IPL 2024, DC deny RR playoff berth with win: Stats
Delhi Capitals beat Rajasthan Royals in Match 56 of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) season at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. The Capitals successfully defended 221, with Sanju Samson's incredible 86 going in vain. RR were restricted to 201/8 despite their effort. Earlier, Jake Fraser-McGurk and Abishek Porel slammed pacy half-centuries to bolster DC. Meanwhile, Ravichandran Ashwin's three-fer powered the Royals.
DC hammer 221/8 in 20 overs
Fraser-McGurk and Porel gave DC a flying start after they were invited to bat. They added a 60-run opening stand, with the former going berserk. Porel took over thereafter, scoring a valiant fifty While Ashwin took three wickets, Tristan Stubbs' 20-ball 41 powered the Capitals to 221/8 in 20 overs. Debutant Gulbadin Naib also smashed a 15-ball 19.
RR fall short despite Samson's knock
RR lost Yashasvi Jaiswal in the very first over before Jos Buttler and Samson took them past 60. Riyan Parag later joined Samson and chipped in with a crisp cameo (27). Samson single-handedly led RR's run-chase thereafter with an 86-run knock. Shubham Dubey's 12-ball 25 supported him. Rovman Powell's couldn't show off his death-over blitz as the Royals fell 20 runs short.
Another blistering knock from Fraser-McGurk
As has been the case, Fraser-McGurk came out all guns blazing. He launched his onslaught and took DC to 31/0 in three overs. The Australian dasher smashed 28 runs in the fourth over bowler by Avesh Khan (4 fours and 2 sixes). He also completed his 19-ball fifty in that over. Fraser-McGurk eventually fell to Ashwin for a 20-ball 50 (4s-7 and 6s-3).
Fourth-highest Powerplay score for DC in IPL
Although Fraser-McGurk departed in the fifth over, his exploits helped DC reach 78/2 in six overs. This is now the fourth-highest Powerplay score for the Capitals in the IPL. Notably, three of such top-four scores came this season.
Three IPL fifties in less than 20 balls
It is worth noting that Fraser-McGurk now has the most IPL fifties scored in less than 20 balls (three). Yashasvi Jaiswal, Nicholas Pooran, Ishan Kishan, Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard, Travis Head, and KL Rahul have two such half-centuries each. Earlier this season, Fraser-McGurk became the first-ever player to record two 15-ball half-centuries in IPL history (against SRH and MI).
Porel plays counter-attacking knock
Fraser-McGurk ruled the roost in the first four overs, smashing a 20-ball 50. The Australian, along with Porel, took DC to 60, with the latter playing second fiddle. Porel changed gears once Fraser-McGurk departed in the fifth over. The Indian batter took DC past 140 despite losing Shai Hope and Axar. Porel eventually smashed a 36-ball 65 (7 fours and 3 sixes).
Ashwin takes three-fer in high-scoring encounter
Ashwin was introduced in the attack in the fifth over to stop a blazing Fraser-McGurk. The gamble paid off as Ashwin dismissed the Australian dasher on his second delivery. Ashwin then removed Axar before getting rid of DC's other half-centurion, Porel. Ashwin conceded just 24 runs in four overs, with every other bowler conceding over eight runs per over.
Samson completes 200 IPL sixes
During the match, Samson completed 200 sixes in the IPL. He reached this mark with his fourth maximum. Samson has become only the 10th batter with over 200 IPL sixes. He is only behind Chris Gayle, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, MS Dhoni, David Warner, Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell, and Suresh Raina on this list.
Samson slams his 25th IPL fifty
Samson slammed a brilliant 86 off 46 balls as RR attempted to chase 222. His knock was studded with 8 fours and 6 sixes. The RR skipper went on to smash his 25th half-century in the IPL. Samson has now raced past 4,350 runs across 163 IPL games, averaging over 31. His strike rate goes past 138.
Second-highest IPL score as captain for RR
Samson recorded the second-highest individual score as a captain for RR in the IPL. Notably, Samson only occupies the top spot, having smashed 119 against Punjab Kings in 2021, Mumbai. Overall, the RR skipper has four such 80+ scores in the IPL, with another coming in the ongoing season. He also owns the top four spots in this regard.
Chahal completes 350 T20 wickets
RR leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal was once again expensive but ended up dismissing Pant. With this, the former completed 350 wickets in T20 cricket, becoming the first Indian to do so. Notably, Piyush Chawla and Ravichandran Ashwin are the only other Indians with over 300 T20 wickets. He also became the second-highest wicket-taker for the Royals in the IPL.
RR require another win for playoff berth
With another win, RR would have sealed the playoff berth. They have 16 points, having won eight matches and lost three (NRR: +0.476). They are only behind Kolkata Knight Riders (16 points). Meanwhile, DC are fifth with 12 points (NRR: -0.316).
