Hyderabad (Telangana): Delhi Capitals vice-captain Axar Patel stepped up with the bat, but it was his heroics with the ball that clinched the second consecutive victory for DC in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 match against Sunrisers Hyderabad at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Monday.
Axar played a crucial knock of 34 in the first innings to take DC’s total to a competitive score of 144/9 in 20 overs. In the second innings when Mayank Aggarwal started to take the game away, Axar came into the attack to tip the balance in Delhi’s favour by taking the wicket of Mayank for a score of 49(39). As SRH looked to counterattack with the South African duo of Aiden Markram and Heinrich Klaasen, Patel got the breakthrough by picking up the wicket of Markram (3 runs off 5 balls) who completely failed to time the ball as it went crashing into the stumps.
“(What gave him more joy, his batting or bowling returns?) 2/21 since I scored 34 in 34 so the two wickets were more important. I ordered for coffee and I left the glass like that, when three wickets fell in one over. Pandey and I discussed we need to take it as deep as possible. (On the surface) It was slow, the ball was coming off slowly. I felt that me and Kuldeep can tie up the batters on this surface, so it was enjoyable. I keep getting wickets in the form of knocking over batters but getting a wicket off the slower one (Mayank’s wicket) was more enjoyable,” Axar Patel said after the match.
Chasing 145, SRH got off to a steady start as Mayank Agarwal unfurled a slew of cuts and well-timed drives to take SRH to 31/0 from five overs. Harry Brook, at the other end, found the going tough and the desperation got to him as he looked to scoop one of Anrich Nortje’s but missed and was cleaned up for 7 off 14 balls.
DC tightened things from then on, bowled with discipline and didn’t give the SRH batters an inch. They didn’t concede a boundary for several overs as the home side reached 58/1 at the halfway mark.
Agarwal finally ended the boundary drought as he slapped one through covers off Mitchell Marsh for the first boundary in 27 balls. Marsh could have had the wicket of Agarwal in the same over but Mukesh Kumar dropped a touch low catch.
It didn’t cost DC much as Axar Patel sent back Agarwal in the next over, having him caught at long on for 49 off 39. DC made it two wickets in two overs as Ishant Sharma came back and removed Impact Player Rahul Tripathi caught behind. Axar then got a huge wicket as he made Aiden Markram drag one onto the stumps in the next over as DC were all over SRH with four wickets in four overs. The required rate kept climbing and went over 11 by the end of the 15th over.
With 51 needed in 24 balls, Washington Sundar and Heinrich Klassen released some pressure hitting a four and a six respectively as the pair took 13 off an over. Klassen cracked a couple of fours off Mukesh Kumar.
Nortje then provided a crucial moment in the match as he had Klaasen caught at deep cover after he was dropped by Mitchell Marsh off the previous ball. Washington Sundar whipped one over mid-wicket for a four in the same over and then took a single off the last ball to keep the strike.
With 13 to get off the last over, Warner handed the ball to Mukesh Kumar again and the impact player left his mark as he clinched a 7-run victory for DC.
