Mitchell Marsh’s all-round heroics ushered Delhi Capitals into a win against Rajasthan Royals keeping their IPL playoffs hopes alive in Navi Mumbai on Wednesday. Marsh scored 89 off 62 balls with seven sixes and five fours and picking up two wickets.
After their bowlers restricted RR to 160 for six, Marsh’s 62-ball 89 and David Warner’s unbeaten 52 off 41 balls helped the Capitals complete the task with 11 balls to spare for their sixth win of the season that saw the team suffer setbacks both on and off the field, including multiple COVID-19 cases in its camp.
With the ball, Marsh had picked up the two important wickets of Yashasvi Jaiswal (19) and Ravichandran Ashwin (50). Then, he smashed seven sixes and five fours to emerge as the night’s hero.
Chasing 161, Delhi Capitals got off a poor start, losing the opener Srikar Bharat for a duck on the second ball of the innings after a Trent Boult delivery found the edge of his bat and landed in the hands of wicketkeeper Sanju Samson. This brought Aussie all-rounder Mitchell Marsh to the field alongside his compatriot David Warner.
Things started to pick up after the introduction of spin with R Ashwin in the fourth over, who gave away 12 runs thanks to six from Marsh. That hit infused some life into the chase as the fourth, fifth and sixth over went for 11,12 and 10 runs respectively with Marsh and Warner stabilising the innings. Marsh took a more aggressive approach, while Warner anchored from the end. At the end of the powerplay, DC stood at a sub-par 38/1, with Marsh (24*) and Warner (11*).
The onslaught on the RR bowling attack did not stop in the second half of the innings, with the duo going all out against Yuzvendra Chahal, Ashwin and Prasidh Krishna.
Earlier Ravichandran Ashwin scored 50 off 38 balls, his first half-century in T20 cricket, while Devdutt Padikkal hit 48 after being invited to bat.
With this win, DC is currently at fifth position in the points table with 12 points. RR is at third position with 14 points.
