DC beat SRH by 7-run in low-scoring thriller, Axar Patel, Anrich Nortje shine

Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], April 24 (ANI): Fiery spells from Anrich Nortje and Axar Patel helped Delhi Capitals (DC) edge past Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by 7-run in a low-scoring thriller in Indian Premier League (IPL) match at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here on Monday.
Nortje and Patel bagged two wickets each. A collective and disciplined bowling effort from the bowlers helped Delhi Capitals defend 144 as they applied pressure, scalped regular wickets, maintained the stranglehold and held their nerve to take the away team past the finish line.
Impact Player Mukesh Kumar bowled a fantastic final over to defend 13 runs after a late surge provided by Heinrich Klaasen and Washington Sundar had threatened to take away the match from SRH.
Earlier, Washington Sundar (4-0-28-3) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (4-0-11-2) broke the back of DC's batting with excellent spells and restricted the side to 144/9.
Chasing 145, SRH got off to a steady start as Mayank Agarwal unfurled a slew of cuts and well-timed drives to take SRH to 31/0 from five overs. Harry Brook, at the other end, found the going tough and the desperation got to him as he looked to scoop one of Anrich Nortje but missed and was cleaned up for 7 off 14 balls.
DC tightened things from then on, bowled with discipline and didn't give the SRH batters an inch. They didn't concede a boundary for several overs as the home side reached 58/1 at the halfway mark.
Agarwal finally ended the boundary drought as he slapped one through covers off Mitchell Marsh for the first boundary in 27 balls. Marsh could have had the wicket of Agarwal in the same over but Mukesh Kumar dropped a touch low catch at short fine leg.
It didn't cost DC much as Axar Patel sent back Agarwal in the next over, having him caught at long on for 49 off 39. DC made it two wickets in two overs as Ishant Sharma came back and removed Impact Player Rahul Tripathi caught behind. Axar then got a huge wicket as he made Aiden Markram drag one onto the stumps in the next over as DC were all over SRH with four wickets in four overs. The required rate kept climbing and went over 11 by the end of the 15th over.
With 51 needed of 24 balls, Washington Sundar and Heinrich Klassen released some pressure hitting a four and a six respectively as the pair took 13 off an over. Klassen cracked a couple of fours off Mukesh Kumar and Washington Sundar then paddled the last ball to fine leg for the third four of the over as the pair amassed 15 off the over.
Nortje then provided a crucial moment in the match as he had Klaasen caught at deep cover after he was dropped by Mitchell Marsh off the previous ball. Washington Sundar whipped one over mid-wicket for a four in the same over and then took a single off the last ball to keep the strike.
With 13 to get off the last over, Warner handed the ball to Impact Player Mukesh Kumar again. Washington drove the first one through extra cover for a couple but Kumar followed with an excellent yorker to bowl a dot next ball. With 11 needed of four, Washington thumped one too long on for just a single. Kumar then bowled another good yorker which Klassen flicked to deep mid-wicket for just a single. With 9 needed off 2, Kumar bowled another very full delivery which brought just a single as Washington whipped it to the deep mid-wicket fielder. The last one was another fantastic ball, very full outside off, and Jansen could only jam it too long off for a single as DC won the match by 7 runs.
Earlier, Delhi Capitals captain David Warner won the toss and elected to bat. They made two changes to the starting XI as Sarfaraz Khan and Ripal Patel replaced Lalit Yadav and Mukesh Kumar. Mukesh Kumar, Lalit Yadav, Pravin Dubey. Chetan Sakariya and Yash Dhull were named as their substitutes.
Sunrisers Hyderabad made one change to their starting eleven as T Natarajan replaced Rahul Tripathi. They named Nitish Reddy, Vivrat Sharma, Glenn Phillips, Mayank Dagar and Rahul Tripathi as their substitutes.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar got SRH off to a good start as he had Phil Salt caught behind off the third ball of the innings. It was a lovely outswinger which Salt nicked behind to the keeper. The SRH pacer bowled a brilliant first over and gave away just two. Mitchell Marsh, who walked in at 3, got in the groove straightaway cracking four fours off Marco Jansen in the second over to accumulate 19 runs off the over. He flicked a couple through the leg side for fours and thumped powerful drives for another two fours. Bhuvneshwar bowled another superb over and gave away just one. Warner, who was patient to start off, opened his boundary account in the fourth over, swiping one to long leg for a four and smacking the next ball over deep square leg for a 88m maximum. It was DC's first six in the Powerplay this season and Warner's first this season.
Just when it looked like DC were getting some momentum going, T Natarajan struck in his first over to trap Mitchell Marsh (25 off 15) LBW. It was an excellent review from SRH as the umpire had given it not out at first. But the replays showed the ball would have crashed into the middle and off - all three reds. Sarfaraz Khan opened his boundary account with a well-timed six over long off, off Jansen as DC reached 49/2 at the end of the Powerplay.
DC then lost their way as they lost three wickets in the eighth over. Warner (21 off 20) slog swept one straight into the hands of Harry Brook at deep backward square leg and Sarfaraz Khan suffered a similar dismissal, top-edging a slog sweep to deep backward square leg. Aman Khan mistimed one for a four straight down the ground off his first ball and then went for a heave of the next and ended up top-edging it to cover where Abhishek Sharma made no mistake. It was a fantastic over for SRH with runs and three wickets. DC hobbled to 72/5 at the halfway mark.
Axar Patel and Manish Pandey then got together and went into damage limitation mode as they batted patiently and brought up DC's 100 in the 15th over and then the 50-run partnership, off 48 balls. Washington, who went for 13 in his first over, finished off well with a terrific spell of 4-0-28-3.
With four overs left, Axar broke the shackles, thumping three fours in a row off Mayank Markande as they amassed 15 runs from the over. However, DC lost Axar (34 off 34) at a crucial juncture as Bhuvneshwar came back to break the 69-run stand with a cracking yorker to clean up the DC all-rounder. Another wicket followed in the next over as a brilliant throw from Washington Sundar sent back the set Manish Pandey (34 off 27) trying to scamper through for a quick second run. Natarajan bowled a very good penultimate over to give away just six. SRH introduced Rahul Tripathi as their Impact Player, replacing T Natarajan, in the 20th over. Bhuvneshwar bowled another fantastic over, giving away just six runs and finished with brilliant figures of 4-0-11-2 as SRH pulled off a couple of run-outs in the last over and restricted DC to 144/9. DC hit just 15 fours and two sixes in the innings.
Brief score: Delhi Capitals 144/9 (Axar Patel 34, Manish Pandey 34; Washington Sundar 3-28) vs Sunrisers Hyderabad 137/6 ( Mayank Agarwal 49, Heinrich Klaasen 31; Axar Patel 2-21). (ANI)