Count Delhi Capitals on your peril. The team that was ranked dead last on the points table not too long ago and had just one win in their first five games is now tied with three teams at 12 points. Playing their penultimate match at their home ground, Arun Jaitley Stadium, the Rishabh Pant-led side earned themselves a hard-fought victory over the Rajasthan Royals.
Defeat looked at them as Sanju Samson looked to guide his team home, but Mukesh Kumar and Kuldeep Yadav stood tall in the face of adversity, and hometown heroes emerged victorious. But not all credit goes to the bowlers. Their batters did splendidly as well, but a controversial call by the third umpire may have been the deciding factor between the two sides.
Umpire needs new glasses?
It isn’t exactly a great look that people are talking about an umpire’s decision more than the match itself. With the match at a crucial juncture, the Rajasthan Royals lost their skipper, Sanju Samson. Caught at long-on, it seemed like Shai Hope had touched the ropes while taking the catch. Instead of looking at the dismissal from multiple angles, the third umpire gave Samson out without much deliberation. It was after the match that the broadcaster showed the footage, where we can see that Hope had touched the rope while catching, and Samson was indeed not out.
India’s greatest T20 bowler?
All bow down to Yuzvendra Chahal! The leg spinner, who had become the first IPL bowler to take 200 wickets a few days ago, has now become the first Indian bowler to take 350 T20 wickets. Despite facing many ups and downs over the last couple of years, the leggie has been undeterred and has continued to break records.
MS Dhoni goes all out for his Last Dance
All is not well with MS Dhoni. The IPL legend has been in immense pain and is currently battling a muscle tear in his leg, but he hasn’t let that injury hamper his side. With Devon Conway gone, Dhoni knows his duty is to keep wickets for the Chennai Super Kings. In addition, in what could be his last season, he’ll be willing to risk it all for his fans and franchise.
Fraser’s flying start
Another day and yet another flying start for the Delhi Capitals, courtesy of Jake Fraser-McGurk. The 22-year-old, who hadn’t been included in Australia’s squad for the T20 World Cup, hasn’t let disappointment get to him. Instead, he is showing the world that it isn’t him who’s at a loss, but Australia. He struck a 19-ball fifty, which included a 28-run over by Avesh Khan, and became the first batter to score three half-centuries in IPL history in less than 20 balls.
KKR home at last
The Kolkata Knight Riders have finally made it home after a grueling journey of 20 hours. What should have been a 2-hour journey from Lucknow to Kolkata took them 10 times the hours required. The weather gods seemed to have been upset with the Shreyas Iyer-led side as their flight got redirected a couple of times, but almost a day later they finally reached home.
Gotta spin it to win it
Taking inspiration from his counterparts, Kuldeep Yadav decided to join the spin party to take the Delhi Capitals home. The middle-overs specialist was given the ball by Rishabh Pant in the 18th over. He accepted the tough challenge and scalped 2 wickets, gave away just 3 runs, and finished the match right there and then.
