IPL 2019, Eliminator: DC vs SRH: Exuberance of youth shines for Delhi Capitals

Delhi Capitals prevailed in the eliminator of the IPL against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Visakhapatnam, sealing a win in the final over. Chasing a target of 163, DC managed to cross the finish line with 2 wickets in hand and a delivery remaining. Two of India’s brightest youngsters, Prithvi Shaw and Rishabh Pant were the shining lights in Delhi’s victory, as their fearless approach ultimately led to DC prevailing. The result was a historic one for the franchise, as it was their first ever victory in an IPL playoff.

DC won’t get to celebrate much though, as a stern test awaits for them in Qualifier 2. They will face Chennai Super Kings at the same venue, in what will be the final hurdle on the way to their first ever IPL final. It will be a battle of experience against youth, with Mumbai Indians lurking in the shadows.

Let’s analyse what Delhi Capitals did right to beat the Sunrisers Hyderabad:

Positive intent at the top

In what could have been a tricky chase, DC were always positive in their intent, which undoubtedly made their task a tad easier. Prithvi Shaw, in particular, was pretty impressive, taking the attack to the SRH pacers up front. His knock of 56 in just 38 deliveries meant that Delhi were never under the pressure of catching up with the run-rate. Shikhar Dhawan also lent him good support with a cameo knock of 17. He consistently took singles and gave the strike to Shaw, who was going all guns blazing at the other end. Though Delhi suffered a bit of a mini-collapse in the middle-order, the solid foundation built by their openers always kept them alive in the game.

Pant’s dash at the bottom

This innings was a perfect example of why Pant has become such a divisive figure amongst the fans in the Indian cricket circuit. While some rate him extremely highly, others believe that the wicketkeeper-batsman is still too raw to make a big impact on international cricket. His knock of 49 in just 21 deliveries was typically audacious in nature. The 18th over was especially breathtaking to watch, as he took Basil Thampi to the cleaners. 22 runs came off that over, which put Delhi firmly in command in the match. His dismissal though showed the other side of his game. Instead of playing it sensibly and taking his side home with only 5 runs required, Pant went for the money shot and got himself dismissed. If he can iron out these little kinks from his game, Pant will well and truly become a force to be reckoned with.

Spinners stifle the SRH batsmen

Though the pacers picked up the bulk of the wickets for DC, it was the spinners who applied brilliant pressure in the middle overs of the SRH innings. Mishra and Axar Patel applied the brakes on the SRH innings after Saha and Guptill had gotten them off to a quick start. Both the spinners were highly economical on an ACA-VDCA Stadium pitch, which offered them some assistance. The experienced Mishra, in particular, conceded only 16 runs in his 4 overs with one wicket and an exceptional economy rate of 4 RPO. Axar Patel ably supported him, conceding 30 runs in his four overs. The pressure which they applied greatly helped the seamers to pick up the wickets.