NEW DELHI: Delhi Capitals defeated Rajasthan Royals in a dramatic Super Over finish — the first of Indian Premier League 2025 — after both teams finished tied on 188 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Wednesday.
Pace ace Mitchell Starc starred with the ball, defending nine runs in the final over to force the tie and then conceding just 11 in the Super Over, where two crucial run-outs of Shimron Hetmyer and Riyan Parag tilted the balance.
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Chasing 12 in the Super Over, KL Rahul struck a double and a boundary before Tristan Stubbs launched a six off Sandeep Sharma to seal victory in four balls. Delhi, led by Axar Patel, climbed to the top of the table with five wins in six matches.
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Earlier, Abhishek Porel top-scored with 49, while Axar and Stubbs added rapid 34s, lifting Delhi to a competitive 188/5, including 77 runs in the last five overs.
Rajasthan’s chase was led by Yashasvi Jaiswal and Nitish Rana, both scoring 51, but regular wickets hampered momentum. Starc removed Rana in the 18th over and bowled a brilliant 20th, with Dhruv Jurel run out attempting a second run on the final ball.
Rajasthan, still seeking their first title since 2008, suffered their fifth loss in seven games.
Brief scores:
Delhi Capitals – 188/5 in 20 overs (Abishek Porel 49, KL Rahul 38; Jofra Archer 2-32, Wanindu Hasaranga 1-38)
Rajasthan Royals – 188/4 in 20 overs (Nitish Rana 51, Yashasvi Jaiswal 51; Axar Patel 1-23, Kuldeep Yadav 1-33)
Super Over: RR 12/2 in five balls lost to DC 13/0 in four balls
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