Fifth win puts Delhi Capitals on top of points table

All-rounder Stoinis continues to shine as Capitals maul Royals

Sharjah: Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis shone with both bat and ball as Delhi Capitals regained the top spot in the IPL standings with a comprehensive 46-run win over Rajasthan Royals here on Friday.

Riding on Shimron Hetmyer’s 24-ball 45 and 39 off 30 balls from Stoinis, Delhi posted 184 for eight, the lowest first innings total at the ground this seasons. Kagiso Rabada (3/35) then picked three wickets, while Stoinis (2/17), Ravichandran Ashwin (2/22) snared two wickets each as Delhi dismissed Rajasthan for 138 in 19.4 overs to secure their fifth win in six matches.

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Rajasthan were never convincing in the chase and ended up with their fourth loss in as many games. Jos Buttler (13) fell to a superb catch by Shikhar Dhawan and Steve Smith (24) and Sanju Samson (5) holed out to Hetmyer at deep square midwicket and long-on respectively to leave RR at 72 for three.

Ashwin then returned to remove Mahipal Lomror (1), while Stoinis cleaned up young Yashasvi Jaiswal, who struggled to 34 off 36 after opening the innings. Rahul Tewatia (38 off 29) hit a few lusty blows but wickets continued to tumble on a pitch that was not as good for batting as the earlier games here.

Earlier, Jofra Archer (3/24) took three wickets and Tewatia (1/20) and young pacer Kartik Tyagi (1/35) captured one each as RR restricted to a below-par total. Playing his first IPL match this season, Andrew Tye also took one wicket but he conceded 50 in his four overs. RR also inflicted two run outs, removing Shreyas Iyer (22 off 18) and Rishabh Pant (5).

Hetmyer smashed five sixes and a four to emerge as the top-scorer for Delhi. Archer was the pick of the bowlers as he dismissed opener Shikhar Dhawan (5) in the second over. Archer was the pick of the bowlers as he dismissed opener Shikhar Dhawan (5) in the second over. Stoinis shone as he clobbered spinner Shreyas Gopal for successive sixes in the 7th over.