Delhi Capitals put on a clinical show on way to their eight-wicket victory over Lucknow Super Giants at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on Tuesday.
If Mukesh Kumar’s four-wicket haul restricted the hosts to 159/6, KL Rahul anchored the chase in superb fashion as the Capitals won with 13 balls remaining. Rahul also hit the winning runs, a six off Prince Yadav.
In good touch
Rahul was unavailable when they met the Super Giants in the early stages of IPL 2025. Coming up against his former team for the first time since they parted ways, Rahul looked in good nick during his unbeaten 57 off 42 balls, including three boundaries and three sixes.
Opener Abishek Porel had set up the chase nicely during his 51 off 36 balls and then Rahul and Axar Patel joined hands during their unbroken 56-run stand off 36 balls.
The Super Giants had gambled with spin but both Porel and Rahul played judiciously, attacking the spinners and never allowing them to settle into a length. Once Rahul got used to the conditions, there was no looking back.
Openers sizzle
Lucknow Super Giants failed to maintain their early momentum, stuttering in the middle stages of the innings before being restricted to 159/6.
The hosts were cruising at 87/0 in the 10th over but could manage only 71 in the last 10.
The regular fall of wickets, with Mukesh returning the best figures of 4/33, put paid to the Super Giants’ hopes of setting a 200-plus target.
Aiden Markram and Mitchell Marsh dominated the Powerplay, reaching 51/0. The Capitals opened their attack with Axar and Mitchell Starc.
The Capitals skipper bowled four overs on the trot, conceding 29 runs. None of their bowlers managed to contain the openers with Markram bringing up his half-century off 30 balls.
But the Capitals struck in quick succession.
In a bid to take more risks against Dushmantha Chameera, who was playing his first match of the season, Markram tried to clear the bigger boundary on the off side but ended up finding a fielder on the cover boundary. He made 52 off 33 balls.
Starc then got into the act against Nicholas Pooran with a slower bouncer, with the lefthander dragging it onto his stumps. Pooran’s average of 2.4 against Starc is the joint-lowest for a top-six batter in men’s T20s.
The Super Giants had crashed to 99/2 in the 12th over.
Mukesh excels
Abdul Samad had excelled as a finisher for the Super Giants, but on Tuesday, he was promoted to No.4 ahead of captain Rishabh Pant. He fell for 2, offering a return catch to Mukesh.
Four balls later, Mukesh yorked Marsh to leave the hosts at 110/4 in 14 overs.
Pant late entry
Pant made a late entry and survived just two balls. Having stepped out to his first ball without any luck, he didn’t connect with a reverse-ramp off the next ball and ended up deflecting the ball on to the stumps off his pads for a duck. Mukesh claimed two wickets off the final over.
It was inexplicable why the Super Giants decided to delay Pant’s entry.