Even if the final win margin doesn’t indicate it, Tuesday’s IPL match between the Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium may be best described as a game of inches.
After all, the 16th over of Rajasthan’s run chase appeared to be the game’s turning point when Shai Hope caught Sanju Samson at long-on, just inches from the boundary rope. The West Indian was so near the line that the on-field referees had to head upstairs to make the ultimate call. Even after Samson was declared out by the third umpire, the RR captain engaged in a lively conversation with the officials, even indicating a review, before hobbling back to the dugout.
With eight fours and six sixes in a 46-ball 86, Samson had produced an incredible knock. Even if his stroke had gone for six, RR would still have need a formidable 54 off 26 balls. However, the 29-year-old was in such a mood that the guests had to be favorites while he was there. After Samson left, Delhi’s 221/8 was more than enough to win by 20 runs. RR remain second in the rankings with 16 points, after suffering their second consecutive loss. Delhi, with 12 points, is in fifth place.
Samson had accelerated to 41 off 16 balls in RR’s total of 67/2 at the conclusion of the powerplay. After Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal left, Samson formed beneficial alliances with Riyan Parag and Shubham Dubey to keep RR in the hunt.
Samson in just 46-ball 86
After being sent in, Jake Fraser-McGurk and Abishek Porel established the tone for Delhi, if Samson supplied the pyrotechnics in the second half of the contest. It was no surprise that Fraser-McGurk left for Delhi right away. With an apparent simple hitting style, the Australian batsman has won over fans with his flashy strokeplay since arriving in India little than a month ago. He has also established himself as an important component at the top of the order. On Tuesday, he achieved his fourth fifty of the season in just 19 deliveries, proving that once more. There are two of them that have 15 balls.
Fraser-McGurk didn’t even consider the expertise of Trent Boult. After hitting Boult for four over mid-off in the first over, he took the left-armer from New Zealand for fifteen runs in the following over, making sure that any misplay of length or line would be exploited. Avesh Khan took the field next, going up against an opening over that read 4, 4, 4, 6, 4 and 6. Disdainful length balls were sent onto the off-side, and a full throw on his pads cleared the long-on boundary. Paradoxically, though, R Ashwin’s complete toss in the following over proved to be his undoing.
After the Australian left, Bengali left-hander Porel seized the lead. He was able to demonstrate his comfort level, especially against RR’s spinners, after starting the innings with two hammering fours through mid-off against Sandeep Sharma. Porel rocked back and pulled over midwicket for six as Ashwin bowled short. Following Yuzvendra Chahal’s full, Porel chipped in with another six after lofting the leg-spinner into the same area of the pitch. This was Porel’s third wicket of the evening for Ashwin.
