Mitchell Starc’s four-wicket haul powers Delhi Capitals to crucial win over Rajasthan Royals

Mitchell Starc’s fiery 4/40 triggered a Rajasthan Royals collapse before Delhi Capitals chased 194 with a five-wicket win. KL Rahul and Abhishek Porel’s 105-run stand set the tone, keeping Delhi’s IPL playoffs hopes alive ahead of their final league clash

New Delhi: Mitchell Starc produced a game-changing four-wicket haul to halt Rajasthan Royals’ charge before Delhi Capitals completed a crucial five-wicket win to keep their IPL play-offs hopes alive here on Sunday.

Starc’s superb 4/40 sparked a dramatic collapse after Rajasthan had stormed to 160 for two in 14 overs, with the visitors eventually managing only 33 runs while losing six wickets to finish at 193 for eight.

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Delhi then made the chase look comfortable for large parts as KL Rahul (56 off 42) and Abishek Porel (51 off 31) laid the perfect platform with a 105-run opening stand in just 10.1 overs.

While Porel attacked from the outset with seven fours and a six, Rahul paced his innings smartly before falling to Dasun Shanaka.

Sahil Parakh chipped in with a quick 9 before skipper Axar Patel provided the finishing flourish with an unbeaten 34 off 18 balls, striking two fours and two sixes.

Despite Jofra Archer removing Tristan Stubbs and Brijesh Sharma getting rid of David Miller in the latter stages, Ashutosh Sharma’s unbeaten 18 off just five balls sealed the chase in 19.2 overs.

The victory lifted Delhi from eighth to seventh in the points table with 12 points, keeping them in contention ahead of their final league

match against Kolkata Knight Riders next Sunday, when they will know exactly what is required to secure a play-offs berth, provided a couple of other results go their way as well.

Earlier, opener Yashasvi Jaiswal began brightly, driving and cutting fluently against Starc, but his stay was brief as Lungi Ngidi removed him for 12.

Teen sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi then lit up the innings with another fearless knock. The youngster mixed elegant stroke-play with mature defence and aggression, scoring at a rapid pace while taking on the Capitals attack with confidence.

Suryavanshi was handed a reprieve on 31 when Sameer Rizvi dropped him while running backwards off Tripurana Vijay, and the left-hander continued to attack before eventually falling for 46.

Playing only his second IPL game, Madhav Tiwari provided the breakthrough as Suryavanshi failed to clear the ropes while attempting a lofted hit straight down the ground.

At the other end, Dhruv Jurel (53) played the perfect supporting role before accelerating smoothly. Jurel took Mukesh Kumar apart with two fours and a six as Rajasthan ended the powerplay at a commanding 75 for one.

Jurel and Suryavanshi added 70 runs for the second wicket to put Delhi under severe pressure.

Skipper Riyan Parag (51) continued the assault. He nearly perished early when Madhav induced a mistimed heave with a short ball, but Tristan Stubbs could not complete a low catch cleanly.

Parag made Delhi pay heavily thereafter. He launched Axar Patel for towering sixes and then hammered Mukesh Kumar for 23 runs in an over as Rajasthan’s scoring rate nearly touched 12 an over. Parag soon overtook Jurel in scoring pace and brought up a brisk half-century.

Just when Rajasthan seemed poised for a daunting finish, Starc swung the momentum decisively. The Australian left-arm quick dismissed the rampaging Parag to provide Delhi a desperately-needed breakthrough.

Starc then struck again immediately, removing Donovan Ferreira for a golden duck, and followed it up a ball later by trapping Ravi Singh leg-before as Rajasthan suddenly slipped to 161 for six.

Madhav joined the party, dismissing Shubham for five as Rajasthan lost four wickets in the space of 15 deliveries and the flow of runs dried up considerably.

Despite the collapse around him, Jurel stayed composed to complete a well-crafted half-century, anchoring the innings till the final overs.

Starc returned to remove impact substitute Shanaka for 10 and finish with four wickets, his best haul of the season and a timely intervention in a must-win encounter for Delhi.