Marcus Stoinis’s all-round performance, Shikhar Dhawan’s superb 50-ball 78, and pacer Kagiso Rabada’s four-wicket haul propelled Delhi Capitals (DC) into their maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) final with a 17-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the second Qualifier here on Sunday.
The Delhi franchise, which has never made it to the IPL final, will face four-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) in the summit clash on Tuesday in Dubai.
Chasing DC’s 189 for three wickets in 20 overs, 2016 champions SRH were restricted to 172 for eight wickest in 20 overs. The David Warner-led Hyderabad were jolted at regular intervals even as Kane Williamson (67 off 45 balls) dished out his best to avoid a defeat. However, Rabada (4/29) and Stoinis (38 off 27 balls and 3/26) ensured their side a most crucial win in the history of the league.
Stoinis not just impressed with the ball but the all-rounder, who was promoted as an opener earlier in the day, starred with bat as well. The Aussie was adjudged the Man of the Match for his all-round performance.
Chasing the target, SRH were reduced to 44/3 as Priyam Garag (17), David Warner (2) and Manish Pandey (21) fell cheaply. While Stoinis accounted for Garg and Pandey, Rabada got the better of the SRH skipper.
Williamson and Jason Holder (11) showed some resistance with a 46-run stand. However, the partnership didn’t last long as Axar Patel (1/33) dismissed Windies skipper Holder in the 12th over.
Abdul Samad (33 off 16 balls) and Williamson kept the fight on and shared a 57-run partnership before Stoinis broke the stand by dismissing the latter. Williamson’s knock was laced with five fours and four maximums.
Rabada then wreaked havoc as he picked Samad, Rashid Khan (11) and Shreevats Goswami (0) in the 19th over, leaving SRH tottering at 168/8.
Both Shahbaz Nadeem and Sandeep Sharma were unbeaten on two runs each as SRH fell 17 runs short of the target.
Earlier opting to bat, Dhawan’s gritty 50-ball 78 and Shimron Hetmyer’s unbeaten 42 powered DC to 189/3 wickets in their 20 overs.
Stoinis and Dhawan added 86 runs for the first wicket before Rashid Khan (1/26) got the first breakthrough, dismissing the former in the ninth over.
Stoinis fall saw skipper Shreyas Iyer (21) joining Dhawan and the pair stitched 40 runs. Jason Holder (1/50) then applied brakes on the DC skipper, packing him in the 14th over.
Dhawan, however, kept his wicket safe and later forged a crucial 52-run partnership with Hetmyer as the duo took the SRH bowlers to cleaners towards the end.
While trying to improve the run rate, Dhawan was trapped by Sandeep Sharma (1/30) in the 19th over with DC being placed at 178/3. Dhawan’s innings contained six boundaries and couple of sixes.
Hytmer and Rishabh Pant (2 not out) then managed 11 runs in the remaining deliveries, helping DC post a challenging total.
Brief scores: Delhi Capitals 189/3 wkts in 20 overs (Shikhar Dhawan 78, Shimron Hetmyer 42 not out; Rashid Khan 1/26) beat Sunrisers Hyderabad 172/8 in 20 overs (Kane Williamson 67, Abdul Samad 33; Kagiso Rabada 4/29) by 17 runs.
The team stuck together like a family: DC captain Iyer
Delhi Capitals (DC) sealed passage to their maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) final and captain Shreyas Iyer admitted that it has not been a straightforward run to the title clash for the team. DC came into the match having lost five of their last six games while SRH had won four consecutive matches.
“This is the best feeling ever. This has been a rollercoaster. A lot of ups and downs. We have stuck together like a family,” said Iyer in the post-match presentation ceremony.
“Really fortunate to have such an amazing team. The emotions kept going high and low.”
DC’s decision to promote Marcus Stoinis to the top of the order paid off for them as the Australian all-rounder and Shikhar Dhawan put up a partnership of 86 runs at the top of the order.
“We were lacking in our opening partnership, and we needed that rocket start. We saw how Stoinis has been playing, including in the last match and we thought if he plays the maximum deliveries, he could give us the push,” said Iyer.
Our attitude in the field let us down: SRH captain Warner
SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) captain David Warner admitted that they were hurt by their fielding mistakes in the second Qualifier of the Indian Premier League (IPL) against Delhi Capitals.
“You can’t win tournaments if you keep dropping catches and missing chances. I think with the ball and the bat we improved after doing badly but our attitude in the field let us down,” said Warner after the match, which SRH lost by 17 runs.
The defeat in the qualifiers ends a winning streak that extended to four matches and turned SRH from strugglers to contenders for the title. Warner said that he is proud of the turnaround the team has managed.
“First and foremost, no one gave us a chance at the start. Everyone talked of the big three: Mumbai, DC and RCB (Royal Challengers Bangalore). So I am really proud of our campaign,” said Warner.
“(Thangarasu) Natarajan, Rashid (Khan), Manish Pandey have been the positives. That back half in the tournament is how we like to play our cricket. Yes, there were injuries but you have to work with what you have got. I am proud to get where we are today as no one gave us a chance,” he said.
The SRH team generously thanked their fans for their support throughout the tournament, after they missed the chance to enter the IPL 2020 Finals.
