 5 Runs

Score after 14 overs : 151/5

G Naib1 (1)

T Stubbs3 (3)

Y Chahal2-0-19-1

13.61

Flatter and quicker outside off. Gulbadin Naib tries to play it through the off side but gets the inside edge. The ball rolls off to short fine leg and the batters cross for one. Another fantastic over for Rajasthan.

Gulbadin Naib, on debut, comes out to the middle.

13.5W

OUT! TAKEN! THAT IS THE 350th WICKET FOR CHAHAL IN T20s! He becomes the first Indian to achieve this milestone. Bowls it full and on off. Rishabh Pant goes for the scoop shot but gets the connection very low on the bat. The ball flies off towards Trent Boult at deep backward square leg who makes no mistake in taking the catch. The skipper departs and Chahal gets his first wicket of the night.

13.41

Flighted full outside off. Tristan Stubbs sends it past point for yet another single.

13.31

A bit short and aimed on the pads. Rishabh Pant uses his wrist to send it towards mid-wicket. The batters run the first one quickly but couldn't get back for the second one.

13.21

Pitched up, again outside off. Tristan Stubbs drives it to cover and runs one more.

13.11

Quicker and full outside off. Rishabh Pant flicks it to long on and gets a single to begin the over.

Yuzvendra Chahal (1-0-14-0) comes back into the attack.

Runs Scored 4 Runs

Score after 13 overs : 146/4

R Pant13 (10)

T Stubbs1 (1)

R Ashwin3-0-19-3

12.61

Slower and fuller on the pads. Rishabh Pant clips it towards square leg and ends a very good over with a single. Ravichandran Ashwin has been troublesome for the batters in this match.

12.51

A bit short and around off. Tristan Stubbs punches it to cover and gets off the mark with a single.

Tristan Stubbs makes his way out to the centre.

12.4W

OUT! TAKEN! ANOTHER ONE FOR ASHWIN! He gives it some air and bowls it full. Abishek Porel creates some room but the ball turns away from him. He gets the connection off the toe end of his bat and chips the ball up towards point. Sandeep Sharma settles under it and brings an end to a fine knock by Porel.

12.31

Full and around off. Rishabh Pant punches it to deep mid-wicket for a single to get to the other end.

12.20

Tossed up, sliding into the left-hander. Rishabh Pant again tries to scoop it over short fine leg but gets hit on the pads. There was an appeal but the umpire stayed unmoved.

12.11

A bit short and angled into the batter. Abishek Porel opens up the face of his bat and guides it to short third. The batters run one.

Runs Scored 13 Runs

Score after 12 overs : 142/3

R Pant11 (7)

A Porel64 (34)

T Boult3-0-34-0

11.60

Beaten! Trent Boult serves it on a length, outside the line of off. Rishabh Pant swings his blade hard but the ball zips past the outer edge to be collected by the keeper.

11.56

SIX! INNOVATIVE! Trent Boult bangs it short and keeps it over middle. Rishabh Pant moves towards off and pulls it very late. The ball flies off over the fine leg fence for his first maximum in this game.

11.41

Slightly fuller and around off. Abishek Porel drives it to deep cover for a single to rotate the strike.

11.34

FOUR! IN THE GAP! Trent Boult bowls a slow bouncer over off. Abishek Porel pulls it but gets the timing wrong. The ball was in the gap away from deep mid-wicket and it rolls off to the fence for four more runs.

11.21

Trent Boult serves it on a length and outside off. Rishabh Pant moves towards it and uses his wrists to flick it towards deep mid-wicket. He doesn't find the gap but runs a single.

11.11

A bit slow and short over off. Abishek Porel has to wait for it before pulling it away to deep mid-wicket for a single.

Runs Scored 14 Runs

Score after 11 overs : 129/3

A Porel58 (31)

R Pant4 (4)

A Khan2-0-42-0

10.61

Drags his length back a bit, keeping it over off. Abishek Porel punches it to long on and ends the over with a single. Another fruitful over for Delhi.

10.54

FOUR! PUNISHED! Avesh Khan bowls a juicy full toss on off. Abishek Porel drills it past the fielder at covers. The one in the deep fails to reach it before the ball touches the cushions for four more runs.

10.41

On a good length and around off. Rishabh Pant punches it to mid off and runs one more.

10.31

Too full and outside the off pole. Abishek Porel slices it to deep point and runs a single.

10.26

SIX! PULLED AWAY! FIFTY FOR POREL! Avesh Khan drops it short and keeps it around off. Abishek Porel pulls well and sends it flying over the deep mid-wicket fence for a maximum. That was pleasing to the eye as well.

10.11

On the hard length and on leg. Rishabh Pant flicks it off his back foot to square leg to run one.

Runs Scored 6 Runs

Score after 10 overs : 115/3

A Porel46 (27)

R Pant2 (2)

R Ashwin2-0-15-2

9.62

Serves it full now and on off, Abishek Porel transfers his weight on the front foot and smacks it towards wide long off. Riyan Parag runs around to his right and mops it up. Two runs taken.

9.51

Gets away with it does Ashwin! A rare loosener as this is short and slower, down leg, Rishabh Pant is unable to take full toll of it. Gets inside the line but hits it straight towards deep backward square leg. Trent Boult does well to adjust to the spin and keeps it down to one.

9.41

Skidding through, short and on middle, Abishek Porel goes back in his crease and flicks it to deep mid-wicket for one more run.

9.31

Dishes it out on a fullish length, on middle, Rishabh Pant jams it out to long on and gets off the mark with a single.

The skipper, Rishabh Pant walks out to bat now.

9.2W

OUT! TAKEN! Axar Patel knew as soon as he hit it! He holes out and Ravichandran Ashwin has his second wicket of the night. Comes from around the wicket and gets the ball to slide in with the angle, fuller as well, on off, Axar Patel gets low to make the connection as he looks to clear the straight fence. Fails to get the elevation and hits it down the throat of long off where Riyan Parag runs a few steps to his right and takes a safe catch.

9.11

Short and sliding on, middle, Abishek Porel turns it through mid-wicket for a run.

Runs Scored 11 Runs

Score after 9 overs : 109/2

A Patel15 (9)

A Porel42 (24)

R Parag2-0-17-0

8.66

SIX! BOOM! Clean strike! Axar ruins what was turning out to be another tidy over from Parag. A bit too full, on off and middle, Axar Patel is allowed to get underneath it and tonks it over long on for a biggie.

8.51

Angling in, short and on middle, Abishek Porel whips it to deep square leg for another single.

8.41

On a nagging length, on off, Axar Patel presses forward and pushes it to long off for a run.

8.30

Drops it short and on off, Axar Patel punches well but picks out the man at cover.

8.31wd

WIDE! Fires it in short but down leg, Axar Patel lets it go for a wide.

8.21

Goes full and on off, driven down the ground to long off for a run.

8.11

Short and on off, Axar Patel drags the pull to deep mid-wicket for a single.

Runs Scored 14 Runs

Score after 8 overs : 98/2

A Porel40 (22)

A Patel7 (5)

Y Chahal1-0-14-0

7.64

FOUR! Easy pickings! Chahal sprays it down leg, full in length, Abishek Porel gets down and sweeps it well to the left of deep square leg. Trent Boult slides to keep the ball away from the fence but the replays show that the Kiwi had his legs in contact with the boundary cushions when he had the ball in hand.

7.52

Width on offer on off and it is fuller as well, Abishek Porel drills it off the front foot to the right of long off. Riyan Parag runs around and slides to keep it down to two. Can Chahal get out of the over well here?

7.40

Flat and short, angling away, on off, Abishek Porel cuts it late but can't get it past backward point where the fielder makes a good diving stop.

7.31

Short and at the batter, Axar Patel nudges it in the vacant mid-wicket region for a single.

7.21

On a nagging length, on middle and leg, clipped through mid-wicket for a run by Abishek Porel.

7.16

SIX! Porel puts pressure on Chahal straight away! Starts off with a flighted delivery, full and on middle, Abishek Porel puts the dancing shoes on and whacks it to the right of deep mid-wicket. The ball hits the boundary cushions on the full for half a dozen.

Strategic break! The players get a breather and also some time to discuss strategies. Jake Fraser-McGurk and Abishek Porel again made sure that Delhi got a strong start to their innings but a couple of quick wickets have brought Rajasthan back into the game. Delhi will want to keep the runs coming and put pressure on the bowlers. Rajasthan might be itching for another few wickets in quick time. There are still 13 overs left in the innings so stay tuned for more excitement. Yuzvendra Chahal has been handed the ball now.

Runs Scored 6 Runs

Score after 7 overs : 84/2

A Porel27 (17)

A Patel6 (4)

R Parag1-0-6-0

6.61

Shorter and quicker, on midde, Abishek Porel pulls it in front of square on the leg side for a single. Good comeback by Parag after being hit for a boundary earlier in the over. Just 6 runs off Parag's first over.

6.50

Sliding on with the angle, short and on leg, Abishek Porel gets on the back foot to turn it with the angle but the ball skids through and goes through his legs.

6.40

Pushes it through, flat and short, on middle, Abishek Porel is a bit late on the shot as he chops it off the stumps towards backward point.

6.30

First signs of some grip on this surface! Slower through the air and it is on a nagging length, on middle, Abishek Porel hangs back and looks to clip it away. Closes the bat face early and gets a soft leading edge towards backward point.

6.24

FOUR! Not in control but Abishek Porel still manages to find the fence. Loopy low full toss, sliding down leg, Abishek Porel goes for the sweep but gets a top edge that lands safely in the vacant deep backward square leg region for a boundary.

6.11

Tosses it up and gets a hint of turn, full and on middle and leg, Axar Patel drives it down to wide long on for a single.

Runs Scored 10 Runs

Score after 6 overs : 78/2

A Patel5 (3)

A Porel22 (12)

S Sharma2-0-20-0

5.61

Takes pace off a bit and drags his length back, on off, Axar Patel dabs it in front of point and calls Abishek Porel through for a quick single.

5.54

FOUR! Streaky! Slanting into the left-hander from around the wicket, on a length, Axar Patel swings to hit the through the line. Gets an inside edge that sneaks past the leg stump and beats the dive of Sanju Samson for a boundary.

5.40

Lands it around middle, on a length, Axar Patel pushes it back to the bowler.

5.31

On a fullish length, on middle and leg, Abishek Porel uses his feet and knocks it down to long on for a single.

5.24

FOUR! Hit with real authority! Angling in, on a short of a good length, on middle, Abishek Porel stays put and swipes it across the line. Hits it in the vacant deep mid-wicket region for a boundary.

Axar Patel is the new batter in.

5.1W

RUN OUT! How unfortunate for Shai Hope! One brings two for Rajasthan. Sandeep Sharma starts from around the wicket and takes pace off as he bowls it on a back of a length, on off and middle. Abishek Porel waits for the ball to arrive and punches it hard down the deck. Sandeep reacts quickly to his left and gets low to make the connection with the ball. The ball brushes his hands and deflects back onto the stumps at the bowling end. Shai Hope is backing up too far and he is caught well short of his crease.

Sandeep Sharma is back into the attack and he creates a chance on the very first ball. Abishek Porel drills the ball back towards Sharma and he just gets a hand to it. The ball deflects onto the stumps and unfortunately, Shai Hope is caught short of the crease.

Runs Scored 9 Runs

Score after 5 overs : 68/1

A Porel17 (9)

S Hope1 (1)

R Ashwin1-0-9-1

4.61

Pitched up, again around leg. Abishek Porel punches it to mid on and runs a single. A very good over for Rajasthan.

4.50

Quicker and full on the pads. Abishek Porel is hit on the thigh pads and the ball dies down on the track.

4.46

SIX! BANG! Ravichandran Ashwin drops it a bit short and around off. Abishek Porel swivels and sends it flying over the cow corner region straight into the stands for a biggie.

4.31

Tossed up, turning in onto off. Shai Hope covers the line and flicks it to mid-wicket. He gets off the mark with a single.

Shai Hope is in at number 3.

4.2W

OUT! TAKEN! THAT IS A BIG WICKET! Ravichandran Ashwin draws first blood and with a full toss on the stumps. Jake Fraser-McGurk gets tempted by it and looks it clear the in-field on the off side. Gets it off the toe-end of the bat and he sends it flat towards Donovan Ferreira at covers. He doesn't make any errors and that is the end of a fiery innings by JFM.

4.11

A bit short and angled into leg. Abishek Porel clips it to deep mid-wicket for a single to start the over.

First look at spin as Ravichandran Ashwin comes on to bowl.

Runs Scored 28 Runs

Score after 4 overs : 59/0

J Fraser-McGurk50 (19)

A Porel9 (5)

A Khan1-0-28-0

3.66

SIX! BASHED IT! FIFTY UP FOR JFM! Avesh Khan delivers a juicy full toss around the knees. Jake Fraser-McGurk sends it flying over the cow corner region and the ball lands in the stands. That is a 19-ball fifty for JFM and we have seen it before. 28 runs off Avesh's first over.

3.54

FOUR! POWERFUL! Avesh Khan drops it short this time around off. Jake Fraser-McGurk creates some room and lofts it square of the wicket on the off side. The ball bounces inches before the ropes which earns him another four runs.

3.46

SIX! BEAUTY! Avesh Khan takes some pace off, delivers it on a length and over off. Jake Fraser-McGurk slaps it with power. The ball is hit well and soars over the long off ropes for the second maximum off his bat. This over is going to be a big one for Delhi and it is again Jake Fraser-McGurk who puts pressure on the bowlers.

3.34

FOUR! MAGNIFICENT! Avesh Khan bowls it full and outside off. Jake Fraser-McGurk gets low and carves it over point. The timing is perfect and the ball bounces just before the ropes for three boundaries in a row,

3.24

FOUR! ANOTHER ONE! Avesh Khan serves it on a good length and keeps it outside off. Jake Fraser-McGurk stands tall and finds the gap through covers. The ball is again going to the cushions for consecutive boundaries.

3.14

FOUR! STREAKY! Quick and full on middle. Jake Fraser-McGurk tries to hit it down the ground, gets an inside edge and the ball rolls to the fine leg fence for four more runs.

Avesh Khan comes into the attack as the first change.

Runs Scored 15 Runs

Score after 3 overs : 31/0

J Fraser-McGurk22 (13)

A Porel9 (5)

T Boult2-0-21-0

2.61

Hits the hard length now and keeps it around middle. Jake Fraser-McGurk gets an inside edge towards square leg and keeps the strike with a single. 15 runs off the over.

2.50

Takes some pace off now, goes short, and follows the batter down the leg side. Jake Fraser-McGurk is confused by the lack of pace and the ball hits the toe end of his bat. It dies down on the track.

2.44

FOUR! LOVELY! Trent Boult sticks to the short length, comes from 'round the wicket this time. Jake Fraser-McGurk slaps it from over his shoulders and the ball clears covers. It races off to the fence for four more runs for Delhi.

2.30

Bangs it short again, this time over middle. Jake Fraser-McGurk tries to reach for it but gets beaten by the bounce.

2.24

FOUR! MORE RUNS! Trent Boult drops it short now, outside off. Jake Fraser-McGurk slashes hard and gets some bat on it. The ball clears short third and from there it is another four runs for the youngster.

2.16

SIX! BANG! Trent Boult goes slightly full and angles it towards leg. Jake Fraser-McGurk moves away and lofts it down the ground. The ball is hit well and it clears the ropes for the first maximum of the match.

Runs Scored 10 Runs

Score after 2 overs : 16/0

A Porel9 (5)

J Fraser-McGurk7 (7)

S Sharma1-0-10-0

1.64

FOUR! MUCH BETTER! Sandeep Sharma serves this on a length, around the off pole. Abishek Porel stays back and punches it with impeccable timing. The ball beats the fielder at mid off and runs off to the cushions for four more runs to end the over.

1.50

On the good length now, over off. Abishek Porel punches it to the fielder at mid off.

1.44

FOUR! Uppish but safe! Sandeep Sharma bowls it full and on off. Abishek Porel just lofts it over the bowler's head and it is enough to take the ball bouncing away to the ropes for four runs.

1.30

Sandeep Sharma drags his length back and keeps it around off. Abishek Porel dances down the track and drills it only to find the fielder at cover.

1.21

Again full and a bit slow. Jake Fraser-McGurk reads the hint of outswing well and drives it down the ground. Rotates the strike with a single.

1.11

Fuller and outside off. Abishek Porel reaches for it and sends it towards cover for a single.

It will be Sandeep Sharma to operate from the other end. He is starting with a slip in place.

Runs Scored 6 Runs

Score after 1 overs : 6/0

J Fraser-McGurk6 (6)

A Porel0 (0)

T Boult1-0-6-0

0.60

Serves it on the hard length and around middle. Jake Fraser-McGurk nudges it to mid-wicket but there is a fielder there to stop the single.

0.54

FOUR! FANTASTIC! Trent Boult sticks to the same line and length from 'round the wicket. Jake Fraser-McGurk creates room this time and lofts it over mid off. The ball bounces a couple of times before crossing the fence and gets himself four runs.

A halt in play as the physio sprints out to attend to Jake Fraser-McGurk, who has taken a blow on the box and is down on his haunches. This has been a good start from Boult, bowling to a set plan of not allowing room to the young Aussie sensation. Fraser-McGurk is back on his feet and we are all good to go now.

0.40

OUCH! Trent Boult is bowling a tight length here. Again on the good length, angling into the batter. Jake Fraser-McGurk misses his shot completely and gets hit on the box. He goes down in pain and we will have a slight halt as the team physio checks up on him.

0.30

On the hard length again, angling in from 'round the wicket. Jake Fraser-McGurk tries to loft it down the ground, gets beaten on the inside edge and the ball rolls away behind square on the off side off his thigh pad.

0.20

Beaten! Trent Boult serves this on a length and outside off. Jake Fraser-McGurk swings his blade but gets beaten by the pace.

0.12

Starts off well. Hits the deck hard from 'round the wicket. Jake Fraser-McGurk clips it to deep mid-wicket and gets the score going with a brace.

The bell has been rung, and we are now moments away from the commencement of this high-stakes clash. Sanju Samson and the rest of the Rajasthan players make their way out to the middle. The crowd's roar gets louder as the two openers of Delhi stride out to the centre. It will be the left-hand right-hand combination of Abishek Porel and Jake Fraser-McGurk to open the innings for Delhi. Trent Boult will kickstart proceedings with the new ball for Rajasthan. Off we go...

Rishabh Pant, the captain of Delhi says that the pitch shouldn't change much and adds that it looks like a batting wicket. Mentions that there have been injuries and health issues in the squad but also says that it comes with the game. Adds that there are two changes in the team with Ishant Sharma and Gulbadin Naib being included in place of Lizaad Williams and Rasikh Dar.

The captain of Rajasthan, Sanju Samson says that they will bowl first. Mentions that they are comfortable doing both but it looks like a good wicket to chase. Tells that winning helps and the environment has been good with the presence of some great characters in the team. Informs that Dhruv Jurel misses out due to a niggle as does Shimron Hetmyer. Adds that Shubham Dubey and Donovan Ferreira come into the side. Feels that they need to stay in the present and this is a crucial game against Delhi away from home.

Impact players for Rajasthan - Jos Buttler, Kuldeep Sen, Tanush Kotian, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Kunal Singh Rathore.

Rajasthan (Playing XI) - Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (C/WK), Riyan Parag, Shubham Dubey (In for Dhruv Jurel), Rovman Powell, Donovan Ferreira (In for Shimron Hetmyer), Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Avesh Khan, Sandeep Sharma, Yuzvendra Chahal.

Impact players for Delhi - Rasikh Dar, Kumar Kushagra, Pravin Dubey, Sumit Kumar, Lalit Yadav.

Delhi (Playing XI) - Abishek Porel, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Shai Hope, Rishabh Pant (C/WK), Tristan Stubbs, Axar Patel, Gulbadin Naib (On debut) (In for Lizaad Williams), Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar, Ishant Sharma (In for Rasikh Dar), Khaleel Ahmed.

TOSS - The captains are out in the middle. The coin is flipped into the air and lands in the favour of Rajasthan. They have elected to BOWL first.

PITCH REPORT - Deep Dasgupta is near the deck. He starts by saying that this will be the fourth game to be played at this venue this season. States that the average first-inning score in Delhi has been 249, and 200 has been breached in 5 out of the 6 innings. Informs that the dimensions of the square boundaries are 59 metres and 67 metres with a 74-metre straight hit. Adds that the shortest pocket is 53 metres behind the wicket. Brian Lara joins him and says that there are more bare patches as compared to the previous games here, resulting in more cracks. Lara says it will be important for the bowlers to bowl on a good length and feels it will be another high-scoring game. Lara expects the captain winning the toss to bat first and bat the opponents out of the game. Deep reckons that it may not be as high-scoring as some of the previous games due to the lack of grass. He ends by saying that there has not been much dew since the last couple of nights.

Rajasthan, on the other hand, have made their mark this season. They have almost earned the 'Q' next to their name and remain at number 2 on the table. Their pacers are in scintillating form, with the best average and economy rates among all the teams. They have proven to be lethal to the batters with the new ball, taking wickets consistently and maintaining pressure on their opponents. Their spinners, too, have made their mark and have used their experience to benefit the team. The only chink in their armour is the underperforming middle order, consisting of Shimron Hetmyer and Rovman Powell. Dhruv Jurel too hasn't been consistent with the bat, which makes it difficult for the Men in Pink to rely on their numbers 5 to 8. Delhi has proven to be a batting paradise this season, with the average first-inning total being 249. This makes the role of the top-order batters from both teams incredibly crucial. The viewers might be in for a thrilling encounter to follow, and surely a lot of sparks will fly. Join us in a while for the toss and team news.

Delhi sit at number 6 on the table and haven't yet made it to the top 4, which is where they would like to finish the league stages. They are batting strongly now, especially with the addition of Jake Fraser-McGurk, who has impressed a lot of people with his performance. His striking allows Rishabh Pant, Tristan Stubbs, and Axar Patel to provide a strong push down the order. Their bowlers will need to take up extra responsibility because they will be facing a strong opposition. They will be tested against the batting strength of Rajasthan. With a win, they have a chance to move up the table and improve their chances of qualifying for the playoffs.

Hello and a very warm welcome, folks. The Indian T20 League is in full swing, and the whole nation is avidly following the league's progress. We are just a while away from match number 56, where Delhi take on Rajasthan in the capital city.

... MATCH DAY ...

The spotlight shifts to the national capital for the 56th match of the 2024 Indian T20 League, where Delhi will clash with Rajasthan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. As is tradition in this prestigious tournament, the competition for playoff berths intensifies with each passing edition, with Rajasthan on the verge of qualification while Delhi still have ground to cover to secure that coveted spot. The hosts enter this match fresh from a defeat against Kolkata, where their failure to post a competitive total and lapses in the field allowed their opponents to cruise to victory. As they strive to rebound in front of their home crowd, the onus will primarily be on players like Jake Fraser-McGurk, Tristan Stubbs, and captain Rishabh Pant. Australian left-hander David Warner has been sidelined for the last three games due to a finger injury, but his possible return promises a significant boost to their batting unit. The spin duo of Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav has been instrumental for Delhi and will face a tough challenge against Rajasthan's batting prowess. In the pace department, Mukesh Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed and Rasikh Dar have shown glimpses of their potential at different stages, but Lizaad Williams, in his debut season, is yet to hit his stride, compounded by the absence of Ishant Sharma, further challenging their bowling resources. On the contrary, Rajasthan has been one of the frontrunners in the tournament, alongside Kolkata, and could solidify their playoff berth with a victory in Delhi. However, they are coming off a surprising defeat against Hyderabad. Despite being well on track in their chase of 202 runs, the Men in Pink faltered after the dismissals of Riyan Parag and Yashasvi Jaiswal, leaving the responsibility to other batters who could not finish the job. Riyan Parag has spearheaded Rajasthan's batting line-up, well supported by Yashasvi Jaiswal and skipper Sanju Samson. Rajasthan's fans are eager for more from the overseas batting pair of Jos Buttler and Shimron Hetmyer. Even though Sandeep Sharma has missed five out of ten games due to a niggle, he has made a significant impact since his return to the team. Contributions from Trent Boult and Avesh Khan have further strengthened Rajasthan's bowling attack. In the spin department, while Ravichandran Ashwin has underperformed in terms of wickets, Yuzvendra Chahal has been effective despite conceding runs. With both teams keen to shrug off the defeat in the previous outing, who are you backing to return to winning ways?