Delhi Capitals 184 for 8 (Hetmyer 45, Stoinis 39, Archer 3-24) beat Rajasthan Royals 138 all out (Tewatia 38, Jaiswal 34, Rabada 3-35, Stoinis 2-17, Ashwin 2-22) by 46 runs
It turns out, you can defend a score of less than 200 at Sharjah in IPL 2020. Not just defend, but win comprehensively by 46 runs, as the Delhi Capitals did against the Rajasthan Royals on Friday after putting up 184 for 8. You need to have the bowling for it, and the batsmen should treat a T20 match like what it is: a chance to hit out even when you lose wickets because you have ten of them across 20 overs to spend.
This was not the typical Sharjah pitch however, with the wear and tear of playing several matches perhaps beginning to tell. The ball gripped a bit from a length which made hitting through the line not as straightforward a proposition. The boundaries were still as small as ever, and though both sides suffered from their top orders not firing, the Capitals had the depth and intent to over come that. The Royals didn’t.
The Royals did a lot of things right at the start of the match, from winning the toss and opting to chase, to giving a distinct pace tilt to their attack, to not letting any of the Capitals’ top four get more than 25. Jofra Archer was supreme, taking 3 for 24 and giving up a mere three runs in the innings’ last over. But the collective might of the Capitals bowling attack against a batting line-up that depends heavily on their top order doing the heavy lifting meant all that early good work was undone.
The Capitals kept pushing hard when batting, Marcus Stoinis and Shimron Hetmyer shrugging off the failure of the top order to marshal a series of punchy lower order partnerships that pushed the Capitals to a healthy total. The bowlers then showed why the Capitals are among the title favourites this year by tying down the Royals, who eventually limped to 138.
R Ashwin led the way, brought on in the third over and striking third ball to remove Jos Buttler. It wasn’t at the non-striker’s end this time though. This was a dismissal that would have pleased the traditionalists too, the ball dipping classically on the batsman and forcing a mis-hit to square leg, where Shikhar Dhawan pulled off a diving catch. The Royals never seemed to recover from that blow, as the innings meandered without momentum, while every Capitals bowler got at least one wicket.
More to follow