Summary of this article
DC beat RR to keep their play-off hopes alive
Starc played a vital role, picking up four wickets for DC against RR
The match was played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi
Delhi Capitals kept their faint hopes of qualifying for the play-offs alive with a convincing five-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals on Sunday, May 17 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. DC captain Axar Patel had won the toss and opted to bowl first with Dhruv Jurel (53) and Riyan Parag (51) hitting half-centuries.
In reply, DC romped home to victory thanks to some brilliant batting by Abishek Porel (51) and KL Rahul (56) as they chased down the RR score with four balls to spare. Axar Patel also contributed to the run-chase with a 18-ball 34.
Earlier, Mitchell Starc took four wickets (4/40) as DC restricted RR to 193/8 in 20 overs. RR's lower-order was unsuccessful in contributing with the bat as none of their batters went past 10 runs.
DC's openers set the stage alight with a brilliant opening stand but the home team again faced with a mini-collapse with Jofra Archer leading the way. However, Axar and Ashutosh Sharma (18) made sure that DC reached the score with ease.
ALSO READ | Match Highlights
DC is seventh with 12 points in 13 games. Sixth-place RR also has 12 points, from 12 games. Both still have a mathematical chance of qualification.
Mitchell Starc - Player of the Match
Australian pacer Mitchell Starc's brilliant spell of 4/40 helped him win the Player of the Match award as it was the Australian's brilliant pace bowling that helped DC restrict RR to under 200-runs. Starc removed four RR batters including the captain Riyan Parag as the visitors' lower-order faltered.
Post-win, DC captain Axar Patel lavished praise on his veteran Aussie bowler, terming him 'youngster'. “We bowled really well in the middle overs to make a comeback. The last six overs, it was class bowling. The bowling unit refused to give up. Our 'youngster' (Starc) did that for us today,” Axar said in the post-match presentation on Sunday.
