Ten days ago, things were a lot different for Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League despite their lavish outlay in the auctions. They had slipped to another tame defeat – against Sunrisers Hyderabad – and their campaign bore a familiar look to the past seasons. The notorious under-performers of the tournament were struggling yet again. And we have seen this before in the Delhi setup during a campaign: Top-order failures, big players not turning up, and no answers against well-organised teams. This is a side that finished anywhere between sixth and ninth in every season since 2012. New name, giants of the game in their dugout, but same results. Same old Delhi, the whipping boys of the league. On paper at least, there was no end to Delhi’s struggles following the five-wicket loss against Hyderabad. There were three daunting away fixtures in store. Enter South Africa pace ace Kagiso Rabada – young, fast, consistent and the heir to Dale Steyn’s throne; a genuine match-winner across formats and someone who can terrorise the best batters with deliveries that clock over 145kmph. The 23-year-old missed the entire campaign last year due to injury. Few doubted Delhi’s fortunes getting any better even with Rabada in their ranks. But quite incredibly, Shreyas Iyer’s side has swatted aside their last three opponents in their own backyard. And Delhi’s last three games have seen Rabada take two four-wicket hauls. The South African now sits on top of the wicket-takers tally by a fair distance. It was as if Imran Tahir’s four-wicket haul earlier in the day for Chennai Super Kings (the leg-spinner briefly held the Purple Cap) galvanised the speedster. Defending a modest total at the Rajiv Gandhi stadium, there was very little margin for error. Not only did Delhi have to keep the run-rate in check but make regular inroads. Nothing was going to plan. Hyderabad were cruising and the opening pair of David Warner and Jonny Bairstow were looking good to overhaul the 156-run target. The immaculate Keemo Paul threw life in the contest with three quick wickets. And Rabada came back for his return spell sniffing blood to help his team register a 39-run victory. Rabada vs Warner Faheem Hussain/SPORTZPICS This was a blockbuster duel that was marked out before the game. Warner and Rabada were tangled in a tantalising battle whenever they have crosses swords. Both cricketers like to dominate proceedings and hate coming out second best. Moreover, there was no love lost between them. They picked it up from where they left before last year’s ball-tampering scandal at Cape Town. Unlike that ill-tempered series, there was no snarling, verbal barbs or the kind of mind games that stretch from session to session in the longest format. In Twenty20s, things just whiz past you. Warner’s laboured fifty meant that there was plenty of work to do for the home side in the back end of the innings. It was the slower ball that did the trick against Warner. It was a fine setup and the length from Rabada ensuring that the ball didn’t cross the ring. Iyer made no mistake at mid-off. By the next fifteen minutes, Kane Williamson’s side had surrendered abjectly, losing seven wickets in the space of seventeen balls. On a sluggish wicket, it was the manner in which Rabada and Co varied their pace that clicked and batsmen had to work hard for runs. The aforementioned slower delivery was a key weapon. “We have our game plans and all that we try to do is to stick to it,” the soft-spoken Rabada said after the game. “It’s been the trend so far, you need to have variety in your pace. In many ways, you do have a responsibility as an overseas player.” Being the leader of the pace attack is not a role that is always handed to him in national colours despite his burgeoning reputation. Especially with Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander around. When Delhi re-branded before the start of the season, Rabada was earmarked as one of the key figures in heralding them into the new era. With a jaw-dropping 17 wickets from eight games, he has been the best bowler of the tournament by some distance. Looking back at this season, one can safely say that he hurled the best delivery as well – that unplayable yorker to Russell in the Super Over. Jumping to second in the table, Delhi have found a much-needed winning rhythm and with Rabada firing on all cylinders, the young side can dream, and a play-off spot is very much within their grasp.<doc-sep>Delhi Capitals bowlers showed greater discipline under pressure, despite shoddy catching, to help the team post a 39-run win and mar the script in what was the 100th match for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium here on Sunday. With the middle-order failing the test again, there was nothing much to rave about Sunrisers batting apart from David Warner and Jonny Bairstow's perfect start scoring 72 off 59 balls. Highlights| SRH vs DC: Morris, Rabada shine as Delhi beats Hyderabad by 39 runs Bairstow, after playing some extravagant strokes including a straight six off Chris Morris, lofted Keemo Paul straight to long-off. That triggered a collapse which saw Sunrisers slip from 72/1 to 116 all-out. In his next over, Paul saw captain Kane Williamson’s attempted lofted shot taken brilliantly by a diving Kagiso Rabada at mid-off to put brakes on Sunrisers’ chase. Paul was clearly the pick of the bowlers completing a three-wicket haul without conceding a single boundary. Kagiso Rabada struck a double blow in the 17th over removing Warner and Vijay Shankar to push Sunrisers into a crisis. READ: SRH can go all the way, says Shakib In the 18th over, Morris struck thrice and later Rabada finished with a four-wicket haul to ensure there were no more dramatic twists and turns. Khaleel shines Earlier, Delhi, put in to bat, was rattled by left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed, who vindicated his selection in place of Siddharth Kaul with a splendid first spell. MORE FROM IPL 2019 His diagonal line forced opener Prithvi Shaw to slash into wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow’s hands and then induced a poor pull stroke from Shikhar Dhawan only to be caught in the deep in the fourth over of the innings. Colin Munro's 24-ball 40, studded with four boundaries and three sixes, gave Delhi's innings impetus but his cameo came to an when he went for a cut stroke away from his body off 18-year-old left-arm spinner Abhishek Sharma, but edged it to the wicketkeeper in the eighth over. Khaleel and Abhishek both were playing their first match of the season. Captain Shreyas Iyer and southpaw Rishabh Pant then strung together a 47-ball, 56-run stand for the fourth wicket to raise Delhi's hopes before the former was caught behind off Bhuvneshwar Kumar — his 100th scalp for SRH — in the 16th over. In the next over, Pant too was dismissed; his one-handed shot off a low full-toss from Khaleel went straight to the fielder at long-on. Their dismissals meant Delhi ended up with a far less but eventually match winning total.<doc-sep>Delhi Capitals beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 39 runs Delhi Capitals beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 39 runs Delhi Capitals beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by a comprehensive margin of 39 runs at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad on Sunday. Delhi’s bowlers were clinical in defending a target of 156 as Kagiso Rabada led from the front with a four-wicket haul. Keemo Paul (3/17) ran through SRH’s top-order before his colleagues Rabada (4/22) and Chris Morris (3/22) triggered mayhem in the middle and lower order as Delhi demolished Hyderabad at home. From 101/3, Hyderabad folded up for just 116 in 18.3 overs. Toss: Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Kane Williamson won the toss and opted to bowl first against Delhi. First innings: Batting first Delhi were rattled by young pacer Khaleel Ahmed who grabbed three key wickets in an impressive spell. The 21-year-old took the wickets of openers Prithvi Shaw (4) and Shikhar Dhawan (7) as well as that of Rishabh Pant (23). He was ably supported by senior pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar who returned with figures of 2/33 while leg-spinner Rashid Khan and debutant Abhishek Sharma took one wicket apiece. For Delhi, skipper Shreyas Iyer top-scored with a 45 off 40 balls and it was his 56-run partnership with Pant for the fourth wicket which took Delhi to a challenging total after a poor start. Second innings: Chasing 156, SRH were off to a flier with openers Jonny Bairstow and David Warner forging a 72-run stand. While Warner struggled to time the ball, Bairstow went all guns blazing scoring 41 off 31 deliveries. But it all fell apart for thereon for the home team. In a massive collapse, SRH went down from 101/3 to 116 all out. Morris was the architect in chief as he took three wickets in the space of five balls in the 18th over. In a meek effort SRH’s batsmen went for the glory hits bu capitulated without a fight. Gamechanger: Keemo Paul’s spell of 3/17 tuned the match in favour of Delhi. While Morris and Rabada also picked three apiece, it was Paul’s wickets which brought Delhi back into the contest. At the halfway stage, the Sunrisers were 73/1 with 83 more runs needed for a win and they were on track. But the dismissal of captain Kane Williamson (3) off the bowling of Paul in the 12th over was the beginning of the pressure which began to pile on the Sunrisers. Scorecard: Delhi Capitals: 155 for 7 from 20 overs (Shreyas Iyer 45, Colin Munro 40; Khaleel Ahmed 3/30, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 2/33). Sunrisers Hyderabad: 116 all out in 18.5 overs (David Warner 51; Kagiso Rabada 4/22). (With inputs from PTI)<doc-sep>
Speedster Kagiso Rabada led a clinical bowling display with a four-wicket haul as Delhi Capitals beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 39 runs under dramatic conditions in their IPL match here on Sunday. Pacer Keemo Paul (3/17) ran through the Sunrisers top-order before his pace colleagues Rabada (4/22) and Chris Morris (3/22) triggered mayhem in the middle and lower order as the home side suffered a batting collapse after 15 overs while chasing 157 for a win. The Sunrisers were 101 for 3 in 15.2 overs when Ricky Bhui fell to Paul but after that they lost seven wickets for the addition of just 15 runs. Morris took three wickets in the space of five balls in the 18th over as the stunned home crowd watched their side’s batsmen capitulating without much fight as the innings folded at 116 in 18.5 overs. David Warner, who top-scored with a 47-ball 51, was out in the 17th over off Rabada to trigger a procession of Sunrisers batsmen towards the dressing room. Rabada and Morris took all these six wickets as Sunrisers surrendered tamely. With the win, the Delhi Capitals jumped to second spot with 10 points from eight matches while the Sunrisers are at the sixth spot after their third consecutive loss. The Sunrisers’ openers Warner and Jonny Bairstow (41) made a watchful start as they looked for accumulating runs without taking risks. Warner was uncharacteristically slow and it was left to Bairstow to take the chances. Bairstow hit Ishant Sharma a couple of fours and a six off Morris but the home side could only score 40 for no loss at the end of first powerplay overs. The opening duo reached the 50-run mark at the end of the eighth over and they began to look for big shots. The Sunrisers, however lost Bairstow at an inopportune juncture with Paul getting rid of him in the 10th over. At the halfway stage, the Sunrisers were 73 for 1 with 83 more runs needed for a win and they were on track. But the dismissal of captain Kane Williamson (3) off the bowling of Paul in the 12th over was the beginning of the pressure which began to pile on the Sunrisers. Warner was still there but the Delhi bowlers gave him little chance to open up his arms on a sluggish pitch. Bhui’s dismissal in the 16th over piled on further pressure on the Sunrisers. The asking rate climbed up to 13 an over at the end of 16th over and the home side wilted under pressure with Warner finally falling in the 17th over bowled by Rabada as the batsman hit straight to the hands of captain Shreyas Iyer. Rabada got rid of Vijay Shankar (1) in the next delivery and with it the game was as good as over in favour of Delhi Capitals. It was then the turn Morris to take three wickets in the 18th over before Rabada ended the Sunrisers run chase with two wickets in consecutive deliveries. Earlier, young left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed grabbed three key wickets in an impressive spell to help Sunrisers restrict Delhi Capitals to 155 for 7 after the visitors were invited to bat. The 21-year-old bowler took the wickets of openers Prithvi Shaw (4) and Shikhar Dhawan (7) as well as that of dangerous Rishabh Pant (23) while conceding 30 runs from his four overs. Senior pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar returned with figures of 2/33 while leg-spinner Rashid Khan and Abhishek Sharma took a wicket apiece as the Sunrisers’ bowlers made it difficult for Delhi batsmen to score runs. For Delhi, captain Shreyas Iyer top-scored with a 40-ball 45 and his 56-run partnership with Pant for the fourth wicket took them a challenging total after a wobbly start. Colin Munro was the other notable contributor with a 24-ball 40. Shreyas hit five fours before he was dismissed by Bhuvneshwar in the 16th over while Munro was more aggressive with four boundaries and three sixes in his 24-ball knock. Delhi Capitals struggled with openers Dhawan and Shaw back into the dressing room by the fourth over with Ahmed accounting for both the key batsmen. Shaw was the first to go in the second over as he was done in by the extra bounce extracted by Ahmed as the batsman ended up edging the delivery to wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow. In his next over, Ahmed got rid of Dhawan who miscued a bouncer off the bowler with Bhuvneshwar Kumar taking the catch at fine leg.